Help Needed With Dying Tree

[tony12676]

Hi everyone,

I am not sure what type of tree it is, but 1/2 of it is dying slowly. I gave it Miracle Grow food granules a few months ago but no improvement has occurred. It has been slowly dying for about 6 months. I have 2 other identical trees that are growing great. I have trimmed off the dead parts of the tree.

The first pic shows the part of the tree that is dying. The second pic is after I have removed the dead portion from it.

Can someone please offer me feedback?

Thanks!

 

[Logan]

Hello and welcome to the forums.
The tree is some kind of conifer, it's got die back and not much you can do about it. If you cut it out it won't grow back from old wood. But if you trim the rest as well but not too far in, just a bit of the green parts,it might grow around it. But I'm not sure about that.

 

[tony12676]

Hi Logan,

Thanks for the information. I'm going to take your advice. I appreciate your help.

 

[Logan]

Hi Logan,

Thanks for the information. I'm going to take your advice. I appreciate your help.

Your welcome but it might not work.

 

[cpp gardener]

Check at lowest point where brown meets green. There is probably some kind of injury or fungal infection at that point. It's best to remove anything brown above that point. Take a picture there, it might give a clue what went wrong.

 

[tony12676]

Thank you for your help. I will inspect it today.

 

[YumYum]

Look around the mulch for a pipe or hose from the HVAC system. It may be constantly wetting the ground causing root rot. Maybe not but it's Just a thought that popped into my head.

 

[tony12676]

Look around the mulch for a pipe or hose from the HVAC system. It may be constantly wetting the ground causing root rot. Maybe not but it's Just a thought that popped into my head.

That's a good idea, I will check and see. I didn't think about that.

Thank you

 

[mkmiraglia]

Hi everyone,

I am not sure what type of tree it is, but 1/2 of it is dying slowly. I gave it Miracle Grow food granules a few months ago but no improvement has occurred. It has been slowly dying for about 6 months. I have 2 other identical trees that are growing great. I have trimmed off the dead parts of the tree.

The first pic shows the part of the tree that is dying. The second pic is after I have removed the dead portion from it.

Can someone please offer me feedback?

Thanks!View attachment 101452View attachment 101453

It's an arbor vitae. They don't like to be over-watered. Not saying that's what's happening, it's just a possibility.
I would cut all the dead parts off and see what happens. These guys go one of two ways -- either old reliable, or just gives up the ghost. If it continues to grow after pruning out all the dead wood, good. If not, pitch it and plant something else. These are cheap and readily available.

 

[tony12676]

Thank for the additional information. I have cut away all of the damaged area of the tree. I have also trimmed some of the healthy area of the tree to promote new growth. The trees are not being over watered.

If the tree becomes ugly, I will remove the tree and replant another one like you suggested.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I use an antifungal systemic around here. Mine is agri-fos, also known as potassium salts of phosponic acid if other brands are near you. With that wet mulch and flat land you may well have fungus. It will behave like certain branches dying first because they are above a infected root. As it prospers, the fungus spreads around the plant. Not sure what you saw prior. The dieback is not as familiar to me, but I imagine its a whole meristem failure which is not typical of an encroaching fungal infection. That would probably be more hormonal in a whole system like that I would think. You also must watch for weed killers in lawn care. They can run off into a low area and take months to impact a slow grower. This can make one miss the connection because of the lengthy time span between application and impact.

 

[tony12676]

Thank you! I will check for an antifungal treatment while I'm out today. If it's not a fungal problem, the treatment won't harm the tree, so its worth a try.

 

[Tetters]

I've been thinking.... .... I remember talking with someone else on the forum a while back, and he had similar problems with similar trees. It turned out that the trees had been grown in a nursery in the USA where the plants had become root bound, and the roots had spiralled around inside the pot and restricted the health of the trees causing die back. I wonder if I can find the thread ??

 

[tony12676]

Hi,

Thanks for the information.

I planted the trees about three years ago. When I notice the roots of plants or trees are root bound, I loosen the root system before planting. I don't think it's a root bound problem.

 

[Tetters]

Well that's good. the other thing I had in mind was phytophthora or honey fungus.