Has your majestic conifer’s vibrant green foliage turned a dull brown?
It’s heartbreaking to see beautiful trees like conifers in decline when people spend so much on them to enhance the trees and the family enjoyment over generations.
A dying conifer can easily become a hazard so it is essential to be aware of the size of the tree and take action.
If you’re planning to remove your dying conifer, don’t give up hope, you may be able to save your tree.
In this article, we discuss six reasonable tips you can do yourself to revive your sickly conifer.
How to revive a dying conifer depends on why it is dying?
- If your conifer has died from drought stress, then water the tree heavily after the freeze is out of the ground. Ideally, you will have watered prior to the freeze and utilized mulch.
- If your conifer has died from needlecast disease, you should prune away the infected foliage and branches and apply fungicidal treatments.
- If your conifer has died from rust disease, you should prune away the infected branches and needles and apply fungicidal treatments.
- If your conifer has died from root rot, you should shovel away the wet soil from around the roots and let it dry.
- If your conifer was dying from pine beetles, then it is likely that it will need to be cut down after the beetles have eaten a majority of the tree. You can only treat pine beetles before they infest by using insecticidal sprays and maintaining a healthy tree.
- If your conifer has died due to lack of sun, you should prune back the top branches or transplant the tree.
Are you facing the confrontation of reviving your conifer tree?
Keep reading to learn the reasons why conifers die and what you can do to remedy the situation!
Conifers are a magnificent family of trees
Coniferous trees include some of the most recognizable and admired trees in the world.
They derive their name from the cones they bear and include trees and shrubs like:
- Scots pine
- European Larch
- Cedar of Lebanon
- Douglas Fir
- Yew
- Redwood
- Spruce
- Arborvitae
A conifer’s beauty, productivity, and longevity make it appealing to save a tree.
As a family of trees, they are the largest carbon sink in the world, and they play an important role in the production of lumber and paper.
Coniferous forests have a sanitizing effect and help to purify the air in large areas.
Conifer species are also an important food source and habitat choice for wildlife, and it is regrettable to have to cut down a diseased tree, even if it is a landscape tree.
Conifers are known for their remarkable growth
Conifers are remarkable trees known for their quick growing habit. Conifer species can be classified as slow, moderate, or fast-growing, based on their annual growth rate.
Even the slowest growing conifers will grow up to a foot a year, while the fastest-growing can double that rate!
Don’t worry, the growth doesn’t continue forever! They will eventually slow down or completely stop growing once they reach maximum height.
A mature tree will generally stop growing like in height, but this does not indicate it is dying.
My conifer is turning brown – is it dying?
When your generally lush, green conifer turns brown, it’s pretty clear something is wrong with your tree.
If you want to try to save a dying tree, you must first get to the bottom of the cause.
Here are some potential reasons a conifer may change color or even die:
1. Over-pruning
Pruning your conifer is a healthy practice, however, excessive pruning can shock or even kill the tree.
Topping a conifer, or removing the crown of the tree, alters the natural growth pattern and movement of key hormones within the tree. This can also kill the tree.
The optimal time for pruning a conifer is in the spring as it exits dormancy, or in the summer as it enters semi-dormancy.
Pruning a conifer in late summer or autumn can trigger the tree to create brown and bald patches that will take time to recover from.
A brown sick looking conifer from excessive pruning will most likely die and become unstable if the crown was removed.
2. Snow on the branches
Never underestimate snow’s disabling effects on conifers, especially for those that are young or small.
A heavy load of snow can bend or break the branches of your conifer, or possibly bend an entire tree.
Browned needles is an indicator that a branch from the inside has probably broken and needs to be removed. Non-native conifers may be especially susceptible to snow load.
3. Winter drying
Winter drying is widespread, seasonal conifer condition that impacts any type of conifer.
It develops in the window between midwinter and early spring, in trees that grow above the snow line.
In cold but often sunny and windy weather, transpiration occurs (moisture loss) during daylight, but the tree cannot replace the moisture in cold conditions because the ground is frozen.
The tree will gradually dry as it transpires, and as conditions worsens, the needles will turn brown, go dry, and drop off the tree.
Typically, you’ll know it is winter drying, as the outermost needles on the conifer will brown first, with interior needle discoloration subsequent to browning.
At this point, the tree will appear as if it is dying, but should recover fairly quickly once temperatures warm-up in the spring thaw.
Below are some tips on winter injury, from the University of Wyoming to further consider:
4. Diseases
Conifers, like other plants, face a number of vulnerable viral, bacterial, or fungal diseases.
Disease may develop in conifers through broken or rubbing branches that have not been trimmed, or due to the condition of the soil.
Here are some of the most serious conifer diseases which can kill a tree:
- Conifer root and butt rot: This infection is due to the disease agent fungus H. annosum, which damages the root butts and trunks of a conifer. The the fungus is capable of spreading through the root structure of a tree and will ultimately kill the tree.
- Needle cast disease: This disease is due to a fungus that causes the needles of a conifer tree to turn yellow brown, and the tree casters the needles from the crown of the tree.
- Diplodia blight of pines: This blight disease is due to a fungal infection that will kill shoots, branches, and an entire tree in some situations. Older conifers exposed to weathering are more susceptible to damage. If you are observing brown stunted growth and brown needles on your tree consider the fungus Diplodia pinea as the cause of damage.
- Fusiform rust: This is a disease of conifers and oaks. It is caused by a very aggressive fungus Cronartium quercuum and produces a horrible crippling canker on pine trees. Arborists will remove the infected branch or partially burn the infected conifer in order to limit the spread of the infection before death occurs.
5. Pests
A fully established pest infestations can also kill conifers.
Many of these pests are sap-sucking organisms that weaken the tree or introduce disease.
The older or neglected tree is more likely to get overwhelmed by these pests, but it would be unwise to overlook those same pests in a healthy tree.
Here is a list of common conifer pest – that will weaken or kill – conifers:
- Conifer aphids
- Bark Beetles
- Sawfly larvae
- Pales and White Pine Weevils
- Conifer mites
- Spruce Budworm
- Tussock Moth
- Wooly Adelgids
How to revive a dying conifer?
Have you ever pondered whether or not you can rejuvenate a dying conifer?
Assuming the conifer is not dead and you or your arborist diagnosed the housing or other stresses and you can fix why the conifer is declining, there may be some hope.
However, you have to act quickly as dead parts of your conifer will not regrow.
Here are some interventions that may help restore health to your dying conifer.
Establish what is going on
This is the most crucial step, as this is going to identify the action you are taking for your tree.
Identifying an underlying problem will involve thoroughly inspecting the tree for insects or disease as well as exterior environmental causes that could result in tree health issues.
If you cannot identify the reason your conifer is dying, ask for the assistance of a professional tree specialist such as an experienced arborist.
Remove dead branches
Dead and dying branches represent a considerable hazard due to the possibility of falling off the tree.
By removing any dead-with-brown-needles branches, you are decreasing the risk of injury as well as further stress on the tree.
Treat disease
In case your conifer is dying of a particular disease, you will want to use a treatment that’s appropriate. You don’t want the browning to spread to other parts of the tree.
Proper treatment of conifer diseases usually involves:
- Trimming infected limbs (be sure to sterilise your tools between trees).
- You may want to submit diseased tissue to a Diagnose Clinic to get accurate direction on the source of the disease, and the treatment desired (an arborist can do this for you).
- Spray the tree down with the appropriate treatment (fungicide or herbicide) to ensure the disease does not spread. Common active ingredients include copper, mancozeb, thophanate and chlorothalonil.
Tackle pests
Treat pests like you would treat an infected conifer.
You should take the sam approach to manage infested conifers starting with the removal of the infected needles / branches.
If it a last resort you can apply a commercially potent insecticide as well but be advised that it can kill beneficial insect species that use the infected conifer as a hosts.
Usually multiple treatments are necessary to eliminate pests completely.
You can also preventing return visits of pests by trying to seek out the natural predators of common conifer pests and which examples, aphids or mites.
The lacewing, ladybug and other predator wasps are helpful predator species to notice while monitoring the eggs too. You can also apply laden or neem essential oils to the tree to help protect the root systems.
Deep watering
A conifer that has turned brown due to winter desiccation is in a state of severe dehydration.
Assuming you’ve pruned any dead limbs off the plant, you can begin a recovery trick of deep watering the conifer on a weekly basis.
This procedure should begin when thawing begins in your area.
Deep watering is a technique to get water down to the deeper roots of the plants. Some conifer growers use root watering funnels to get the water down at least 12-inches down into the root zone of the conifer.
Mulching
Another good method that can aid a conifer which has suffered winter injury is mulching.
Piling mulch around the roots of a conifer in the pre-winter can also serve to insulate the roots system from freezing.
Composted bark mulch or shredded leaves mulch work well as mulch for a conifer.
Make sure to apply a sufficient amount of mulch around the roots of your conifer; just avoid placing it right against the trunk itself.
Observe
Should you choose to bounce back your evergreen, it is important to make a long-term commitment to monitoring your tree as a potential recurrence of its troubles, as well as supporting it through additional challenges.
A winter-injured and infected tree can be susceptible to a few other possibilities like infestation.
Be ready to re-treat trees and remove further branches that die.
Talk to an arborist
It is important to have the tree evaluated by a trained arborist because they will be able to identify signs of structural instability in the tree that may make it a risk.
While damage may not be severe, a broken tree may still be deterrent to its reinstatement.
If your conifer died from a disease, make sure you remove the stump or the tree itself so that a replacement conifer doesn’t become infected.
FAQs
What do I do if my conifer is dying from a water deficiency?
Most of the time you will see dehydration in early spring or in winter with less rain.
Symptoms of dehydration include brown or yellow droopy needles and needle drop.
In colder climates, ground will freeze and in effect the water does not reach the tree roots causing injury. Important moisture leaves the needles and the needles turn brown after being dehydrated.
You can’t fix it unless the temperatures are above freezing but if the ground is thawed you can water the tree very thoroughly.
Going forward you can water the tree once a week with a lot of water right before the ground is about to freeze. You could also lay a 4-inch layer of mulch around the base of your tree to maintain moisture and raise your soil temperature to protect your tree.
Wondering how often should you water your conifer?
You should be watering your conifer once a week very thoroughly and deeply. Otherwise, if you are watering frequently and lightly, the roots will stay shallow, dehydrating the tree.
What do I do if my conifer is dying from needle cast disease?
When your conifer’s needles become brown, fall off, and the tree branches die, it is known as needle cast disease.
Once you have needle cast disease, it is very contagious and will spread to the neighboring trees unless treated appropriately.
If you have more than one conifer in a row and notice needle cast disease in only one of them, treat the affected tree immediately, but be sure to check the other trees for symptoms.
The first thing you should do is remove all infected needles and branches from the tree. Burn the debris or remove it from your property (do not compost the infected material).
Lastly, following the infected tissue’s removal, you will want to treat your conifer with fungicide.
What do I do if my conifer is dying from rust disease?
If you see powder on the needles that is rust-colored and lush, swollen spots on the branches that jump out at you, then it’s very easy to tell that your conifer has rust tree disease.
It’s very easy to tell have this!
Rust disease is caused by fungi that infects the needles, and it causes blisters that spread and burst.
To Treat Rust Disease – Take Off All of The Infected Branches and Needles and then spray fungicide on the tree.
If you live where rust disease is prevalent, find trees that are resistant to rust disease. Sometimes, the best treatment, is to prevent it in the first place!
What do I do if my conifer is dying from evergreen root rot?
The following content plays a very informative role in is likely to increase attention and audience engagement in internet blogs as well as capacity to answer questions from its reading audience.
Evergreen root rot is caused by fungus and will quickly kill a tree if it’s not properly treated.
Symptoms include softwood, wilting discolored needles, and blisters on the roots.
To treat root rot, dig all the damp soil near the roots and let them air dry.
Root rot is caused when there is excess water at the roots or if the soil is too moist. Plant your conifer somewhere that the soil drains well to avoid evergreen root rot.
Too much organic matter can cause soil to drain slowly. Soil that is slightly sandy will drain better.
What do I do if my conifer is dying from pine beetles?
Pine beetles consume sap from trees, starting from the inside out.
Pine beetles leave behind mounds of powder that are rust-colored and represent where they have left a footprint. The sap their holes exhibit is dripping with a yellow color.
Pine beetles are attracted to trees that are stressed, so healthy trees should not be at risk. The best way you can protect your tree from pine beetles is to keep it healthy as possible.
You should prune any diseased or dead branches, stay on top of removing any debris from the base of the tree that might attract diseases, and water your tree well.
If you see that there are pine beetles in your area, take precautionary measures and you should apply an insecticide to your tree.
All you can do is work proactively. Once it is infected it usually needs to be removed.
What do I do if my conifer is dying from lack of sun?
Conifers require a lot of full sun. Often, we see the lower branches turning brown because the higher branches are shading the lower branches.
Conifers can also turn brown if simply planted in an area that does not get enough sun.
If the lower branches turn brown you can prune the higher branches if you are concerned. If the tree is planted in an area without much sun, you will likely need to relocate the tree somewhere sunnier.
Moving forward; make sure to plant the conifer in full sun. This may seem contrary, as we typically see conifers growing in really dense wooded areas in the wild, but conifers really require a lot of sun to grow successfully.
Final thoughts
There might be numerous factors contributing to the decline of a conifer tree, but there are equally as many solutions! This article will help you determine the reason your conifer tree is dying and what you can do to treat it.
Conifers are beautiful trees to have on your property. They provide homes for wildlife, and they can provide coolness in the summer and great color in the winter.
Conifers are also usually not the prettiest tree in the yard if there are no colorful flowers blooming, but they are low maintenance trees and can have an exceptional growth rate.
However, if these strong and sturdy trees do have problems, more often than not a little proactive care and attention can revive and nurse them back to good health for everyone to enjoy!