Dying conifer why?

[kippax]

I have a decorative conifer in the garden in an arch shape.

Unfortunately it has mostly gone brown & is looking in a sorry state what would normally cause this? (I do water it when necessary)

Do they come back or once brown is that it once its gone brown its dead?

[Mr GrimNasty]

Too many variables to compute! Picture & exact tree name required! Else no one can even guess.

[kippax]

Mr GrimNasty said:

Too many variables to compute! Picture & exact tree name required! Else no one can even guess.

Picture of sorry looking specimen below.

[Targarama]

You've got an infinite loop there. It's dividing by zero or something...

[Mr GrimNasty]

I'll take a stab at it being 'goldcrest', but who knows, probably doesn't matter that much anyway!

Cypress Aphid.
Cyprus Canker.
Drought.
Bad Winter.
Wind/salt burn.
Pruned too tight and/or too late in the year (October onwards).

I'd burn them myself. If you can't see any obvious disease/pest, replacements are cheap, otherwise, I'd try something different or wait a couple of years.

[FamilyGuy]

Out of curiosity - are the tops of the trees woven back in to each other? It just seems that the problem is heading back down the left tree unless that is still the right tree, IYSWIM.

[dazzalse]

This is the 2nd winter we have lost evergreens in the garden and speaking to the garden centre they too have lost evergreens and have said it is due to the harsh winter, it seems even evergreens cannot cope with -18

[Jonboy_t]

Do you have any sewers running underneath it anywhere? We had a mains drain running a few feet underneath a similar looking fir (albeit not as well maintained!) and the fir gradually died from the bottom up - we found out after pulling it out that the pipe had split right underneath the roots!!

[kippax]

FamilyGuy said:

Out of curiosity - are the tops of the trees woven back in to each other? It just seems that the problem is heading back down the left tree unless that is still the right tree, IYSWIM.

Yes they are & it does seem to be spreading from one to the other.

[kippax]

Jonboy_t said:

Do you have any sewers running underneath it anywhere? We had a mains drain running a few feet underneath a similar looking fir (albeit not as well maintained!) and the fir gradually died from the bottom up - we found out after pulling it out that the pipe had split right underneath the roots!!

Not that I know of I hope not?

[The Game]

The next doors cat killed one of mine, it had been using it for scent marking, it turned brown and never recovered.

[Simpo Two]

kippax said:

Yes they are & it does seem to be spreading from one to the other.

Just a hunch - have a VERY close look at the leaf fronds - do you see any very fine 'spiderweb' wrapping any of them?

I just wondered as I have a cotoneaster which dies back suddenly and it's something like spider mite - so small they're almost invisible and very hard to kill; they beat the crap out of the plant.

[kippax]

Simpo Two said:

Just a hunch - have a VERY close look at the leaf fronds - do you see any very fine 'spiderweb' wrapping any of them?

I just wondered as I have a cotoneaster which dies back suddenly and it's something like spider mite - so small they're almost invisible and very hard to kill; they beat the crap out of the plant.

This sounds like a possibility as there are some webs as described! How do I kill the fkers?

[Pints]

kippax said:

This sounds like a possibility as there are some webs as described! How do I kill the fkers?

Sounds like the spiders are doing the job for you.

[BoRED S2upid]

I lost a tree this year one with pink blossom (Usually) It will be burnt oh yes.

[Simpo Two]

kippax said:

This sounds like a possibility as there are some webs as described! How do I kill the fkers?

I used Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. You have to make sure the leaves are thoroughly wet (underneaths too), and inspect every week and do it again if the critters return. Look closely inside the 'webs' and under the leaves - can you see any tiny black dots? That's them.

The second photo here gives you an idea what to look for, but much smaller:

http://www.ent.uga.edu/veg/solanaceous/spidermites...

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 21st April 09:45

[itsnotarace]

http://ladybirdplantcare.co.uk/phytoseiulus.html

[Mr GrimNasty]

I doubt it's mites, but it is irrelevant anyway, there is no point treating them with anything hoping to save them, they will not grow back nicely - burn them and replace.

[dave_s13]

Do you hace similarly trained bushes in your garden in the shape of a K, I, P and an X?

If so you might have to change your name to KIPPX.

It's an odd looking thing that btw.