Hi, New to the forums. Great info here. Purchased and planted a weeping alaskan cedar in early May. Have noticed a lot of yellowing mostly on the lower branches starting at the trunk. I've attached a couple pictures. Is this normal after planting? Thanks Tony
Re: Weeping Alaskan Cedar yellowing There's a steady little stream of people with what appears to be the same syndrome asking about it on the internet. Nootka cypresses are in place for a time, then the top goes bad, from the bottom up. Just saw three others quickly turn entirely brown at a business here, landscaped within the last few years. Phytophthora cinnamomi? If not that particular one, surely another water mold. Port-Orford-cedar is highly susceptible to P. lateralis while Alaskan cedar (C. nootkatensis) is seldom killed. C. taiwanensis has variable results. Other species of Chamaecyparis are considered resistant including C. obtuse, which can infrequently become infected. All are considered susceptible to P. cinnamomi, which has an extensive host range. http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/cedar-port-orford-chamaecyparis-lawsoniana-root-rot
It's a Nootka Cypress, not a cedar. It can happen after planting, if the roots were in poor condition, e.g. partially dried out when it was dug at the nursery. Check to see if the root ball is moist, or not. Water regularly, but don't drown it.
Thanks for the info. Did not know it was a cypress. I just checked the root ball. It seemed moist to me. Although, the tree was watered last night. Is the cedar a more resilient tree?. Reading up on weeping cypress, they seem to be prone to root rot. The nursery provides a six month warranty. Hoping it doesn't get to that. Thanks
The other worry is whether many of the roots were broken / cut when the nursery dug it (I should've mentioned that possibility before!) - can you remember what the rootball looked like when you got it? At least, if it fails from that, it's the nursery's fault not yours, so they should replace it free even after the six months are past. Yep, cedars are more drought tolerant, but also less cold-hardy, and might not work well in NY. Very different foliage and cones, too (pic below).
Mike, The root ball was burlaped. Per the instructions, I loosened the top but did not remove it when planting. I did not see anthing wrong with it. It was a decent size based on the height of the tree Thanks for info
Unfortunately, not good instructions - it's best to remove the burlap, as it doesn't rot very fast (or ever, if it is plastic burlap) and can constrain rooting badly.
Removal of the soil at planting is also being advocated, so there are no zones of different soils - much of the time the soil the tree comes with will be different from the soil on the final planting site. There can be soil moisture problems when this is the case, with the soil on the root-ball becoming quite wet or dry.
Mike I did add several slits to the burlap. Maybe I should try and remove whats left. Not sure if this would be better or worse at this time. Thanks
Update.. Checked the burlap and it was for the most part completely disintegrated. Rob, the root ball was mostly a clay type soil. Definitely different than the soil I added to fill in the rest of the hole. Contacted the nursery via email. I attached the pictures. They indicated that it could be planting shock but they did extend my warranty period to a year. Thanks for all your help guys..
Dig into the original soil ball to see what the moisture situation is. If you filled the planting hole with purchased planting mix or other material different from both the original soil ball and the existing soil around the hole then three different zones are now present, to affect the movement of water.
Ron, The original soil ball was moist but very compact clay. The nursery guidelines were to purchase top soil and compost( 2/3 top, 1/3 compost) and fill with that. I agree, there are 3 different zones. For future reference, do I breakup the dirt around the root ball? Also, just refill with the removed dirt? Thanks
Modern planting directions. http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/FactSheets/Planting fact sheet.pdf
Have attached a couple more pictures to update the tree condition. Have noticed that the top is getting brown. I guess that would indicate a problem with the rooting system. What do you guys think the survival probability is for the tree???? Thanks
Ron, not really sure what else to do. Been watering on a regular basis. Was contemplating replanting, removing dirt from original root ball but not sure if this is wise at this point. Let me know if you have any recommendations. Thanks
Doesn't look too bad apart from the dead tip, which (assuming the rest survives OK) it will replace with a new leader next spring.
