Very new to this. I have a very old cedar tree that is huge and this year for some reason alot of the leaves have turned brown and not fallen off the tree. When I went to look at it and cut some off I noticed a web substance on the tree in some of the branches. I have great fondness for this tree. Any ideas what the problem is and ways to fix it? Any reply would be greatly appreciated. Kelly
Many of the native cedars in my area (Vancouver Island) are turning brown and dying. I was told that they have suffered from a lack of water in the summer despite heavy rainfall during the winter months. Perhaps once the tree is compromised it is more vulnerable to disease. Mort
Others have reported diseased cedars recently - Is it anything like this post? http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=27870 Or this one? http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=27610
Is Kirkland Lake on the Pacific Slope (coastal BC, Pacific Coast of US) somewhere? Native western redcedar often "flags" conspicuously under summer drought conditions, although it seems like this usually happens later, sometime like August. If your tree has dying sprays on innermost parts of branches only, with uniform retention of green near tips throughout tree, then it is a water-related issue. Webs could just be beneficial predatory spiders. Caterpillars and plant-sucking mites also make webs.
the combination of LONG wet winters and summer drought spells has been creating poor conditions for the native cedars. They prefer damp, cool weather most of the year, with major rainfall inthe fall, winter and spring their roots are smothered in H2O and decline, when the summer weather hits and we get 2 or more months of dry and hot weather the roots cannot recover because of lack of moisture. The common symptoms seem to be the upper third or more of the canopy of the cedars and birches dying off over a couple of years or less.
