Hi : I have 3 Emerald Cedar on my north facing apartment balcony (it does get some afternoon sun). They are 5 feet high. I realize that they like the sun, but I am trying to see how it goes. Last summer about 1/3 of each tree started to turn brown. This may have been due to lack of sun, or perhaps the fertilizer that I sprinkled on the branches. In any case, I was wondering if these brown branches mean that the plant is dead or is there a chance that it will come back ok? Should I cut off the brown branches and wait for new growth? Perhaps there is another evergreen that would do better in the limited sunlight? Thanks for your help, Bob
Somewhat prone to mites and blights, many internet posts asking why plantings partly brown. Apply fertilizer only after definite indication for need is established by something such as a soil test, and then only according to label directions. If you were sprinkling the foliage because it was a liquid fertilizer, granular fertilizer that is sprinkled on the ground is preferable. A granular fertilizer would never be sprinkled on the foliage.
