I have a hedge of 8 ft smaragds. I planted it last year in May..........they are beautiful and green on the outside but the insides are all brown and dead. Can anyone give me some advise. Kerri in Victoria
This happens routinely to bushy overgrown plants, shrubs, trees, etc. when the insides lose some old foliage as a matter of course, and the rest of it in the middle can't get any sun, so you should thin the middle of the plant (which I have no idea what it is - or was that a typo?).
Thanks for the response....they are smaragds.I am thinking maybe the roots didn't take and they may be dying or I dind;t water them good enough.
Hi Kerri Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' is notorious for going brown in the center if you have planted them too close together. The way to fix the problem is to increase air circulation and sunlight by thinning out the plants - use bypass pruners and selectively prune branches right to the trunk. It may look funny for a year but it will pay off in the long run. In terms of watering they should be watered really well when they are first planted. Like many trees/shrubs they like deep, infrequent waterings which encourage a deep and healthy root system which in turn means a healthier plant. An application of tree & shrub fertilizer is also beneficial in the spring and summer. Happy gardening! -Eric
Thanks for the advise. I had a gardener come to see them yesterday and he said the exact thing..they had been planted to close together so they don't ge the air circulating. He said that they weren't dying as they had lots of new growth onthe top and even in the middle. He said to clean out all the dead brown in the middle but never said to thin them. Thanks so much.....I am planting 20 more tomorrow and really don't want the same to happen to them.
