Hello from Germany, I've got a Nootka Cypress [Callitropsis nootkatensis (pendula), formerly: Cupressus nootkatensis] in my garden, which meanwhile is abt 35 years old and abt. 12-15 m high. A few weeks ago twigs of some branches became pale-brown and fell down. In the meantime this phenomenon accelerated, and the grass beneath the tree is covered like snow. Some people say, it might be a fungus infection, and thus I sprayed a fungicide (Bayer Myclobutanil). Others say, it needs to be fertilized, and thus I brought up some organic fertilizer. Weather conditions during last weeks have been mixed, warm and dry in April/May and rainy in June. This Nootka Cypress was an outstanding nice tree, and I'd be unhappy to loose it. I should be grateful If some of you experts could give me an advice, what to do. I also attach some photos to this post, hoping they might be helpful. Thanks and kind regards, Erhard
Discontinue the chemical applications until you get beyond the "might be" stage. Do you have an agriculture ministry that offers diagnosis for home gardeners?
Looks to be most (if not all) just old inner foliage that would fall naturally anyway due to old age. I don't see any sign of fungal disease on the yellow foliage. I'd not be too worried.
That is the obvious assumption but close-ups show it to be rather patchy, with yellow sections outside of green ones instead of it all being the oldest parts. Perhaps later the green sections above the yellow and closer to the main branch will yellow and drop as well.
I've made some microscope photos now, which I attatch to this post. Pictures A to C show leaves on the same twig, still hanging on the branch and just starting to become pale. Pictures D and E are nearly brown and had already fallen down. Now I also tend to believe that it is due to the age of the tree, but, nevertheless, I am surprized because I thought that a 35 or 40 years Nootka Cypress was not old. Thank you very much for the comments. Erhard
The black on the first three pics looks to me like sooty mould deposits on the leaf surface (usually grows on aphid excreta, 'honeydew'), and appears to have washed off the fallen shoots; there's no sign of it growing inside and breaking through the leaf cuticles. Was the tree subjected to any significant changes in soil conditions in the last year or two, such as flooding, drought, or soil compaction by machinery or heavy trampling? Is that pathway in photo #1 in post #1 newly installed or resurfaced? - if yes, that would cause significant root damage which would lead to problems like this.
Indeed in April this year I built a 3 m wide pathway for my Auto Mower roboter, and I altered the terrace, which sorrounded the Nootka Cypress, into a slope. This might have damaged some roots, although I did not see many root on the surface. If parts of the roots are damaged, does it make sense to feed the sane roots with additional organic fertilizer?
I fear that will have caused fairly extensive damage to its fine surface feeder roots, which are responsible for most of the water and nutrient supply to the tree. The tree's response is to shed foliage to reduce its water demand. The feeder roots should re-grow over the next 2 or 3 years. Fertiliser wouldn't be of marked value, but some mulch would help. Remove the lawn for about 2m radius around the tree, and replace with ~5-10cm of compost or shredded bark or similar.
Hi Michael, I'm convinced your judgement is correct. Meanwhile I've got the feeling that the shed of foliage has come to a standstill. Anyhow, I'm afraid to remove the lawn and to affect the surface feeder roots once again. So I shall feed the tree with some additional horn meal and provide it with plenty of water. Your advice was most helpful, thanks a lot for it. Erhard
