Hedges: Seriously sick "Excelsa" cedar hedges

Discussion in 'Gymnosperms (incl. Conifers)' started by DezzieBee, Jun 30, 2008.

  1. DezzieBee

    DezzieBee Member

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    A month ago we bought seven 10' cedar trees which we planted. Someone said we should put some mushroom manure around the base of the root ball when we dug he holes, which we did. We've been very diligent with watering, but have noticed that most of the trees are turning a kind of reddish brown, and look like they're beginning to die!! Can anyone tell me what could cause this???? Could it be the mushroom manure?
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Check soil moisture, including inside original rootballs.
     
  3. DezzieBee

    DezzieBee Member

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    Would the mushroom manure contribute to the change in colour? We've been watering for at least 5 hours a day for the last 3 days so the root balls must be wet by now!
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Sounds like they are liable to be too wet. It depends on if water is puddling in the bottoms of the planting holes and penetrating the original soil balls. Field grown stock is often produced in clay-like soils that repel water if allowed to dry out between the field and final planting site. Indifferent handling and storage is unfortunately not unusual so that I think many consumers having difficulties like yours have plants that are dry inside, shedding water applied and do not realize this is their problem. Especially after pouring on all that water you really need to dig down into the holes and into the rootballs and see what the situation is, rather than guessing or assuming. If they are sitting in puddles that can kill them as surely as if the rootballs are dust on the inside.
     
  5. DezzieBee

    DezzieBee Member

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    Checked the root balls yesterday. They are all moist, and the roots don't look like they're dying. Too bad the tops don't look that way, as some of the branches are now quite dry looking.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If the roots are cut short maybe some of them didn't come this. What are you seeing when you say the roots look good? New fresh roots coming out of the cut root ends, inside the soil balls? If so that means something happened after they were dug and had started to grow new roots, and it was not the cutting back of the roots that killed them (all crispy brown or nearly so = dead). If the tops have gone south the roots can't look TOO good!
     

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