Hi We bought and planted a 7 ft. weeping cedar tree last fall we did every thing we were told ie hole not to deep water, good soil, fertilizer, mulch and so on we hammered a post into ground beside tree tied it off and all seemed to be ok! this spring we notice the tree is turning brown and it is very dry. We have had plenty of rain and moisture so we don't think it is a lack of water does any one have any idea what is wrong and how to save our tree? We are very limited in our knowledge regarding trees!! so hope an expert can steer us straight and help us save our tree. Ps We live on Oshawa Ontario so that is our climate and so on. Thanx a bunch Noel - Anna
noel, you'll have to excuse Michael - he's fighting an entire industry that markets and sells a number of plants as cedars, even though botanically speaking true cedars are members of the genus [WIKI]Cedrus[/WIKI]. Perhaps post a photograph so we can identify the conifer you have first (arborvitae?) and then address the question of it dying.
Wouldn't expect weeping Alaska cedar (Nootka cypress) - the other common weeping cedar - to take your conditions either.
Hi I am reading some posts above and there are some who believe the local climate is not suitable for that particular type of tree however there are several of these trees around our area including some that are fronting local businesses, ie along fairly busy roads and some are in our residential neighbourhood, set back from the roads in front yards or nestled fairly close to the homes. All the trees we see seem to be doing fine! seeing these trees on our walks is when we first noticed them and is why we decided to buy one. So hopefully it is not the climate and perhaps something to do with our attention to them? Thanks again.
With trees suitability needs to be LONG-TERM before they are established to be a success in an area. Lots of stuff may get planted that dies 5, 10 or 15 years later. But: if they are a bunch near you of the same kind that didn't go brown at the same time, that would imply there was something about your situation that was different - other than the weather (unless your site has markedly different microclimatic conditions, like severe exposure or deep frosts due to cold air drainage).
When was the last time these climate zones were assessed? I was just curious. With all the climate changes over the last 20yrs, who really knows what each zone temps really are anymore. Other then the amount of light, thats about the only thing that is stable anymore. Growing up near Oshawa Ont myself, half the time I go there in the winter and the weather is warmer then Vancouver. Noel, it may not have rooted properly last year. Does it pull out of the ground easy? Has it rooted out of the root ball or burlap? You may want to replant it and break the dirt up a bit if these are problems. Actually Ron B posted a interesting link the other day about container grown pots, in which I think could also help with planting burlaped trees. Jim.
Hi Noel, you probably have a weeping nootka chamy. they are completely hardy in your area, they are fine here in Ottawa and we're colder-zone 5-. If you bought it in the fall, it may have already been stressed (dry) and then didn't get enough water in later fall to get established. this can happen especially in newly planted large specimens. this winter was quite harsh on conifers, very mild till mid January then flash freeze with little snow cover later. I have 4 varieties of nootkas, but they do turn brown and defoliate a bit in spring before new growth begins. If only a few parts are brown, particularly the south facing side, don't worry, it will come back. it's been very dry and warmer than normal in Ottawa this spring, your weather must be similar. Keep it mulched and water regularly for the next few weeks. Richard
Hi Richard Thanks for your advice we have been babying the tree and it appears to be on it's way back there is some new growth and hopefully we will be able to stay on top of it from here on out. Thanks again Noel
