Greetings from the Newbie! This is a mystery I am trying to solve with my 2 separate Blue Atlas shrubs. The first has been on my property for at least 20 years and is obviously very mature. The second is a newer planting of a similar shrub - 5 years ago. Shortly after planting the second batch in my yard, my tree man told me he was experiencing browning in the Atlas for unknown reasons. Fungus? Too much moisture? He told me he threw everything in his truck at it, but it was all to no avail. I took a considerable amount of time pruning every brown branch this spring. Both Atlas were green and looking good...until Memorial Day weekend. Portland metro area got a bunch of rain over the weekend, a real change from our nice sunny days in April and May. Now both sets of weeping blue atlas are inundated with brown branches and needles. My beautiful shrubs are really weeping this time. What have I learned? There definitely is a moisture component to this malady. It is not just my Atlas. I have noticed this problem throughout our area. Are these shrubs unfit for the Pacific NW? All feedback is welcomed and thanks for providing this great forum. Walt in West Linn
Cultural control Remove and destroy blight plant material and plant debris that is found under trees or caught in limbs. http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/cedar-cedrus-sp-needle-blight
Thanks, Ron. For the last few years I have attempted to cut and remove all the blighted needles and branches as they materialized. Many hours of snipping, clipping and binning the brown needles and branches. That's why I was amazed at the speed that the blight inundated the plants. Blight free on Thursday and totally engulfed on Saturday...after heavy rains. Amazing. Is this type cedar not a good choice for this part of the country? Should I hose them down with green food coloring in the summer...just kidding, but I really hate losing these lovely fixtures to our yard. If it is a losing proposition though, I would like to find something more resistant to fungus. It seems to get a little bit tougher to manage here each year.
It's a new thing, at least as a repeatedly seen one. So far I see it here and there, but not on every specimen. Read the above account to decide what you want to do, note for instance that the amount of infestation varies with conditions.