Coniferous shrubs are still one of the most popular ways to plant a garden or create a hedge surrounding the property. Our customers choose conifers mainly because of undemanding cultivation and green color, which decorates the plot even in winter. Despite high resistance, conifers are also exposed to unfavorable factors, which result in e.g. browning of bushes from the inside. Why do conifers turn brown from the inside out? Discover the most common causes.
Seemingly everything is fine and from the outside your bushes look healthy, but on the collected needles or after opening the branches you notice that they have changed color to yellow or brown? There can be several reasons for the browning of conifers. Some of them are the result of minor care negligence or the natural cycle of shrub development. It may also happen that the color change is a consequence of infecting the plant with dangerous fungal diseases or the presence of pests. It is therefore worth knowing the possible causes of browning of thujas, spruces and other conifers in order to prevent greater damage and loss of shrubs in time.
Why do conifers turn brown? Reasons for changing the color of conifers
As already mentioned, there can be several reasons. Not all of them pose a serious threat to your collection, but it is worth watching the bushes to have time to react appropriately. Often it is the browning of the center of the bush that is the first sign that something bad is happening to the conifer. So if thujas or other coniferous shrubs grow on your property, you should regularly check their condition to prevent the development of the disease or the effects of improper care. Check why the conifer turns brown.
Browning of coniferous shrubs - drought
Conifers are a group of plants that like systematic watering, especially during periods of prolonged drought. Regular feeding of the crop is a key rule of care, and the first symptom of water deficiency is the slow browning of the needles, and consequently - the entire shoots of the plant.
What is important, conifers should be watered not only in the summer or during the growing season, because it is a species that does not go completely dormant in winter, but only strongly slows down its development. It is recommended that the bushes be carefully watered before the first frost, which will allow them to absorb and accumulate large doses of moisture in the tissues. This is especially important when the ground freezes, which makes it impossible to independently absorb moisture from the soil.
Why conifers turn brown - nutrient deficiencies
A frequent cause of the change in the color of the bushes are deficiencies of nutrients, especially magnesium and iron. Cypresses and spruces are especially sensitive to a lack of magnesium, so if you're wondering why spruces turn brown, one option is too little of the element. Deficiency is manifested by yellowing, followed by browning and drying of the needles in the lower parts of the bushes.
In turn, the lack of iron results in discoloration of the young shoots of the plant, located at the top of the conifer.
To prevent deficiencies of valuable elements, it is worth strengthening weakened bushes with a special fertilizer against needle browning, e.g. Biopon Anti-Brown Needle Fertilizer or Substral Anti-Brown Needle Fertilizer. Both preparations contain properly balanced doses of magnesium and other compounds that help maintain the green color of conifers.
Browning of conifers - fungal diseases
The appearance of fungal diseases on the plant is one of the main causes of browning of both the needles and the center of the bushes. Not only thujas, i.e. thujas, are at risk, but also pines, junipers and yews.
MUSHROOMS APPEARING AMONG CONIFIER SHRUBS MOST COMMONLY:
phytophthora - this disease attacks the root system of the plant, which is why browning appears initially at the base of the trunk to slowly cover the entire bush. The consequence of phytophthora is slow yellowing, browning, and then death of the entire plant. Its growth is also inhibited. The fight against the fungus is difficult, and the first step should be to remove the infected shoots. It will also be necessary to spray the bushes with an appropriate plant protection agent, e.g. Proplant Phytophthora Mushroom 50ml Substral or Polyversum Universal Mushrooms 5g Target, which is a natural preparation containing a non-pathogenic fungus that is a parasite of the fungus attacking your plants. The action of the preparation is based on the principle of amensalism, i.e. inter-species dependence, where one of the species reduces the number of the other or destroys it completely due to the secretion of appropriate enzymes or chemical compounds. If spraying does not help, it is necessary to remove the plant, and the place left after the bush should be disinfected.
gray mold - you can notice it by parting conifer shoots and looking inside the bush. The disease is characterized by watery spots, sometimes with a gray coating, appearing on the needles at the base of the bush. When the pathogen is diagnosed, cut off the infected shoots immediately, and then use one of the fungicides. Gray mold will be helped by: Amistar 250 SC and Signum 33 WG.
autumn pine rash - a fungus that affects only old shrubs. The needles gradually turn yellow, turn brown, and then wither and fall to the ground. The disease is easy to recognize by the characteristic fruiting bodies in the form of black dots, located among the fallen needles. Chemical preparations helpful in the fight against rash include: Sarfun 500 SC or Antracol 70 WG.
Browning of conifers - pests
In addition to fungal diseases, the reason for the browning of conifers are also pests feeding on shrubs. The most common intruders attacking conifers include: spider mites, scale mites and scale mites.
Pests suck the juices out of the plant, causing the needles and shoots to deform, as a result of which the needles turn yellow, then turn brown, dry out and fall off. Some of the pests, such as the cup beetle, secrete a characteristic sweet honeydew while feeding, which is often the cause of the appearance of fungi
In the fight against pests, for example, Substral's Polysect Insecticide will be helpful.
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