We have an arborvitae that is turning brown. The inside and bottom of the tree are brown. We've had the tree for about 11 years and never really had a problem with it. We have also noticed that some type of worm has started going through metamorphosis. Because of the worms growing on the tree it has brought birds and they keep picking at the tree. We have been watering it once a week but that doesn't seem to help. Also it has be hot lately but the tree started turning brown before summer really hit. Any advice??

Hi,

if the interior of the plant is showing brown needles but the outside is fine and green then that is normal interior needle loss which these plants do as a mater of fact and there is nothing that can be done to encourage new growth in the center. also dry conditions can cause this and if you do waer make sure you water through and deeply to get a good ground soak for best results. and check that you are not overwatering at the same time. Can't say for sure what the caterpillars are with seeing them but if they are a problem and feeding on foliage Sevin is a good material to help control most leaf feeding caterpillars.

My arborvities ( planted approximately a month ago) have gone dry while we were on vacation. It looks as if they can be saved. I am soaking them with a soaker hose. How long should I run the soaker and how much is too much?

Hi,

Allowing new planting to go dry definately will affect the plant and shows up as some type of stress (wilitng, brown foliage etc) Hopefully you go to them soon enough so that any extensive root damage is avoided. Keep the area moist by allowing the hose to run slowly so you get a good ground soaking. you may need to dig around the plant a bit to see how far the water has gone down. You want a moist soil. Once that happens water again when the soil starts to dry and that can best be judged by doing a little digging. Too wet for too long and extended wet soils can also result in root death so you want to avoid that also.