evergreens

[tyler durden]

Hello, could anyone tell me the best way to look after fir trees? I planted about a douzen last september, leylandi & blue cypress etc. some are doing fine, some have a few brown (dead?) branches and one of the dwarf ones has gone completely brown. should i be cuting off the dead bits?

i also have a camellia which was fine for 2 years, now its twice as tall but the leaves have gone brown.

thanks for any help.

[Thunderbird+]

Hello tyler, If your conifers are planted in the open ground the they should neen little care other than occaisional watering, you could also put a mulch around the bases of the trees of leaf-mould or wood chip, this will supress competative weeds and help retain moisture. Some conifers often turn a bronzy colour in winter but normaly green up by about now (my cryptomeria just has) If one gone completely brown I would guess its dead and best to remove it in case any pests move in. Any dead branches are best removed, if just young foliage it may green up again.

Not sure about your Camelia, it seems otherwise healthy, I wonder if its become too over shadowed or possibly suffered some frost damage or drought, yellow leaves would usually indicate nutrient deficiency, so it dose'nt seem like thats the problem, maybe a mulch would beniffit that too. Good Luck.