Why is my Arborvitae (Green Giant) brown and yellow?

Question

I planted a few Green Giants, which are about 5' tall, last fall and they have slowly turned brown and yellow. We're in a zone 6, but it's been a cold and really wet winter. We used some packaged manure when planting, could that have caused the problem? Am I just worried too soon and once the weather is warm will they come out of their funk?

Answer 1

Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) is known for turning off color in the winter. This is normally a brown to purple tinge, and is more pronounce than the more typically used arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis).

Planting Arborviate in the fall is often a risky proposition. The plant has little time to develop a root system. Then when the ground freezes and the dry winter wind blows, the plant becomes desiccated (burned).

You will soon discover which of the two scenarios is the problem. If the problem gets worse as the spring progress, then the plant was desiccated.

Answer 2

A common problem with container-grown arborvitae can be that the roots are so overgrown around the outside of the root ball, that even though you're watering well, the water does not penetrate into the middle of the root ball. Make sure you tease all the roots outward when you plant, and give long slow drip waterings that give it time to soak in, rather than brief, heavey waterings, which can run into surrounding soil, and never be absorbed into the root ball.

Answer 3

Green Giant Arb

Answer 4

have been they watered adequate interior the fall? If no longer, that could account for the brownish information you're seeing. chilly in of itself might have little result on the foliage of those shrubs. having stated that, the "brown" you're seeing may well be some thing else, like cones. The cones on an arborvitae are very small.

Answer 5

I planted some last fall and mine are also brown & yellow, but I see evergreens in the neighborhood that look perfectly healthy. Maybe it depends on when you plant them, but I think that they'll be okay. Hope that someone can tell us why?

CJF