Thuja crumbles what to do. Why does thuja turn yellow after planting? spring sunburn

13.04.2020

Tui are very beautiful and unpretentious plants. But sometimes, looking at your favorite hedge, you have to see an unsightly picture - yellow spots on large areas of needles.

Why does thuja turn yellow? What are the reasons and what to do?

There are a lot of factors that contribute to changing the color of the needles. But it's pretty easy to fix them..

Beautiful thuja is easy

To understand what to do, you need to find out what are the rules for caring for thujas. Light, moisture, nutrition and soil structure are all of great importance. As well as timely control of diseases and pests. This is what you need to know and observe in order to admire beautiful large trees.

Light mode

One of the possible reasons for failures in the cultivation of thuja is the decay of the needles. This phenomenon is possible when plants are planted too close to each other or to the wall of the building, to the fence. This disrupts not only natural ventilation, but also reduces the amount of light needed for needles.
In early spring just the opposite reason is possible - an excess of ultraviolet radiation and sunburn of greenery.

If the first reason is the case, then it is necessary to transplant the plants, eliminating the thickening of the plantings and providing them with good natural air ventilation (ventilation) and light access . In the second case, plants should be covered away from direct sunlight or transplant to a shady area. By the way, thuja feel better in places with diffused sunlight.

Thus, do not thicken the planting of conifers and avoid burns from direct sunlight, which is especially true for young plants.

Watering and nutrition

Optimum level of soil moisture - necessary condition beautiful shape and color of thuja. Why can needles turn yellow if proper watering is not observed? Both lack and excess of moisture harm the plant. In the early spring period, moisture stagnation is fraught with freezing of the root system; in the later growing season, the same phenomenon can cause root rot. In cases of soiling of an earthen coma, it is better to transplant the thuja to another place. Continue to avoid over-watering.

Too much fertilizer can also cause needles to turn yellow. Do not be too zealous in this matter. However, it is also necessary to know that the lack of iron in the soil causes yellowing of individual shoots. It is important to choose the optimal composition and amount of fertilizer depending on the type of soil in your area. It will be ideal to use for planting thuja special blends for conifers.

Conclusion: make sure the soil is suitable enough for arborvitae according to the supply of nutrients and the moisture regime, and then the tree will not dry and turn yellow, but will delight you with a beautiful crown.

How to winter?

A slight yellowing of the needles is possible during the onset of winter cold. This is a seasonal and normal phenomenon, and with the onset of warmer and longer daylight hours, it passes naturally. Browning of needles inside the plant, from the trunk, is also normal. This is caused by the processes of natural death of the needles due to the outcome of their life time, which is approximately five years. At the same time, new needles grow, hiding dead areas, so that the appearance of the plant remains quite presentable. If you do not like individual branches, then you can simply cut them off.

Compliance with agricultural technology "care before winter" will allow you not to worry about the plants until spring. And the needles will not turn yellow from freezing.

Correct fit

Improper planting agrotechnics is another significant cause of problems with thujas. The root collar should not be too deep or exposed. It should be level with the ground. The problem of transplantation is eliminated. If the plant is planted in sandy soil, then the position will also have to be changed by changing the location. For in this case, the thuja will not receive enough moisture: the water will go into the deep layers of the soil. That is why in this case the plant will suffer, and you will see an unsightly picture of your pet drying out.

Fungal infections and insect pests also become a frequent cause of changes in the condition of conifers. Bordeaux mixture will help to cope with infections, and Actellik will eliminate pests.

To prevent insect damage, it is worth using tape traps attached to plant trunks in early spring.

The needles also turn yellow from the urine of animals, for example, cats, dogs. And from the defeat of the bark of a tree by animals or winter frosts. Therefore, domestic animals should not be allowed on the site with conifers. And the so-called freezers- lesions and cracking of areas of the bark from sub-zero temperatures - first treated Bordeaux mixture, and then covered with garden pitch.

Subject to all the above recommendations, your tui will delight the eye with beautiful green needles from early spring until late autumn before shelter for the winter and the question, "the thuja turned yellow after the winter, what to do," you will no longer be bothered. And your guests will ask for advice on how to grow the same wonderful trees.

The color of thuja needles can change under the influence of a variety of both external and internal factors, which are sometimes not possible to accurately determine. The needles gradually acquire a yellow color, then die off, dry out and fall off. To make a correct diagnosis, a thorough examination of the tree will be required.

Can be distinguished several main groups of reasons that can lead to this phenomenon:

Natural (change of season and weather changes).
Agrotechnical (incorrect planting or plant care).
Biological (adverse effects on thuja animals, insects, microorganisms).

And now more about each of the most common reasons why thuja turns yellow in autumn.

natural causes

The needles, like the leaves, sooner or later grow old, dry out and fall off due to reaching a certain age. For arborvitae, the lifespan of each individual needle is from 3 to 6 years, after which it, losing chlorophyll grains, begins to lighten, turn yellow and fall off, and a new one grows to replace it. This all happens, as a rule, in the fall and is a normal process. In addition, there are several other natural causes of this phenomenon. Let's talk about them in more detail.

Seasonal color change

Thuja occidentalis and thuja folded, starting from the end of autumn and throughout the winter months, are painted in a golden-bronze color. However, this does not apply to all varieties. For example, the needles of the Holstrup, Columna and Brabant varieties acquire only a light brown tint, and the Smaragd variety remains rich green even in the most severe frosts. Therefore, the browning of the needles or its darkening is a kind of adaptive reaction to severe frosts, characteristic of the homeland of the thuja - the eastern and western regions of North America.

Well, as soon as spring comes and juice starts flowing, the color of the needles of all varieties of thuja will again change to rich green. If this does not happen, the owner of the plantation will have to look for another reason.

Influence of weather conditions

Thuja needles can be adversely affected by a significant decrease in air temperature in the winter months. With frosts of -29 ° C and stronger, trees can freeze slightly. And this applies not only to the needles, which begin to turn brown and dry out. Trunks and branches also suffer, the bark on which cracks, frost cracks form.

The bright spring sun can also harm the needles, burning it.

Agrotechnical reasons

The yellowing of thuja needles in autumn can also be caused by reasons associated with errors in the actions of people caring for her:

In case of incorrect landing.
With insufficient quality care.
With an unbalanced diet.
When exposed to harmful chemicals on the tree.

And now about each of these errors in more detail.

Incorrect planting of the thuja

When planting this plant, most often the following errors are allowed, leading to the fact that the needles on it turn yellow in autumn:

Thuja is placed on sandy soil, from which nutrients and water quickly leave.
It is planted on clay soil with insufficient nutrient content, dense structure and lack of oxygen, in which the plant cannot grow fully.
Planting thuja in peat soil in a low-lying area where there is stagnant water. As a result, the roots of the plant can become wet and rot.
Thickening of thuja plantings. For this reason, in places where the branches of neighboring plants touch, the needles turn yellow en masse and crumble.
A sharp drop in illumination. Exposing the thuja to bright sunlight, if it had previously grown in a shady place, can be the reason why its needles turn yellow. Most often, the burning of such seedlings occurs within one day from the moment they are planted.
Excessive deepening of the trunk and, especially, branches into the ground can lead to drying and shedding of needles, as well as slow death of branches and rotting of the bark on the trunk.
If the root neck is exposed, the appearance of the trees also suffers.

Ideal for landing thuja is considered soil with good drainage, however, retaining sufficient moisture for most of the year (turf, to which sand and peat are added).

The distance between individual thuja plants should be a meter or more. The exception is hedges.

Poor quality care

With insufficient watering, the thuja needles may turn yellow, however, it is enough just to normalize the watering so that a healthy green color returns to it.

In case of excess fertilizer, the tips of the shoots located on the lower part of the plant become brown. The contact of thuja with technical salt and other reagents used to clean roads from ice and snow leads to the same effect.

A deficiency in the soil of iron ions can also be the reason why the thuja needles turn yellow and even turn pale on its individual shoots. Phosphorus deficiency causes a reddish-purple tint to appear on young plants. But nitrogen deficiency slows down the growth of thuja and causes chloroticity of its needles.

Biological causes

Thuja needles may also begin to turn yellow due to the adverse effect on the plant of some living organisms:

Animals.
Insects.
Microorganisms.

Let's talk about each of them separately.

Animal Influence

Some animals mark their territory with urine. A thuja plant can also become a kind of "border pillar". In this case, subject to regular ingestion of urine, the bark of the tree and its needles turn black or, less often, turn yellow, and then dry out.

insect pests

pathogens

Thuyu may be struck by some fungal and bacterial diseases:

In any case, you should understand why the thuja needles turn yellow before doing anything. After all, only making an accurate diagnosis, high-quality and effective treatment can be carried out.

Some summer residents do not know what to do if the thuja has turned yellow, and what is the reason, so they are perplexed when such a problem occurs. If nothing is done, she will die. There are several ways to get out of this situation.

What caused the yellowing of the thuja

The yellow color of coniferous needles does not always indicate a disease, sometimes it is the fault of the gardener himself or the influence of an environmental factor.

Source: Depositphotos

What to do if the thuja turned yellow: rational watering and correct top dressing everything will be decided

The color of a tree can be:

due to seasonal changes;
improper care;
natural processes;
incorrect landing;
damage by harmful insects and diseases;
animals.

During winter, frost thuja may turn yellow. So it reacts to temperature fluctuations. Everything is back to normal in the spring. If it is planted in the sun, then a common cause is burns. Do not forget that after 5-6 years the needles die off, since nothing lasts forever. Some parts turn yellow and fall off, new ones grow in their place. If the soil in which the thuja grows is sandy, clayey or peaty with stagnant water, then the plant will sooner or later begin to deteriorate. The best soil composition is soddy soil with sand and peat.

Thuja loves moisture, but not excessive waterlogging. In the first case, yellowness appears due to drought, in the second, the rhizome rots. It is impossible to allow the deepening of the root neck, it should be located on a par with the surface of the earth. Planting thuja nearby is contraindicated, lack of light and space will destroy them. Excessive fertilizing or lack thereof also adversely affects the plant.

Often the feces of animals near the tree, as well as the invasion of fungal diseases and aphids, lead to yellowness.

How to save thuja

To avoid changes in growth, development and appearance Tui, first of all, choose the right seat. Partial shade, in no case a sunny area. During planting, do not deepen the root collar. To prevent the invasion of harmful insects, treat the plant with an insecticide in early spring. Suitable "Aktellik", "Aktara" or "Engio".

To prevent diseases or stop them, use:

Bordeaux liquid;
a solution of copper sulfate 5% - branches are sprayed or lubricated;
fundazol - diluted 5: 5.

Processing is carried out in spring and autumn.

Regular and proper watering is important. In drought - twice a week, using 15 liters of water. On a normal day - 1 time, 10 liters.

Fertilize also in moderation, 4 times is enough for the period from April to August. To do this, fill the manure with water (1: 4) and leave to infuse for two weeks. For one thuja - 3 liters. Alternate such top dressing after 3-4 weeks with complex mineral fertilizers - "Epina", "Bioud" or "Kumir-universal".

So that the tree does not acquire yellow, monitor the condition of the soil, the regularity of watering, carry out preventive spraying with special preparations from pests and diseases.

Thuja is an evergreen beauty that proudly and majestically rises on many household plots. The plant is quite compact, it reaches a height of no more than ten meters (in wildlife it can be up to twenty meters!). A bright representative of the Cypress family easily tolerates a haircut and is very unassuming in care. However, very often gardeners notice that the evergreen beauty begins to slowly lose its exquisite natural color. Yellowing of thuja is a very, very common phenomenon. Timely identification of the cause of the color change will stop the spread of yellowness throughout the plant.

Causes of yellowing thuja

1. Seasonality

In most cases, the color of the thuja, which is unusual for plant breeders, can be explained by a completely understandable phenomenon. The yellowing of the green beauty is often explained by such a phenomenon as natural changes. In a gymnosperm plant, like in other members of the Cypress family, the crown, the area around the trunk, as well as the lower tiers turn yellow in autumn. In addition, with the onset of winter, thuja different varieties can also change their color. And there is nothing unnatural in this. For example, folded thuja acquires a bronze hue, Siberian thuja acquires a golden color. Color change is a natural reaction of a tree to temperature changes. With the onset spring warmth thuja again acquires its bright juicy green color.

2. Mistakes when transplanting thuja

Thuja is quite demanding on the composition of the soil in which it will be grown. In peat soils coniferous plant often the root system rots, which can be the cause of yellowing of the thuja. But on clay soils, the roots of an evergreen beauty will not be able to fully develop due to the fact that there are very few nutrients in the composition of such land. Sandy soils are also not suitable for planting a coniferous plant. It is ideal if a well-drained garden area is chosen for the thuja. The composition of the ground should be soddy, with an admixture of sand and peat.

One more possible cause yellowing thuja is the wrong place for planting seedlings. For example, young plants, sharply planted in the sun from a shade or dense planting, in most cases turn yellow during the first two days after transplantation. This is due to the fact that a sharp light difference can contribute to the burning of the thuja.

If the gardener deeply deepens the trunks and branches of the tree, then this can negatively affect not only the color of the plant, but also its well-being. The thuja will slowly dry out, the root neck will be exposed, and the tree will eventually die.

Too frequent planting of thuja can also negatively affect the color of a coniferous plant. If two plants come into contact with each other, this can cause yellowing and fall of the needles at the points of contact. So experienced gardeners thujas are planted at a distance of one to one and a half meters from each other.

Influence the color change of the thuja by planting plants too close to the roadway. Reagents can negatively affect not only the color, but also the overall development of plants.

3. Wrong care for thuja

The main mistake in caring for thuja is the wrong watering regimen. Insufficient irrigation of the soil around plantings can cause yellowing of the arborvitae. In this case, there is only one way out - to adjust the irrigation regime, and then the thuja will return to its former rich green hue.

Recipe for the occasion::

The wrong mineral composition of the soil can negatively affect the color of the thuja. For example, yellowing of thuja may indicate a lack of iron in the soil. This problem is easily solved by introducing mineral complex fertilizers into the soil.

4. Diseases

Very often, thuja acquires a yellowish color due to a disease such as a fungus. The gardener will be able to judge the unnatural changes that occur with the plant by the yellowed color of the arborvitae for no apparent reason. In this case, the thuja must be treated with a systemic fungicide. a wide range actions - fundazol. Particular attention should be paid to the crown, trunk, and soil cultivation near the tree.

5. Pests

Often the cause of yellowing of an evergreen beauty is the detrimental effect of insects. Very often, the mining moth affects the color change of the thuja. The pest is able to make microscopic passages in the needles. This can be easily calculated by carefully examining the damaged areas of the tree. Also, an evergreen beauty can suffer from a leaflet and spider mite, thuja aphids, false shields and bedbugs. All of them are able to influence the color change of the plant. When the first signs of the appearance of pests are found, it is necessary to immediately treat the thuja with specialized preparations (pesticides and their analogues).

A change in the color of a thuja is always an alarm for a gardener. In this case, it is necessary to identify the causes of the color change and take timely measures to restore the natural state of the evergreen beauty!

It would seem that with the onset of spring, all plants should actively grow and delight the eye with their greenery. This also applies to the decorative tree in the form of arborvitae. However, there are cases when its needles begin to turn yellow and die. What can cause such changes and how to save a fading plant? There are many reasons for this. Let's look at them in more detail.

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In some cases, thuja changes its color for natural reasons. If the needles have begun to lose their brightness, it is possible that the tree belongs to those varieties for which golden, red or bronze color is considered the norm. These varieties include: Golden Globe, Sunkist, Mirjam, Yellow Ribbon. Each of them has a bright shade of needles, which distinguishes them from varieties in the traditional gray-green tones.

Factors that can lead to yellowing of the thuja include improper preparation of the plant for winter period. If the needles darken and turn brown, this indicates that the plant is reacting in this way to a decrease in temperature.

In winter, you can observe the golden-bronze color of the needles of the western thuja (Thuja occidentalis) and the folded thuja (Thuja plicata). In other varieties of needles, by this time they turn a little brown or bronze. In this case we are talking about varieties Brabant, Columna and Holstrup. The exception is the Smaragd variety - the tree does not change its shade all year round.

When spring comes and sap flow is activated, plants that are prone to yellowing will regain their rich green color. Yellowing of thuja in old age is a natural phenomenon. As a rule, aged needles hide in the middle of the crown and begin to turn yellow. The loss of chlorophyll causes them to dry out and die. In this case, you should not worry, because soon young needles of bright green color will take their place. To keep the tree pleasing to the eye, you can clean it from weakened branches.

Thuja turns yellow due to improper fit

We figured out the natural causes of yellowing of the thuja. Sometimes a change in the color of the needles can signal more serious problems. If you notice that the dieback covers a large area, attempts should be made to save the tree.

Violation of the landing rules is one of the common causes changes in the color of the needles and its shedding. In an advanced case, the plant may die. Yellowing of the needles can be due to various factors:

Inappropriate type of soil. Thuja does not tolerate sandy soil, since the water and valuable substances that it needs are absorbed by the lower layers. Clay soil is also not suitable for the plant, as it has a dense structure and there is little oxygen in it, which can adversely affect the development of the root system. If you plant a tree in peat soil, the roots can start to get wet and rot. The ideal solution would be loose, drained, fertile land (for example, turf mix with peat and sand).
Wrong planting depth. During the planting of a tree, it is unacceptable to bury its trunk to a great depth or expose the place where the roots go into the stem of the plant. If you ignore these recommendations, the development of stem rot is not excluded. As a result, the tree will begin to wither and slowly die.
Landing thickening. Thuja does not tolerate close proximity to other plants. Where its branches come into contact with the "neighbors", deformation occurs, and the needles begin to actively turn yellow and fall off. To prevent this, you need to keep a distance between them (at least 1 m).
Location on a draft. A blown place for this conifer is a taboo. If this rule is not taken into account, the plant will begin to hurt and soon die.
close occurrence ground water. If the thuja is planted in a place where the groundwater layers are very close, this will lead to rotting of the roots, which will be signaled by the yellowing and drying of the branches.

If you made one of the above mistakes when planting, hurry up to find a new place for the tree where it will grow and develop well.

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Thuja turns yellow due to illiterate care

If the thuja is not provided with appropriate care, it may also begin to turn yellow. First of all, this may be due to non-compliance with the irrigation regime. It has already been mentioned above that stagnant water near the roots is harmful to the tree. The same goes for lack of moisture. In order for a coniferous tree to feel good, you need to monitor the weather and check if it needs watering. Typically, this procedure is carried out 1 time in 7 days (in the morning and evening). On average, you need 1-2 buckets of water, no more.

Yellowing of a tree in spring may indicate that in the autumn-spring period it was in need of water. Never having received it in the proper volume, the plant was left for the winter without the necessary preparation, therefore, with the advent of warm days, it failed to grow quickly.

Often, the thuja turns yellow and dries out after the winter season due to a burn in the spring.

This phenomenon is easy to prevent - you do not need to choose for shade-loving varieties of coniferous places in the open sun. For the period of cold weather, before the snow cover melts, young trees need to be protected. Non-woven material is suitable as a cover.

If, nevertheless, it was not possible to save the tree, and it received a burn, its condition can be alleviated by abundant watering and shelter from the sun.

Disruption of the root system can be caused by prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures and lack of snow cover. This also entails yellowing of the thuja. In order to prevent this phenomenon in the fall, areas of soil around the tree must be covered with a layer of mulch.

Sometimes you can observe isolated cases of yellowing of the stems. This color change signals an iron deficiency in the soil. The problem can be solved by applying complex fertilizers in which this element is present. If there is a lack of phosphorus in the soil, the thuja can change its color to reddish-purple. The plant can change color if it is planted in an area with poor ecology. Regular defecation of pets can also affect the discoloration.

Thuja turns yellow due to disease or pests

A coniferous tree, like any plant species, is subject to pest invasion. Various diseases are also not uncommon for him. If the tree turns yellow, it is possible that these factors provoked a violation of the color. To do this, it should be carefully examined. Shutte can be called one of the frequent diseases of thuja. This disease of fungal origin, as a rule, occurs in young trees after thawing snow. Its signs include the coating of the tree with a gray-black cobweb coating, the brown color of the needles. Soon they will die out.