Yellowing Leyland Cypress

17 years ago

I have some young Leyland Cypress that I put in the ground a year ago. They were teeny tiny (due to limited budget) but grew over a foot in their first year. Just recently (the past two weeks) they started to yellow! I have planted them alternately with Emerald Green Arborvitae which have also slightly yellowed, but not as much as the Cypress. I have looked for signs of canker, but cannot seem to find any - although I might not be entirely sure what I am trying to find. I am wondering if this has anything to do with the ice storm we had in late March. The plants have received adequate water but have not been fertilized. Is there anything I can do to help out my trees? I don't want to lose my growing privacy screen! Help!

Featured Answer

Embothrium

16 years ago

You always have to find out what is happening in your own particular situation before successfully targeted remedial action can be taken. At this time of the year nitrogen may have become deficient in some plantings, in which case unless those are also deficient iron or sulfur applications will probably be a waste of time and money. Specimens that are too wet at the root may also start going yellow.

While you are making applications based on assumption only if you have not happened to hit the mark the plants are having to wait until you discover what needs to be done before they get better. In the meantime if it is a situation where you are repeatedly applying chemicals to the soil in a vain attempt to produce an improvement in the appearance of the plants that is never going to come (via applications of the particular chemicals being used) you may overdose one of these and create a new problem. If a pesticide is being applied multiple times in an attempt to kill a pest that is not there beneficial insects and spiders may be removed from the planting and vicinity. These are comparatively slow to reproduce and replace their number.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
any chance at pix???

ken
chester_grant
17 years ago
I planted two small $20 Leylands two years ago and they went through their first winter fine, they grew nicely for two summers - now after this winter I see them all of a sudden turning yellow like you describe.

What I do know is that we had two very bad storms this winter with 50 mph winds combined with a wind-chill that was -40".....so I reckon its dessication. My laurels were between 50%- 100% damaged by the same winds......
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conifers
17 years ago
Yellowing from freeze burn would be crispy brown so that's ruled out immediately.

I realize everybody always thinks, "iron, iron, iron" deficiency, but if it were me, and knowingly that I am not the type of person to actually obtain a sample of my soils nutrients, I'd apply first, pelleted sulphur.

A few years back a guy in Canada was seeing yellowing to his conifers and after he and another gentleman confirmed his success of the application, they both were able to stop the yellowing.

Now getting a soil sample surely would make sense. I can't fight anyone over that fact, but like I said before, any retail nursery is going to hand over a bottle of iron and you'll be on your way.

Pelleted sulphur used in the southern US as well as this guy's garden in Canada solved the problem. Just make sure it's pelleted and not sulphur dust or equivalent. Scratch it in a few 2" or an inch, and water it in every now and then.

Dax
monkton_green
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for all the information! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it was the freaky freezing rain, wind, and ice storms that set our mid-Atlantic spring back at least two weeks! The yellowing did turn some of the puny lower branches brown and crispy, but the remaining yellow parts are just on the tips of the branches - there is still green in them towards the larger inner branches. I'm holding off soil testing/fertilizing until I'm sure these wee trees aren't already a lost cause! Trying to keep the wallet green and healthy too!

Incidentally, when I say teeny, I mean teeny - they were under a foot when the went in the ground last year!! Was thrilled when they grew up to my waist this past fall (I'm no shrimp either)!
thogodesarah
16 years ago
My husband and I have purchased two Leyland Cypress's. The tips of the leaves are turning yellow/gold and some of the leaves are folding downward. We bought the trees in the middle of December 2007 and have followed the instructions for replanting them. The inner leaves of the trees are green and seem not to be turning downward. Is this normal? If not, what do we need to do to correct it? If it is normal, what do we do to continue these trees good health?
Thanks in advance.
Sarah Thogode