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?necessary to clean out old dead needles under arborvitae?

12 years ago

My husband goes through much work every fall and spring to clean out all dead needle from under our arborbitae and some spruce and cyprus. Besides all the time he spends on this, I wonder if it is good for the trees to remove the needle cover at the base of the trees. Is this necessary for healthy trees?

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Comments (3)

dcsteg
12 years ago
It is always beneficial to clean debris completely out of your conifers.

If left there to decompose it shuts off air circulation and opens the door to disease.

Needles that have fallen to the ground are OK and help retain moisture.

Give the guy a break...he knows what he is doing regardless of the time spent on this.

Dave
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
to rephrase what dave said ...

the stuff on the ground is free mulch.. natures way ..

the stuff inside the tree is bad ...

all that said.. whatever he does outside.. is good exercise.. and fresh air ..

ken
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wisconsitom
12 years ago
But to answer your question, no, this is neither necessary nor desirable where the trees' health is concerned.

+oM

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