Knowledgebase
My hinoki cypress gracilis nana is browning at the tips and I'm not sure what is wrong #842682
Asked July 26, 2023, 10:09 AM EDT
Carroll County Maryland
Expert Response
If Arborvitae Leafminer is present, they are not major pests and the simplest approach to their damage is to just carefully trim off those brown tips. Pesticide use would be a bit overkill but it's also hard to find a low-toxicity option that will impact any insect feeding inside of foliage as these do, where they are shielded from direct contact with a spray. Spinosad, a leaf-absorbed and naturally-derived ingredient, might work if the population were to boom in a future year. (Bt can work well for young caterpillars like bagworms, but in this scenario, since the caterpillars are inside foliage and Bt is not absorbed into the plant, it would be ineffective.) Arborvitae Leafminer has only one generation per year and eggs are laid around midsummer (July-ish) so if needed, an application made around this time of year or in August sometime may be successful in interrupting that generation. The pictured plant does not look severely infested, though, so for now we would not recommend use of an insecticide. Additionally, this kind of feeding damage can look nearly identical to water stress or root dieback injury to the foliage, so close examination would be needed to confirm the cause of browning was insects and not other factors. Leafminer insects emerge from their feeding chambers through a small hole in the foliage, so if none of the brown tips has a tiny hollow somewhere in that region of damage, leafminer would be less likely.
Hinoki Cypress grow slowly enough, and shrubs in general rarely suffer from nutrient deficiencies, that fertilization should not be necessary. Use caution if fertilizing as over-dosing can stress or injure roots, leading to similar-looking damage of yellowing foliage, brown tips, and a reduction in vigor. Discontinue use of the copper fungicide because a fungal infection is not indicated by the plant's symptoms. (Even though root rot organisms are fungus-like, they are not treatable with a copper-based product and not curable once they set in.) Over-applying copper can also damage plants and fungicides as a group sometimes risk harming other organisms, so always try to confirm the presence of a particular disease before using any sort of treatment. Fungicides are preventative measures and cannot cure existing disease nor reverse its damage.
Overall, the plant appears to be in decent shape, and adjusting your watering approach may improve its condition and tolerance for high heat. (Hinoki Cypress prefer the generally-cooler weather of the Pacific northwest -- where most of those in the nursery trade are grown -- and while they handle our heat admirably, it may tax their vigor a bit.)
Miri
Drought damage can be slow to show and hard to reverse. It is likely that the plant lost some roots earlier in the season and can't support well all of the foliage it currently has.
They still don't look terrible though, so keep an eye on them.
We don't generally recommend the use of water gauges.
It would be better to check manually, using a screw-driver and your finger to feel the soil. After watering, the soil several inches down should feel cool and moist.
If you have not been able to digest the link given earlier, this page will explain the best way to manually make sure the water is getting where you think it is:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/watering-trees-and-shrubs
Christine