Browning leaves and dying Nelly Stevens - Ask Extension
Hi, I have about 30 Nelly Stevens trees. A few have died and now some have their leaves browning and falling off. Most of the trees are triving. What ...
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Browning leaves and dying Nelly Stevens #927109
Asked March 30, 2026, 5:44 PM EDT
Hi, I have about 30 Nelly Stevens trees. A few have died and now some have their leaves browning and falling off. Most of the trees are triving. What can I do if all of sudden a couple are appaently in stress with browning leaves and leaves falling off. I do use Hollytone a couple times a year. I live in Somerset County. Is it possible to bring a sample into the Ext. Office to ID what the issue might be? Do you have an Office at UMES? Thanks
Somerset County Maryland
Expert Response
We've received questions about damage on a variety of evergreens across the state this year. It's winterburn (and in some cases outright branch dieback) due to the weather conditions this past season: cold spells below freezing, when soil moisture was unavailable to roots, combined with the ongoing drought. Hollies seem to have been hit particularly hard this winter, though damage severity has varied based on the unique site conditions for each plant and which variety or species the holly is.
Winterburn damage results in leaf browning and shedding, but often it doesn't appear until spring (even though the damage occurred in winter), when the plant will shed most or all of the injured foliage. Hollies naturally leaf-out later in spring than most deciduous plants, so a plant capable of recovering may not show signs of new growth until later in April or early May. There is nothing that can be done to speed-up this process, and you don't want to fertilize a stressed plant until it regains a more normal amount of foliage. (Even then, well-established trees and shrubs rarely need to be fertilized.) Holly-tone is fine to use if a plant is nutrient-deprived, but that typically is not the case, and a soil nutrient deficiency can only be determined with measurements by a laboratory soil test.
For now, just monitor the plant for watering needs, as we're still quite behind on rainfall and plants require consistent soil moisture levels to best expand new leaves in spring.
County Extension offices aren't always readily accessible for walk-in sample diagnostics, but you can check with your local office to see what help they're able to provide. You can also share photos of the plant's symptoms and overall appearance here in Ask Extension, attached to a question submission or reply. UMES is separate from UMCP, which operates the county Extension offices and HGIC; we don't know if UMES has local resources in your area.
Miri
Winterburn damage results in leaf browning and shedding, but often it doesn't appear until spring (even though the damage occurred in winter), when the plant will shed most or all of the injured foliage. Hollies naturally leaf-out later in spring than most deciduous plants, so a plant capable of recovering may not show signs of new growth until later in April or early May. There is nothing that can be done to speed-up this process, and you don't want to fertilize a stressed plant until it regains a more normal amount of foliage. (Even then, well-established trees and shrubs rarely need to be fertilized.) Holly-tone is fine to use if a plant is nutrient-deprived, but that typically is not the case, and a soil nutrient deficiency can only be determined with measurements by a laboratory soil test.
For now, just monitor the plant for watering needs, as we're still quite behind on rainfall and plants require consistent soil moisture levels to best expand new leaves in spring.
County Extension offices aren't always readily accessible for walk-in sample diagnostics, but you can check with your local office to see what help they're able to provide. You can also share photos of the plant's symptoms and overall appearance here in Ask Extension, attached to a question submission or reply. UMES is separate from UMCP, which operates the county Extension offices and HGIC; we don't know if UMES has local resources in your area.
Miri
