no fert ..

there is a conifer forum ...

what is your soil .... how is your drainage.. and how do you water.. when you do it right????

perhaps ... the water applied uphill is proper.. but it is running downhill and swamping the lower ones???

especially if you are dealing with clay ...

the higher ones.. should be getting pretty much free range .. would be curious.. if you stopped watering those.. maybe only in drought.. if the lower will do better ...

more info .. for better answers... ken

PS: how do you forget to turn off a hose for 3 days... lol .. you really didnt expect to get away without a little ribbing....

"there is a conifer forum ... "
Sorry, I'm new to this board.

"what is your soil .... how is your drainage.. and how do you water.. when you do it right????"
My soil has a lot of clay. Drainage is fairly good, although I get a lot of water from a higher area that drains through this area. I haven't watered the trees in 2 years. I have just let nature take it's course. This can't be the reason they are dying, as half of the trees looks fantastic.

"PS: how do you forget to turn off a hose for 3 days... lol .. you really didnt expect to get away without a little ribbing...."
Wasn't really my fault. I actually installed an automatic watering system for these trees. Tied in flexible 1/2" line to my existing automatic sprinklers, and looped them around each tree. LOTS of work, and money. That particular zone got stuck in the "on" position for a few days, hence the mistaken overwatering. And the trees on lower ground were closer to the main feed and seem to get a lot more water than the ones further away. That's why I thought it may have been a water problem. Anyway, I haven't used that zone or watered any of the trees for the last 2 years. I was nervous about overwatering.

I am still unsure what's going on. Any help would be appreciated.

While you say that your soil is fairly well-draining clay, is the soil in the area with the problem trees somehow different from the soil in the area with the good trees? How long has it been since your house was built, and do you know what was there before the house was built? It is possible that there is something in the soil that the trees can't handle - old oil, etc., if there was an old house site there or even a lot of builders sand, construction rubble, etc., if it's a new house. It might help if you tested soil samples from both areas - one might be radically different.

The soil is exactly the same for all the trees. We had the house bult in 1989. It was formerly farmland, so I think the soil is a problem. I am still confused.

I'm not an expert so I can't tell you what is wrong with yours but I will be happy to share my personal experience with mine with you.

We have about 125ft of them that were planted before we moved in. The previous owners had a soaker hose that they used to water them. We removed the hose and they haven't been watered for almost two years now....even through the drought. We bag the grass occasionally when we mow and mulch them with it and prune lightly during the summer to remove dead branches which have been very few.

The only thing I have noticed is that the more shade one has, the less healthy they look. The fronts that get plenty of sun are absolutely beautiful. The backs, well lets just say I am glad they are the backs. They get barely any sun on that side and are underdeveloped to say the least.

Try googling: Caring for Arborvitae. I listed one link below that I found helpful. There are plenty more that are full of information and quick to browse. There is even one site full of user submitted questions about Arborvitae. That's pretty much how I learned how to take care of mine.

-Tina

Here is a link that might be useful: Google: Caring for Arborvitae

Tina,

Thanks for your input and the link. I will definitely check it out. I don't think the amount of sunshine is an issue with my trees. They are in the middle of my yard, out in a wide open area that gets sun ALL day. All the trees get an equal amount of sunshine. My only guesss is that it has to be a water issue, as the lower lying trees are the ones in tough shape.

For what it is worth, your city might have a GIS site that might have your base soil types. All of my soil looks the same but there are two different named types in my half acre lot that have different properties. My neighbors have different soil than us as well.

You can't guarantee that the soil is the same all the way down just by looking at it. And some plants will grow well and tolerate being in a spot for a certain amount of time before they give in to the stress.

It could possibly be a water issue but a soil test would probably be wise if you plan on planting anything in the place of those unsuccessful plants. You spend so much time and money on what you put in a hole. There is nothing impractical about making for absolute certain that the hole will support what you are going to put in it.

-Tina