brown??? or bronze?????

dead tissue .. or tissue that is just changing color ...

winter coloration varies from year to year .... if bronze.. then maybe you are just noticing it ...

interior or exterior??? interior browning.. is shedding of old needles ... and would be a function of last years drought/winter .. not this years .... it varies by year also ... if the tips are still normal .. nothing to worry about ....

more info .. and even better, a picture or two.. would really help ...

ken

Easy answer...ask me in the spring if they are dead or not.

Complicated...may not be fully answered until the spring. If your fall has been dry, water, perhaps add a layer of mulch (leaves or straw). Other than weather (temperature), one the most important factors influencing the hardiness of plants is availability of water going into winter.

Given the fact that these are older, established plants, it's probably nothing to get concerned about. Most likely, it's just a cyclical thing that unless you have massive amounts of climatology data, a fully equipped lab, and more spare time than is safe to admit (especially if you are married), it just ain't worth trying to comprehend.

If you really want to do something, water and mulch, assuming you have had a dry fall. If you've had a moist fall, more water is not needed. If it were me, I'd wait. They'll make it or not, and most likely will anyway, no matter what you do.

Thankfully, plants are a) tough b) adaptable and c) forgiving.

Whatever you decide, best of luck.

check out the link below ... ken

Here is a link that might be useful: normal yellowing

I have 4 - 6-foot-tall arborvitae that were planted last year, 2022. t's now October of 2023 and I've noticed that a lot of their interior leaves have turned orange/brown. While I driving around today, I noticed that nearly all of the trees I saw in the two towns I drove through were looking exactly like mine. I live in the Chicago area. Is there some type of disease hitting these trees this year? If it was only mine, I would have thought I messed up watering, but it was everybody's. Thank you for any input.

as i said above:

interior or exterior??? interior browning.. is shedding of old needles ... and would be a function of last years drought/winter .. not this years .... it varies by year also ... if the tips are still normal .. nothing to worry about ....

more info .. and even better, a picture or two.. would really help ...

ken

===>>

transplant of a 6 foot conifer is a HUGE stress.. and most likely the cause of the issue ... maybe complicated by improper watering...

after this year.. they should never need water again ...

weather might have complicated such.. if severe winter on a tree with reduced root mass due to transplant .. or drought but for your watering..

if you want more precise answers.. start your own post.. and add pix .. and location in said post ...

good work on observing the world around you.. i often recommend such.. and as you note.. there must have been some other common stressors.. to make them all look this way ...

we are guessing at this point..

ken

Thank you, Ken. My trees and the many trees I have seen in the neighboring towns, are Browing on the interior only. Here in the Chicago suburbs, we had a mild winter last year, but a very dry spring. I watered once a week during that time, and the 4 trees looked excellent. Then, all of a sudden fall comes and this interior browning happens. Since I saw so many others doing the same thing, I thought that there might be a disease attacking the trees. Thank you for putting my mind at ease. Danny