at that height urine ... dog.. coyote... dingo ... grandson ...

perhaps snow load ....

hot lawnmower exhaust ...

trim it out ... move on with life...

disease nor bug would be that localized ... IMHO

ken

Ken, Thank you for your quick comment, I appreciate it.

I have these type of die-backs scattered throughout the hedge, some as low as the one in the picture, but most are higher, i.e. eye level. I took the photo of the low one, just because it was the easiest to photograph.

any kids playing ball .. etc ???

give us a larger pic ... lets see how bad it is ...

any snow event last winter.. like ice storm ... branch bending wet snow.. etc???

often... minor damage.. doesnt really 'show' .. until it cant pump enough water.. in the heat of summer.. and THEN it browns out ..... and you are left wondering when the actual event took place ...

ken

Could be spider mites. Blasting them with water every 10 days to 2 weeks helps keep them in control...if that's what they are.

tj

I live in Northern NJ and I watched the forests and properties up here get decimated by wooly adelgid, I rarely see hemlocks on anyones property. How did you manage to keep them healthy?

Thank you for the comments.

I work far away from home, so it is dark when I leave in the morning and when I get home at night, so won't be able to provide new pictures until this weekend.

I have been aware of the woolly adelgid for some time, this is a 7 foot hedge so it is manageable to spray when required. I know that the recommendations are not to fertilize, so I don't, and I watch the hemlocks like a hawk and spray when necessary.

These new small areas of die-back are concerning.

I have several long-established, Eastern Hemlock trees here in NJ/zone 7..., no evidence of adelgids. I never spray them and they look terrific.

Have you considered the combo of heat waves and borderline drought we've been experiencing? Since last year there have been 3 runs of weather like this and I've lost a few things over here in Morris County.


Subtropix - Glad to hear your trees are healthy. Are you familiar with Pyramid Mountain? I hike through there regularly. There are huge holes in the forest canopy with hemlock carcasses everywhere. Also in West Milford off Oak Ridge Rd. Between that and all of the dead ones at houses (even all the way out in Bloomfield!) I thought they were all goners at this point. Good luck!

No, not familiar with Pyramid Mountain..., not my neck of the woods.

I don't doubt your coverage of Hemlock die off. I just see no evidence of it in my yard among the trees which I did not plant, but I do tend to be lucky, so time will tell.

Yes, drought is definitely becoming more prominent and it gets worse as you travel east toward Long Island where they are a stage more drought advanced than any place currently in NJ. Have not lost any plants though, Which plants suffered Johniferous?