' it wasn't green, but wasn't dry either'

It's on the way out. (dead).

' if I cut it down to ground level, would the tree start growing again from the roots'

No, cutting back to bare wood will not regenerate from that.

If there's green shoots at the bottom, those will continue to grow but it will take a while but should grow fairly fast considering the size of the root mass.

It may be completely dead, roots and all.

Same happened to one of mine (1 of 12) many yrs ago. Root-rot perhaps.

It is dead. When you dig it out check the rootball for issues like circling roots, synthetic burlap left on, things like that.

tj

Branches can remain limber and flexible and show green beneath the bark on even very dead trees! It takes time for all that moisture in internal tissue to dry out completely.

Even if it were able to sprout from the roots it would not catch up to the rest of the hedge - to maintain uniformity you will have to buy a replacement that is as big as the others are now.

Thank you everybody! Im sad to see this guy go, they're 6 years old. I will inspect the roots and look for clues.

Embothrium: Yea, I was thinking the same thing. That will set me back quite a bit. Ugh

Regarding trimming, I was told to leave my Green Giants alone. No pruning or fertifizer, etc. I haven't touched them at all since I planted them 6 years ago. There is some interior brown leaves next to the trunk, especially towards the bottom next to the ground. Should I prune them up a few inches to get the lower branches up further from the ground? And yes, I spread the mulch bed to where it's 3-4 inches from the trunk. :)

Thanks again!

conifers are full sun .. and as they grow.. they shade the interior.. and then those leaves brown and fall off.. ITS ENTIRELY NORMAL ....

once you start pruning.. you will always prune them.. a lifetime job ....imo.. leave them alone ... why make yourself work ...

what are they hiding.. and is it really important that you replace that one??? .. could something else go in there.. to break up the monotony of the green curtain ??? .. think outside your box ...

but if you do want to replace. it.. you dont have to get the exact same size ... if you look closely at your line.. they tend to get smaller deeper into the pic ... they arent all exactly alike ... so don double your cost trying to match them ...

and also know.. the larger the transplant.. the longer it takes to get established.. and start growing to specs ... 1 to 3 years .... in the meantime the others ones.. will have grown significantly because of no stress ... so even though you spent a lot of money.. this one will end up always being smaller ...

as the trees expand at ground level.. you probably wont be needing to put mulch under them ...

ken

Yes Ken, I agree. The purpose of the tree row is to increase privacy in my backyard from the residential road, I have a corner lot so a fair amount of traffic with lot's of looky-loos. Believe it or not, I bought these gems on clearance at Home Depot, and they were just a couple feet tall.

The other day I picked up a 6 gallon @ $39 from Lowes, but it's pretty small. Maybe I can plant that guy somewhere else on my acre, and spend a little more $ for a little bit bigger replacement Green Giant.

I followed all of your advice when I initially planted them. Without having to go back and find that thread to re-read, would you recommend me fertilizing them this season, or continue to leave them alone?

I live in DFW area, the south side of these trees is thinner with sparse foliage and more browning of the leaves than the side that faces north towards the road. I'm thinking it's heat stress, or maybe even sunscald. They start out strong in the summer but by September when it's dryer, I can tell they're looking tired. Any advice how to reduce that sort of thing?

And thank you again for all of your advice Ken!!!

i dont believe in ever feeding trees.. they are trees.. not children .. i mean really ... did you bring them in the house to quarantine with them .. lol ...

if you fert'd your lawn ... other than with appears to be a dog ... they will get some of that ... since ... after 6 years.. that is where the root probably.. or should be .... but if you dont want to cut your lawn every 5 days.. and are happy with it as is.. i wouldnt worry about the trees ..

frankly.. if i planted that many ... i would be doing the happy dance with the success rate ... and not be too hard on yourself about one failure in the lot ...

trees get exponentially more expensive per foot of size ... personally i dont know if i would be willing to pay for a larger replacement ... at some size point.. the budget would dictate just how big i was willing to go ....

i dont know what to tell you about your observation of the north and south side of the trees ... as TX kinda marches to its own drummer ... lol ... in my MI ... i would have expected the opposite observation ... the north side being with less sun.. to be a bit thinner.... maybe ...

glad to have helped over the years... just try to remember all the planting time rules.. if we discussed that previously ... mid summer is not planting time ... though it might be buying time ... so if you find the replacement ... it might be best off to 'hold it'.. in the pot.. in full bright shade.. until proper planting time.. which i am positive is not july or august in tx .;.. mostly because the same holds for MI ... its just too hot and dry ...

ken

As with other categories of plants need for fertilization of trees depends on soil mineral content in each instance - there is nothing about trees that makes them immune to soil infertility.

Funny you mention that, I have several soil test kits coming to me today. I will take a sample from around the trees.

I see brown spots in your lawn. Do you have a dog(s) perhaps. If you do, that might be the tree he liked.

Hi john, no it’s not from my dog, the spots are from me. I spot treat my lawn with herbicide to kill weeds. it temporarily browns the grass where I spray. I don’t spray close to these trees or get the spray blowoff in the foliage, in very careful.

I've seen this before. A perfectly healthy looking tree, just up and dies, seemingly for no reason.

There is a reason it died, we just don't know what it is. You'd need to take samples into a forensic laboratory for plants if you want to find out for sure. That would cost $$.

Bottom line is, it's dead and needs to be replaced. I like the idea about a different kind of tree there but a that could cause other problems, like a taller, shade type tree and the GG's don't flourish because of that.

If you like that continuous look of a row of GG's, just get another.

I've seen roundup do that...