I recently noticed that some of my Hemlock's needles are turning brown on one side of the trees. I have a row of them facing a somewhat busy street but only two or three of them have the brown needles. The opposite side (not facing the street) is ok. I also noticed the smell of skunk nearby and wondered if they may have received a spraying that caused the brown?? The trees are now 2 1/2 years old and were trimmed only once. Up until now the trees have been green. I live in eastern MA. and it has been cold and windy lately but that's not unusual. Is this common for these trees? Will they die? Can I "fix" it?

Thanks

Reply to post by Frank, on February 18, 2000 at 11:55:13:

Frank, this will be a tough one to diagnose without seeing the site. There are several things that could cause the browing you described.

Salt damage- Splashing of road deicing salts, or salt-bearing mist, could damage the foliage. This would not usually show up until spring, from this year's damage.

Urine or other organic- Dog urine contains high levels of salts that can damage evergreen trees, causing browning of the foliage (sometimes a purplish color). Depending on where on the tree (how high) this could be a possibility. Skunk spray could damage the plants, I suppose, if one sprayed directly toward the trees. Not sure how you would verify that, though.

Spider mites- This is a common pest in some areas. They are quite small, feed in spring, summer and fall by sucking the contents from the cells of the needles. Damage may not show up immediately, so if the problem occurred late summer, you might just see it now. There would be certain patterns of damage on the needles, and possibly cast skins or eggs still there for identification.

There are other types of mites, and many other posible problems that could cause the browning. Best recommendation is to call a local Certified Arborist with experience in diagnosing pest problems. You can find one by checking your local yellow pages, or visit the International Society of Arboriculture web site and use their searchable database:
http://www.isa–arbor.com

Good luck
Russ