MOLINE, Ill. — If your evergreens are looking more brown than green this year, you might not be alone, according to a local arborist group.
While evergreens naturally shed old needles during the growing cycle, the Quad Cities branch of Davey Tree Services says distress has been evident on local evergreens, including needles turning brown and yellow.
If your tree has brown needles present on the interior of the tree, it's part of a natural cycle. This can be checked by touching the soil. If it's moist to the touch and there are no signs of infestations or infections, your tree is most likely okay.
However, if you're noticing brown needles along the outside of your tree, it could be a sign of a couple red flags:
- Dry soil
- Sunny days
- Infecting intruder
Evergreen trees rely on water stored in their needles once winter hits and the ground freezes around the roots. If that water supply is drained, the needles could turn brown from dryness.
Another possible issue could be sunscald. According to Davey, needles in direct sunlight turn brown because of extra water loss. You might also notice dead or dried areas of bark for this reason too.
As for intruders, browning needles could be a symptom of infection if you notice small holes, sawdust or 'large cankers' that leak white sap on branches, as Davey says. Possible pests could be the pine beetle or cytospora canker disease.
In a press release, Davey suggests if you notice something that alarms you, contact an arborist to stop by for a consultation.
They also suggest ways to protect your tree before winter begins:
- Use a protective spray, such as the waxy anti-desiccant, to shield trees from moisture loss and help prevent dehydration
- Mulch containing organic materials, such as wood chips, should be used in the dry summers and falls to maintain soil moisture
- Wrap your tree's bark in burlap to keep a tree warm and protected from winter elements while also shielding from sunscald
- Call an arborist if you spot pests and/or disease, as often times, insecticides or branch pruning will get your tree back in shape
Robert Spartz, district manager of the Quad Cities Davey office, joined The Current on News 8 to discuss the local impact this year's winter has had on regional evergreens. You can check out his full interview in the above video.
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