Dying bushes - Ask Extension
I'm not sure what kind of bushes I have in front of my home, the builder put them in when we bought the house new in 1995. They have always needed tr...
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Dying bushes #255868
Asked June 21, 2015, 2:52 PM EDT
I'm not sure what kind of bushes I have in front of my home, the builder put them in when we bought the house new in 1995. They have always needed trimmed several times a year, but this spring we noticed they were brownish and chalked it up to a rough cold winter, and figured all the bushes needed was some warmth. Well, it appears they're dying (if not all the way gone) and we were just wondering if our only option now is to just tear them out. Thank you so much for your help. On a side note, the bushes are in the sun most of the day, I'd say they get in the shade around 4 or 5 pm. We don't use fertilizer, an occasional spritz of roundup on a weed or two, and we put mulch down in early May, but the bushes looked like this then pretty much. It seems like the bushes are dying or getting browner from left to right. The other plants near them are doing great, so we don't know what the issue is with these bushes. Thanks for your help!
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
These are yews. We've been getting reports of winter damage on them. Symptoms may worsen as the plants get stressed by high temperatures as temperatures rise.
Yews also hate to have 'wet feet', i.e. their roots do not tolerate sitting in soggy soil for long periods. It causes root rots. Have the draining changed or the soil grade in that area? Also, heavy mulching will hold moisture in the soil. Mulch should never be piled on the base of trees or shrubs, and be no more than about 1-2 inches deep.
There appears to be some live foliage mixed in with the dead needles. You can try to prune off the dead foliage or let it fall off, and let the live part fill in. If they continue to get new growth, the problem was caused by winter damage. If they continue to die, then they probably have root rot. Root rot cannot be cured, however, you may want to correct any drainage issues.
ECN
Yews also hate to have 'wet feet', i.e. their roots do not tolerate sitting in soggy soil for long periods. It causes root rots. Have the draining changed or the soil grade in that area? Also, heavy mulching will hold moisture in the soil. Mulch should never be piled on the base of trees or shrubs, and be no more than about 1-2 inches deep.
There appears to be some live foliage mixed in with the dead needles. You can try to prune off the dead foliage or let it fall off, and let the live part fill in. If they continue to get new growth, the problem was caused by winter damage. If they continue to die, then they probably have root rot. Root rot cannot be cured, however, you may want to correct any drainage issues.
ECN
Thanks so much for the information. The mulch isn't deep near the bushes, we haven't changed anything so maybe it's a combo of a harsh winter and root rot. We'll wait and see if we get new growth. Again, thanks so much!
