Dying Leyland cypress: Sick from worms or fungus from too much rain, the tree is going after 5-6 years. Its sibling in the front yard was also removed last month for the same reason.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Sick from worms or fungus from too much rain, the tree is going after 5-6 years. Its sibling in the front yard was also removed last month for the same reason.

It's easy to see in a color image but a B&W conversion hides the problem.

Image is from an iPhone 8 using 645 Pro and Capture One to develop and convert to B&W.

(Download)

surfdog

Your Leyland Cypress has "Bagworm''. Any competent/certified arborist/tree expert can help you with this. The tree in the photograph is most likely past saving. Oh by the way I have 45+ years in the tree care industry.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Everything has a limited lifespan. I bought one of those tiny lime trees in FL over twenty years ago. It finally gave up the ghost last year.

Since you live in FL, you won't be able to sell the wood as firewood.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

surfdog wrote:

Your Leyland Cypress has "Bagworm''. Any competent/certified arborist/tree expert can help you with this. The tree in the photograph is most likely past saving. Oh by the way I have 45+ years in the tree care industry.

The arborist did not mention the name of the worm but both trees died in the same way within a month of each other. They went so quickly that there was little that could be done for them.

Apparently both possible causes are common in this area. It has not affected our Italian cypresses.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

jerryc41 wrote:

Everything has a limited lifespan. I bought one of those tiny lime trees in FL over twenty years ago. It finally gave up the ghost last year.

Since you live in FL, you won't be able to sell the wood as firewood.

We’ve had trees blown over by hurricanes but in over five decades we never had one die. I even cut a large mango tree down to a four foot stump and it came back to full size within a few years.

No chance to cover the cost of removal and stump grinding which is nearly $1,000 for both trees.

hipoint Loc: The Northshore, Gulf South

Hurricane Katrina took out 95% of our Leylands 15 years ago. Not many have replanted.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

It’s always sad when any trees die, but you can replant with a better choice for your climate. Although Leyland Cypress are very fast growing (as I’m sure you’ve discovered) they are not well adapted to the south. Not only are they shallowly rooted and easy to topple in wind, they are, as mentioned above, subject to bagworms as well as Cypress Canker (fungus), especially in wet seasons. The once head of the NC Arboretum in Raleigh initially was enthused by them, but later, after experiences like yours and trees suddenly toppling over, changed his mind and no longer endorsed them.

TomC. Loc: Bel Air, MD

selmslie wrote:

Sick from worms or fungus from too much rain, the tree is going after 5-6 years. Its sibling in the front yard was also removed last month for the same reason.

It's easy to see in a color image but a B&W conversion hides the problem.

Image is from an iPhone 8 using 645 Pro and Capture One to develop and convert to B&W.

This Arborvitae went from all green and healthy to all brown and dead in 3 weeks. The 2nd pic is a bagworm that helped destroy it. There were at least 1000 of them feeding on the leaves.

(Download)

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

selmslie wrote:

Sick from worms or fungus from too much rain, the tree is going after 5-6 years. Its sibling in the front yard was also removed last month for the same reason.

It's easy to see in a color image but a B&W conversion hides the problem.

Image is from an iPhone 8 using 645 Pro and Capture One to develop and convert to B&W.

It still LIVES in B&W....though and that will ease the pain of loosing it later on.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

TomC. wrote:

This Arborvitae went from all green and healthy to all brown and dead in 3 weeks. The 2nd pic is a bagworm that helped destroy it. There were at least 1000 of them feeding on the leaves.

By the time it has gone far enough to cause alarm it's almost hopeless.

There may be a way to avoid the problem but the best one I can think of is to pick a different species.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

selmslie wrote:

By the time it has gone far enough to cause alarm it's almost hopeless.

There may be a way to avoid the problem but the best one I can think of is to pick a different species.

Right answer.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

selmslie wrote:

Sick from worms or fungus from too much rain, the tree is going after 5-6 years. Its sibling in the front yard was also removed last month for the same reason.

It's easy to see in a color image but a B&W conversion hides the problem.

Image is from an iPhone 8 using 645 Pro and Capture One to develop and convert to B&W.

When I enlarged it I could see it was infested with bagworms. I didn't have them this year but have had them in the past on one of my evergreens. The bagworm is a moth larva and best eliminated right after the eggs hatch. I spray my evergreen with Malathion. Here's a macro shot of one.

(Download)

TomC. Loc: Bel Air, MD

selmslie wrote:

By the time it has gone far enough to cause alarm it's almost hopeless.

There may be a way to avoid the problem but the best one I can think of is to pick a different species.

I had it removed a few weeks ago and I'm waiting until spring to replant something other than Arborvitae.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

selmslie wrote:

By the time it has gone far enough to cause alarm it's almost hopeless.
There may be a way to avoid the problem but the best one I can think of is to pick a different species.

I use Safer's Caterpillar Killer. It is available at most hardware stores. It is safe and inert to humans.
It is not a poison but a naturally occurring bacteria. It utilizes BT (bacillus thuringiensis) which attacks the larva's digestive tract.
Once ingested by the caterpillar or worm, it will stop feeding immediately and die within days of malnutrition.

By the way, I have many family members in the quaint little town of Fernandina. Related by marriage to the Parton's & the Hardee's.