Yellow Thuja Green Giant

5 years ago I planted 3 small Green Giant's in my front yard. They have been growing apace of each other but this fall one of them turned slightly "orangey". I put down dried horse manure and remulched it, but now it is turning much more yellow. These trees always turn darker during the winter (not that we have had much of one on Virginia's eastern shore) but this one is a puzzle to me.
Any ideas?

They need plenty of water during the season here in Iowa. Mine need a good soak in the late fall before winter to keep their nice color all year. You can do a soil check too to see if you have too alkaline soil.Evergreens need a slightly acid soil and no WET feet. Does that sound right???? LOL

Kyle

Thanks Eclipse,
DH thinks I'm crazy but it looks as though that tree is greening up some. We had plenty (I thought) of water last fall, it's sisters are still nice and green. Those trees are 180 feet from my hose and have been in the ground for 5 years. I spent most of last summer hauling water for the 4 new hollies I got on sale last spring. I will fertilize this weekend when it will be raining and keep a better eye on the Green Giants. Thanks for replying!

:-)

Thuja plicata (and its hybrid offspring like 'Green Giant') are much more tolerant of wetter conditions than many other conifers.

I have about a dozen 'Green Giant' here at the Valley, and - like other Thuja plicata - it tends to turn a little "off" in color through the winter months. Not really yellow, per se, but certainly kind of bronzy. With the onset of warmer weather and warmer soils - voila - 'Green Giant' greens back up and grows on its merry way.

I've got about 8 selections of Thuja plicata - including 'Green Giant' - that are planted in upland and riparian conditions. They all behave similarly, from the oldest plants (17 years in place) to the youngest (3 footers planted last spring). I think you'd have to mow them off and spray with herbicide to have a chance at killing them.

Dear Viburnum Valley,

Thanks for the words of encourgment! I will just keep mulching (so DH doesn't do the mowing down thing) feeding & watering!

Okay, I give up. I am going to replace this tree as soon as I can afford a 5 ft Green Giant . We have had really nice weather and a boatload of rain. Still yellow, not any greener. It is an embarresment. Thanks for all your good wishes.

One problem might be that it was planted too deep or too high. The container soil level should be the same as the soil level it is planted in. If the trunk/stem is buried, it will start to fade and toast. I've seen super-sized new T. plicata 'Excelsa' hedge where one turns red and, sure enough, it will be buried or the roots are showing.

Thanks growin, I will check the depth of my new one when I get it. I have checked for nasty critters too and can't find anything but there is no chrolophyl (sp?) being made in that yellow tree. Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh