July 2024 Update — Originally Published June, 2011
Last spring and summer were brutal for landscaping in New Jersey… almost zero rain and non-stop heat in the nineties. I had a line of emerald green arborvitaes that had been growing beautifully for about 8-9 years. These got hit really hard, and I frankly never saw it coming. I thought they were so well established that there was nothing to worry about, but it seems I was completely wrong. This is how I learned a very hard lesson about spider mites. I managed to get rid of them with a highly effective mite control spray, but I lost quite a lot before I did.
Signs of Spider Mite Damage
Some of my trees started showing signs of distress – losing their deep green color and tending toward a sickly golden yellow/brown. What I thought was particularly weird was that several of these were adjacent. I casually mentioned this to a landscaper I met at a friend’s party, and he said he’d seen entire rows of arborvitaes wiped out by spider mites in the previous couple of weeks. I think I responded… “Uh, what?” I never heard of anything like this before, and the thought of losing 23 eight-foot-tall arborvitaes was more than a little hard to swallow!
So, knowing little more than these bugs were some kind of “mites” that quite possibly resembled “spiders,” I got up the next morning armed to test the trees. Spider mites are almost too small to see, and they can thrive in extended periods without rain. We’ll get more to that later, but for now – I just wanted to know if these things were killing my trees, and if so — how the heck to make it stop.
Testing for Spider Mites
There’s a “white paper” test you need to perform, and it’s very simple. You go to one of your trees with a sheet of clean white paper and shake the tree above the sheet. Then you study it closely in bright light. What will be immediately obvious are small pieces of plant material on the paper, but upon closer inspection you may see some very small bugs. These aren’t spider mites – they’re just bugs. ;-) You have to look even closer — find the tiniest black specks you can see (and what you may think is part of the paper initially)… focus on these. Find two or three, and see if they start to move relative to each other. If you can find these – here are your spider mites.
Some Research, Analysis & References
Once I found my moving black specks, I didn’t research anything at all – I knew the clock was ticking and so I ran right out to the hardware store and consulted on the best treatment. Naturally, I came home with bottles of chemicals – and started spraying the line of trees. I sprayed again after a couple of days, and then I waited. A few more died over the next 2 weeks or so, and then it stopped. In the end, I lost 9 out of 23. There are photos of my entire saga below along with a description of each step of the process, but before we get there let me summarize some of the facts so you’re better prepared.
Spider mites aren’t insects – they’re really much more closely related to spiders: eight legs.
They’re incredibly small, less than half a millimeter when fully grown. (This is less than about 1/50 of an inch.) So they’re visible to the naked eye — but you *really* have to look very carefully. (And you really have to have good vision!) The spruce spider mite is considered one of the most destructive spider mites in the US – and it particularly likes to feed on variations of arborvitae, juniper, hemlock, pine trees, blue spruce and Douglas fur. These are, of course, some of the most popular landscape evergreens in many parts of the US – and certainly on my property.
Theses mites, in general, damage plants by piercing plant cells and sucking out the fluids. They thrive in the spring and fall, not the summer. However – it takes some time for their damage to become evident on certain evergreens… so by the time you see your arborvitaes looking sickly (like in the heat of summer) the majority of cellular damage from the mites has most likely already been done.
The key, it seems to me, is the rain… One of things these mites cannot handle very well (which is very thankfully low-tech) is being knocked off the plants. They don’t have wings and they have very soft bodies – so, a good heavy rainfall (or periodic blasts with your hose) can go a long way in being a cheap and effective preventative treatment.
The spring prior to my arborvitae decimation — almost zero rain.
The intense heat of the summer (while doing nothing to help the spider mites do further damage), caused the trees themselves further stress after they had already been [invisibly] under attack for several weeks prior.
There are a few very good sites I found to fill-in these information gaps for myself (after the fact) that I want to convey here as well. Check out any of the following for much more background. They’re all exceptionally good:
- Penn State Department of Entomology – Spruce Spider Mite
- Ohio State University – Spider Mites and Their Control
- PennLive.com – Mites on Arborvitae
Spider Mite Control & My Saga In Pictures…
So, I go to the hardware store and convey my story. The bad news was that I was likely to lose more trees (for the reasons explained above) – but the good news was that there was a spray to kill the mites on the trees. Many of these sprays are essentially oils that smother the mites; you’ll most likely connect the bottle directly to your hose and spray an auto-mixed combination of oil/water directly onto your trees (or plants/shrubs).
As this all played out, I did lose 9 of my 23 trees.
I ripped the dead trees out with my truck and a 12-foot chain (which, I have to say, was the only part of this miserable ordeal that was fun) – and then in the fall, I planted replacements – which was no easy task for one person with trees this big/heavy. If you want to try this yourself, I would strongly recommend reading Tree Planting 101 – and if you want to hire a contractor to help, please check out Hiring the Best Local Contractors and/or visit the Find a Local Contractor page on this site.
Here are two shots of the dying trees after the spraying. I was hoping the remaining sickly-looking trees would recover. Did they? Of course not. They got ripped out 2 weeks later as well after they were completely dead.
The next shot is of a partial pile of my dead trees after being ripped out – waiting for me to cart them off to the township brush recycling center. They’re now mulch at someone’s house somewhere.
Below is my truck at the recycling center, and I only put this in here for one reason: If you ever do something like this, be sure to have bungee cords to strap this all down. I have the cords removed here as I was about to unload the truck. But you definitely don’t want to drive anywhere with a load like this unless it’s securely tied down.
Replacement trees are then delivered in mid-October: a great time of year for tree planting. Note though: each of these easily weighed 100-125 pounds or more – almost all ball-weight. The delivery crew used a hydraulic platform to lower the trees onto my driveway. It’s deceiving. Don’t underestimate how heavy this type of work can be – you can easily hurt yourself if you’re not careful.
Note the hand truck I was using in the background.
Digging the holes to the appropriate depth and diameter…
And the final arborvitae line re-planted. I like to keep the nursery markers on the trees in case anything dies; I’ve always felt that in addition to a receipt – having the original markers on the trees can make a return/exchange all the easier. And I’ve definitely utilized this in the past.
A Final Tip for Dealing with Spider Mites on Plants
I won’t get hit with this surprise again. The main take-away for me was essentially this: If there’s a spring without rain, blast the trees (and plants and shrubs) with the hose once a week or so. Don’t just “water” them as usual – hit the leaves with the intent of launching a swarm of near-invisible plant parasites clear off! It’s definitely personal.
7/19/15 Update Tip…
It’s been about four years since I originally wrote this article, and I’m happy to say that I’ve maintained the Arborvitae line in total; we haven’t lost a single one since then. But it’s so critical to be proactive – that’s become crystal clear to me. I have absolutely used the Insect Disease and Mite Control treatment multiple times now (more than just the hose alone) since the “great decimation” and best I can tell – it simply works. But again, you have to catch the trees before the death spiral takes hold. As I just mentioned to one reader in the comments below, I applied this treatment as recently as 3 weeks ago when I realized it hadn’t rained in a long time, and I thought the trees might be starting to look a little ‘funny.’ They’re nice and green today, and it’s now mid-summer. Best of luck to anyone who is reading this article, and if anyone has additional insight to provide – I would truly encourage anything that can be added below. This was a very rough experience, and even today (as you can probably tell) – I’m still pretty skittish!
And, Okay, Now Another 7/9/18 Update…
So, two weeks ago a friend of mine calls me and tells me her 5′ tall Dwarf Alberta Spruce just got decimated by spider mites – and she was looking for a replacement tree. Turns out she had seen this before as well; she was aware of the risks. We talked about it, and I conveyed the entire line of Hemlocks we lost at my parents house when I was probably about 12 years old, and then 2 things hit me: 1) We probably lost that line of Hemlocks (must have been at least 20) to mites – I can’t prove that now, but it was a very similar experience, and then 2) OMG – all of the conditions were once again “just right” for all of this to happen right now. No heavy rains for the past several weeks. And intensely hot, as we’re starting to enter mid-July. So, I quite literally (~45 minutes ago) sprayed my line of Arborvitaes with with the mite spray once again! Some updated photos are below.
The entire line looks great, right? It actually needs to be sheared a bit to keep them tight; they’re getting huge now. But it mainly brings me back to one of the key points from above – you really have to remain vigilant with this. I’m really glad I got that phone call.
8/1/19 – And Yup, One More Update…
Stepped outside my garage yesterday morning to see this blatant dying (or at least ‘browning’) patch on my Arborvitaes – spanning two of them, in fact. And it was this “spanning two” that got me right to the store to pick up another bottle of spider mite killer. Have a look:
I found, for whatever reason, the brand name of my ‘go-to’ spider mite spray seems to have now changed from Bayer to Bioadvanced – but it seems to be the same product, re-named a bit. Note the two shots below… the latter of which is an Amazon link to the mite spray (with the new name) if you click.
I realize now, the updates will likely continue. But I’m simply not willing to lose this line of trees again – so my vigilance will remain high. In fact, if you scroll up to the photos that I included when I first write this article back in 2011 and look at the tree line… compare it now to the size of the tress below.
Pretty close to double, in size, to my eye… right?
Spider mites aside, I can no longer easily reach the tops of these Arborvitaes to trim them. Giving them a tight shearing (to look nice and protect them from snow and ice damage) is harder and harder each year as well. And these are the types of problems I’d like to keep having!
July 2024 – And Now Tripled in Size!
I honestly am stunned that it’s now 13 years. THIRTEEN YEARS… since I wrote this original article. Two days ago, I realized my arborvitaes needed a bit of deep-sweltering-heat TLC. A nice deep watering and a mite treatment once more. I wasn’t going to post another update here, because how many times can you say… “He’s another update??”
Well – I’m doing this update anyway – because these trees are now, to my eye, at least triple the size of the 2011 planting/re-planting… the ‘decimation remediation,’ if you will. Have a look below. They’re gorgeous, right???
Hi Mark
Great article and so much follow up years and years later! I have a line of twenty Emerald Green Arbs that have been in the ground 4 years now that are about 10+ feet tall and they have been attacked this summer. Looks like 3 of them were bronzing some before I caught it, not crazily, but definitely noticable especially at dawn and dusk when the lighting is less harsh. I’m treating them. I’m wondering if these will bounce back and grow to cover the bronzing. I know there’s no crystal ball, but just wondering of the ones you had that bounced back, HOW bronze were they? Thanks!
Tricky question, Rita – In part as this was quite a while ago, but also because things moved (decayed) very quickly with my line of arbs and it sounds like yours are dying slowly. To answer your question: I’d say ~20% was roughly the number. Very few with any significant bronzing (more than about ~18-20%) survived. But I’m glad you’re treating them, and hopefully because things are moving more slowly – you’ll fare much better!! Best of luck to you, and thanks for your kind words!
Just ran across your very informative article. I have 23 Arbs that I have had to have professionally treated for Spider mites on two occasions at 700.00 per treatment. I can’t keep paying that kind of money so I want to start using the spray you mentioned. When spraying the Arbs, am I just spraying the outside of the plants or do I need to move some of the limbs to get inside to be able to spray. Thanks for your help!!
Julie
My goal is to saturate as much as I can, Julie. For my arbs, as you see above, I usually get 2 bottles as there’s a LOT to cover there. There’s no question, I try to get to the inside as well – but with gloves on. Because, well, there can be ticks too!!
Best of luck to you with this; it’s been an ongoing help for me, as you know. In fact, my arbs are all so big now, I’ve now started to worry about the wind too – but there’s not much I can do about that! :)
Here it is 2024 and I am still referring back to your article. Thanks again for all of your advice!!
It is a joy to have you here, Julie!! Please share your thoughts and ideas anytime, and I hope your Arbs are doing well!
Thanks for the info. We hav had no rain and 100 degree days in Oklahoma. Our Arborvitaes are planted in a row. 15 of them a beautiful emerald green. Then things started to turn ugly. At first i thought it was a watering problem when several of them started to look grayish brown. Ugh. Then our landscaper told us to use the white paper test and yes it was Those damn spider mites. I hav lost 4 of 15 after spraying with malathion in separate 14 day intervals. The others look less affected but still show some distress after spraying. I didn’t know about the Bayer product. May hav to get some if the malathion doesn’t work. The trees were so beautiful :-(
Best of luck, Mike – it sounds like you may have caught this in time, at least for many of the trees. And if so, as you can see above in my photo-journal, many of my survivors did come back to their lush emerald green. It definitely took a season or two of watching closely and babying them a bit. But consulting with your local landscaper was surely a great move, IMHO. All the best!
Hi Mark, this was a terrifically useful post even so many years later! I just had 23 five feet tall arbs planted in the backyard this May and have been babying them. But this summer is so hot with such little rain that I’ve noticed two adjacent arbs looking sickly and sporting the dreaded webs. This post confirmed my fears but hopefully I still have time to save the 2 infested ones and be proactive for the others . Off to the garden center tomorrow for your recommended spray! Unfortunately sometimes experience is the best teacher, and I’m sorry you lost your trees, but thank you for sharing that hard-earned lesson with others. Your updates from the post-mites era gives me hope!
Best,
Melissa
Believe it or not, Melissa – your comment just made me take a look at mine, and… I’m heading to the garden center this morning. They need to be sprayed. Right now. I may actually add another update above in the coming days: the ‘2022 Update – The year I got a little Complacent!!’ My arb line is now so tall (some at ~18-20 feet I’d say), I’ve been a bit more worried about hurricanes than ever before. But the mites? They’re insidious. Best of luck with your trees – and honestly: thanks for the ‘wake up call’ here!
Hello Mark, and Thank You for all your help and advise. We live in Northern Illinois, and have crazy cold winters and snow. Last year we had 20 6ft. Green Giant Arborvitae’s planted by a landscaper. They looked amazing all last year, watered as recommended etc…. They looked great through the winter, but a few weeks into spring and they started to die off one, by one. I called the landscapers who took six weeks to get out here, by then we lost a few more. However he could not tell me what the problem was, so I called an arborist, same thing he had no clue…… talk about feeling defeated and let alone we paid over $7000.00 for these 20 trees. So I searched and searched the internet and found another article about using the white paper test, went out two days ago and sure enough lots, and lots, of little teeny, tiny moving black specks. So I hosed them down even the dead ones just in case they still had the mites., then sprayed them with Neem Oil, 7 bottles of Neem Oil. This is getting pricey to say the least, and I’m up to at least 6 having to be replaced and a few more dying from the top down. I even called a couple nurseries, still no real answers. I’m so surprised no one who should know about these mites do not….. Yesterday I hosed them off and sprayed them again with Neem Oil, went out this morning and still getting lots of mites on the white paper test. So I have ordered the Biodvanced from Amazon and it will arrive tomorrow, praying I can save a few of these. Thankfully, the landscaper said they will replace the dead ones. I truly just don’t understand why the people who should be able to tell you about these tiny tree killers have no idea about them…. Ok, so my question is: should I spray the new tree’s once they are planted as a precaution or wait until next season?
Thank you again for all your help,
Laurie
This is a TERRIBLE story, Laurie! (I can -feel- the frustration in your note.) But on the upside, I’m really glad to hear your landscaper will be replacing your trees. I find it always so tricky when people from region I don’t know ask about such things; it’s those local experts you consulted that would surely have a better handle. But I would say this… to your question at the end of your note: If it was me? Yes. I’d preemptively treat. The new trees. I’d hit the entire row, in fact. I really hope you save your arborvitae line; I know how awful this is. Best of luck to you!!
Thanks so much Mark! The trees were replaced last week and I have already used the white paper test to be sure they were not infested before planting and have used a slightly watered down version of the Bioadvanced on the new trees as well as spraying the mulch around them just in case they get the life and energy to climb back to the tree. I will continue to check for mites often and treat as needed. I will be keeping Bioadvanced on hand from now on.
Thank You again for all your help, I sure do appreciate your willingness to help all of us in need.
Laurie
You don’t want to use the Bayer product. It contains Imidacloprid which actually causes spider mite outbreaks. You want a miticide like Abemectin to provide effective control.
Outside of the wonderful article on mites… what are you doing to keep your trees so healthy looking? I have about 50 trees as a fence
#1 – 3 years on and I haven’t pruned them at all, multiple “leaders” etc. – didn’t know I should until I started looking into this
#2 – a couple are starting to thin a bit – want to get ahead of this – again wondering if this is a pruning problem however I still have some of the shape
#3 – bottoms on one side are going like my hair… receding
Would attach pics if I could
Any advice?
Thanks!
I only do three things to maintain my Arborvitaes, Marcus – 1) a periodic (every few years) light shearing, 2) absolutely MUST get wet snow off of them quickly else they can get significantly damaged and 3) the spider mite treatment of course – most every year, but always modulated by the conditions I reference above.
That all said – I also always think it’s best to take photos of specific issues to a local nursery to get their take. So much can vary between climates, soil types, the impact of adjacent shrubs/trees and even sun/shade patterns. I’ve found many times… that finding the ‘right’ person at a local nursery can be invaluable. They’re often more than happy to share their wisdom and experiences on items that may-well be somewhat unique to your area. Hope this is of some help!
Hi Mark,
Great informative article – thanks.. I live in zone 9 (the SW desert) and put in 35 Italian cypress. What a disaster that was to choose them – to include them still not standing on their own (without poles and guide-wires) 2.5 years later. It seems literally impossible to keep them healthy with the spider mites here in the summer – spraying them weekly with water to include the regular Bayer solution. Not only that, but here I have yet to find fully mature Italian cypress (at 30-40 ft high) planted as a “screen” here that all look good/healthy together in a group. Thinking about replacing them dwarf golden arborvitae which max out at 6 feet. The nurseries all say (but they will tell you anything to make a sale as you know….) that this type of arborvitae does NOT attract mites.. Any truth to this or do ALL arborvitae attract mites? I need some decent looking trees which are actually “maintain-able.” Thanks.
Two thoughts for you, Eric. The first I’m not sure will help you in the southwest, but it frankly might. Especially if considered in conjunction with the second thought to follow…
Thought 1: Up here, I’ve found only 3 real ‘screen’ trees/shrubs that I could count on after many “failures” [aka; learning experiences] over the past ~20 years. There are Boxwoods for a tight, low hedge row and Blue Atlas Cedars for a thinner, tall tree screen. I lost a long line of [Leyland] cypress via the same essential experience you’re conveying with your unstable Italian cypress line, mites aside. I’ve found, repeatedly, that fruit trees crack. White pines also crack, especially with snow and ice weight (up here). But Boxwoods and (non-Weeping) Blue Atlas cedars? I love them both. And in addition, Golden Thread Cypress (Gold Mop Cypress) work wonderfully too – they’re a “false” cypress. They grow to about 10-12 feet, and they’re very dense; I have them mapping much of the perimeter my backyard. For privacy. I’ve never had any issue with mites with -any- of these three choices. And I can point you to many photos of each on my web site right here if the “Search” box [top right, above] doesn’t bring you immediately to them. Just LMK. (I just added a few representative Amazon links above, but Amazon isn’t always the best place for landscape tree/shrub photos.)
Thought 2: This one focuses on the southwest, specifically. I would go to at least 3 local universities via email – find the right department, the right professor or researcher (with field experience)… and ask exactly what you’re asking here. Specific (and inherently) within your area. They’re not making a sale, of course – and they’ll truly know which trees/shrubs will likely be best for your zone. And if any are -truly- mite resistant. Once you have three responses, see where they overlap.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need pointers to the true [actually within-my-landscape] photos for the 3 varieties I mentioned above. But, I’m writing a bit of a “novella” here tonight, and best I end it now… :)
And I’m glad you found the article helpful!
Just stepped outside and took a few photos of three shrubs/trees I mentioned above. So, from ~15 minutes ago, and in reverse order now, 4 photos follow. And, once more, these are the shrubs and trees I’ve -never- had an issue with (relative to spider mites or instability) and have used for privacy and also general landscape design. In New Jersey.
And, as always – Amazon links are embedded for more insight. Note how different these can appear from “single and small” (at the Amazon links) to the more mature pictures you now see in my landscaping below…
Golden Thread Cypress (Gold Mop Cypress) – this is the “False Cypress.” I don’t believe I’ve ever lost a single one of these. To anything.
Here’s another shot of the same, with 2 flanking my deck. And our dog in the middle. Note how big these can get…
Blue Atlas Cedars – By far, the most “regal” if that’s what you’re going for. I have about a dozen of these on my property, not just the line you see here, which have gotten quite large now. They’ve gone through hurricanes – all of them. Never an issue so far, with any of them…
And finally – the Boxwoods below. Smaller. Tight. Your typical “hedge row” option. I’ve surely lost a couple of these. But I don’t think to spider mites; they were new transplants that died after half a season…
The only trees, on my property today, that I spray for spider mites? You know it: The arborvitaes!
Hi Mark,
I stumbled across your article above while researching Emerald Green Arborvitae’s. We just planted 15 of these (5-6 footers) in our yard and am wondering what you would recommend for us to be proactive against spider mites and other insects. Should we use Bioadvanced Tree & Shrub protect & feed now, before insects come and make their home in our trees? What’s the difference between Bioadvanced Tree & Shrub vs Bioadadvanced Insect Disease & Mite control that you reference above? Much thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Great article, btw.
Hi Steve – Thanks for writing and I’m glad you found the article helpful! For me? I’m proactive with the spider mite maintenance – always watching for long dry spells without pounding rain, spring and summer. This is surely a ‘once bitten twice shy’ reaction on my part. Even now, several years after that loss-of-trees event I described. I’m positively still skittish when I spot anything not-quite-looking-right, or when it simply hasn’t rained [hard] for a prolonged period.
On the ‘protect and feed’ product – I know nothing about that, so I cannot comment specifically there. But I can tell you this… I, personally, avoid any kind of tree fertilizers (anywhere in my landscapes) until the trees have been established for at least a year. Tree and shrub fertilizer spikes, especially. I avoid those with any new transplant. For at least a year. I’ve lost new tree transplants by using fertilizer spikes too soon.
So best to read the specifics on the product you’re mentioning above to play it safe. Best of luck with your new arborvitaes!
Hi Mark, We just purchased 16 of the emerald Arborvites and they are starting to turn brown, especially on the inside of them. The foliage is falling off and they don’t look good at all. I used to have problems with spider mites with my roses and I knew that the Bayer really works as does squirting them down with water if there is not rain for at least a week or so. I have found several prayer mantis in my yard and put them on my roses, spider mites were gone in a week. Now I wish I had some for my Arborvites. We are continously going to use the Bayer Insect and mite spray on the abors but the ones that are turning brown now will they come back or are they eventually going to die? We have not paid for these yet and wondering if they were brought here with the spider mites already on them. They were very dry and perhaps should have been watered more where we purchased them. These were 7-8 ft. tall and very expensive.
Hi Jean – I would get right on the phone with the Nursery where you bought the trees. Photos are exceptionally helpful too, if you can take a few on your phone and text or email to someone there once you’ve made contact. There’s often a 1-year guarantee from reputable nurseries that can/will be honored for situations like yours. But the sooner you engage them, the better – make them part of the effort to diagnose and save the trees with you. They’ll also know, from the pictures or [more likely] from inspecting the trees in person… the prognosis. This sounds awful, and I’ve definitely been there. I hope this is of some help, and best of luck to you in running this down. And resolving it!
Hi Mark,
Sorry it took so long to reply. We did send pictures to the nursery that we purchased the trees from and they said they do guarantee the trees for one year if anything happens, so that was a relief. They seem to be doing better now, except for one of the trees. A few branches broke off while they were planting them and the tree looks somewhat bare and not full as the rest of them. We used the Bayer that one time and I have been hosing them down with heavy stream of water once a week ( takes me almost two hours). I found out that these trees get “leaf drop.” this is when the old leaves fall and clump up inside of the trees on the branches. This is where spider mites lay their eggs and congregate and live there through the winter. You need to clear that clump of leafs out of there either by hand or by a real heavy stream of water. I use the “jet” spray on my hose. Also these trees get bagworms, I found a few of those also. Look it up on google, “Bagworms on Arborvites. I thank you for your reply and will keep in touch. Thank you for the opportunity to be able to communicate about this subject and supplying this website, it has been very helpful.
Jean
Excellent news, Jean! And thanks so much for the additional insights regarding leaf drop and spider mite nesting… and bag worms as well. (At some level – this stuff is all kinda gross, right?) I’m really so glad, though, to hear your trees are not only shaping up – but that your Nursery is working with you too, as there’s nothing that can compare to local expertise, I find, with nuances such as these.
Has anyone reading here, by chance, heard of this
all natural spider mite spray? I’ve noticed a few folks have purchased it of late and it seems to have some good Amazon reviews. But I haven’t tried it myself – and it’s always best to know about available alternatives. Especially all-natural alternatives. Any personal insights/experience from anyone with this??
Hi Mark, Have not heard of this all natural spider mite spray you are referring to, Some of these natural sprays have oil in them and makes the tree leafs stick together and it is very hard to get it off. I think I will stick with the Bayer, It seems to be working good… so far.
Jean
You’ve got some great articles in your blog. Some of them might be interesting for our customers. We are a german company with german customers, so would you allow me to translate some of your posts to german?
Thank you for the kind words, Tom. (Danke!) Unfortunately though, no, we cannot allow any of our content to be copied to other web sites. You’re more than welcome, however, to point your users to our site and they can use the translation capability built into web browsers such as Chrome. It’s all quite automatic and works well. Would be a pleasure to have a larger German audience visiting us here at the Jersey Shore!
Thanks for his helpful article! I’m on the western MA/CT line. We planted about 70 two foot tall arborvitaes last year. We lost about 5 after the winter. Since the hose doesn’t reach all of them, I’d like to at least start spraying for the mites. When is the best time of year to do that? Sorry if I missed that in your article.
Hi Kim – In my experience, I get concerned during long stretches without significant rains, especially in spring and summer. That may not be perfectly precise (a nursery or landscape professional may have a more insightful and detailed opinion/suggestion) – but that’s what I’ve been going for since this experience. And so far (now Spring 2018) all is still well! I actually have to start cutting the arborvitaes back and shearing them; they’re getting huge.
hello I’m having a problem with my arborvitae turning brown. It looks bad – may lose the tree. Also noticed tiny pin holes down the bark of the tree. Did the white paper test for spider mites also tiny bugs fell. Do I have to pull tree? It’s over 25 feet tall. I have 3 big trees, the others have no holes and are doing good. What to do?
Hi Eloise – I would recommend you take some pictures and go immediately to a local nursery to show them and get their opinion. Truly as soon as possible. With a tree that big, and especially in consideration of additional adjacent trees – I would not wait to have a local expert run this down. Photos will surely be critical. Best of luck to you. I really hope you can save your trees.
I have the same problem. I had 7 I planted that were doing great but we got 5 more that looked bad when they went in. (long story….my husband and son were “helping” and got a deal….). Within a month all 5 looked horrid and in 6 months I lost them and then my original plants which are not 8 feet and full began failing. I thought it was a fungus and sprayed for that but nope, they are on a death spiral. I will likely lose them all. But today I will go get spray and try to see if we can fix this. Darn those holes were so hard to dig and the trees were so huge that I am bummed.
Patti – I so, so truly feel your pain. And I really hope for the best, if it’s possible to save your trees at this stage. If you’re anywhere near me (in New Jersey), the deluge of 2 days ago may have helped somewhat… not to restore the trees, but to wash [pound] away some of the infestation at least. All the best to you, and be sure you get help planting the replacements because as you’ve said, those holes are big and those trees [especially at 8 feet] are going to be extremely heavy.
Hi Mark, I am so glad I found your article. I have 23 6ft-Arbs that had just been planted five months ago in April. The trouble sign started about three months (beginning of July) after they were planted. I contacted the nursery that I got the trees from, since this year is particular hot and dry in the Northeast, they told me I didn’t water them enough. So I have been watering the Arbs 60 mins a day according to their advice. You won’t believe our water bill the last couple months! However, the Arbs are still showing trouble signs and three are in a dead spiral. Then I found your post! I ran (literally…) to my nearest home improvement store and got Bayer Mite Control as your suggested and soaked all my Arbs with it. I will do another application in 30 days as suggested on the Bayer instruction. Hopefully, this will stop the problem and save the rest of the Arbs. Thanks again for such a helpful info! I am very grateful!!! – Lee
Wow – this is incredibly similar to my experience, and I definitely know the pain and crisis you’re describing here, Lee. One additional thought, and I’m sure you’ve probably already considered this – but if the trees die, you’ll very possibly be under warranty from the nursery. It’s good you’ve been in touch with them. Are they perhaps close enough to stop by and have a look themselves as well? They might be more than willing, and the more they’re involved – the better things may go overall. Best of luck to you, and I really hope your Arbs make it; this is really just so, so painful to go through.
Mark – (I’m also Mark!) so glad to have found your article today! I’ve been living the emerald thuja nightmare for the last several years and hope this “MITE” be my problem! My garden center guy informed me that emeralds will die after a few years growing in shade – even articles I’ve read confirmed this ….. however, my neighbor’s emeralds – also growing in part shade – don’t have this problem! Other articles scream of “Arborvitae leaf miners” – but I see no evidence of them. My emeralds have been hanging on with generous mulches of compost and occasional douses of “Miracid”, but, short of that… they are still “circling the drain”. I’ll try the Bayer miticide and see how this works out. Hope I can save some of the long-suffering shrubs! Thanks again! Mark S.
Hi Mark –
I am so sorry; I totally missed your comment when you posted it in May, and I just read it carefully this morning. Have you had any better luck? One additional thing I’ve noticed with numerous trees and shrubs over the years is that sometimes sun, shade and even mites-aside – it’s entirely possible certain areas are just worse than others for planting either due to soil chemistry or even objects (rock, clay, old dead tree roots) buried under the surface. Hope things have improved for you!
I read your great article and feel your pain. I have lost the same arborvitae several times – which is very is just very strange. I have a row of 5 – but only one seems to be the issue. This summer – another one has bit the dust and it kills me as this tree was about 10 feet tall and gorgeous.
Because the same spot seems to kill my trees – I am wondering if I need to treat the soil.
When replacing your arborvitaes – do you need to treat the soil?
Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Chris – Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m glad you found the article helpful. (Kind of like a support group, right?) First, to answer your question – I have never treated my soil, no. But I’ll offer a few things that come to mind for your consideration:
1) I’ve proactively treated these trees for mites a few times since I wrote the article (always using the Bayer Mite Control solution I mention above) – most recently ~3 weeks ago. There have been years it wasn’t necessary – but long dry periods in spring/summer trigger me as I can’ t have this happen again, and I know there’s a recurrence risk – much like it sounds like you’ve been seeing.
2) I would surely check with a local nursery regarding your soil conditions – it’s entirely possible they may have insights here – but it may depend specifically on where you live. In my experience, I’ve always found local nursery folks to be very, very helpful with items like this.
3) Is it possible there’s a stump of some kind buried under your tree – do you know what was there before you planted?
4) Do you spray weed killer of any kind near the roots of the tree? If so, that’s something to be very careful-with as I believe these trees can be weakened from this; I’ve been very careful on this front myself.
Hopefully, some of these ideas help – and if you glean any further insights, by all means – please let us know here. Because I’m positive everyone reading this article (the support group!) will be most appreciative. Best of luck to you, Chris. I really hope you can get this resolved,
Hello Mark,
I had been in contact with you about my arbs looking ill after reading about the dreadful experience with mites on yours in this article. It’s a difficult thing trying to discover why arbs are doing great in one place and not in another. As far as my driveway ones, I suspect soil and possibly water conditions. I have sprayed them with the Bayer spray you described above and actually replaced about 4 of them already. One important thing I read was not to have rocks close at the base since the roots need air, I put some wood chips instead. Also not enough or too much water is trouble have to check on them.
I spoke to the Agricultural Experimental Station in my state (CT) and was told it is better to get small ones and they can acclimate better since most roots are chopped so much it shocks the plants.
I found the site below that I wanted to share with you for the website – it has loads of helpful information and is from North Dakota State University:
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/tree/arbrvtae.htm
Hopefully your trees are doing well.
Regards, Nancy
Hi Nancy – and thank you so much for your insights and the great link above. It’s incredible how much terrific information you can find if you get to the right resource; I always gravitate toward the University and Government sources for research myself as well.
I’m really sorry you lost 4 trees – I truly know how terribly frustrating that can be.
One other comment relative to your point about the rocks above: I also try to be extremely careful with weed killer need the arbs for the same reason. With their surface roots, they’re quite vulnerable. And as much as I like my mulch beds to be weed free, I’m particularly careful near the Arborvitaes.
Hi, Mark–
Thank you for such an informative article. My arborvitae is officially arbor-muerto due to mites. Is there anything special I need to know about–
1) Disposing of the dead tree?
2) Preparing the site for a replacement (and should I get the same kind of tree?)
Thank you,
Martin
Hi Martin – For me, I soaked all of the trees with the Bayer mite killer I mentioned above. I still used gloves to handle them, though, and I definitely didn’t put them where they could touch any other living trees. Ultimately, they were mulched up. As for replacements, I had a few folks tell me replacing them was high risk – but I did anyway. (And I used the same trees.) It’s been over a year now, and everything is still nice and healthy. BUT… I’ve been very careful, doing preventative mite treatments and hose blasting as well. So far, so good. Best of luck to you, and thanks for your comment!
Hey Mark,
Thanks for such a useful article. I never would have thought yellowing bushes could be from anything else but some weather-related issue. First ticks and now mites. Nature. And they don’t even have opposable thumbs. I can relate to planting with heavy root balls. When I first moved into my last house, I bought four of the largest hybrid maples (Autumn Blaze) that the nursery had. They came with 200 lb. root balls. Luckily my property had about a 7 degree incline. I had the foresight to dig the holes before delivery, and had them placed on delivery UP HILL from the hole. Gravity rules! On to the next article.
Hello Mark, I am cringing as I read your story. I have 2 yellowing out of 15. We planted 9 last fall and the rest this spring. The 2 yellowing aren’t next to each other and were planted at different times. I will have to do the paper test and hope not to find anything but will still be out getting the “oil”. Thanks for your information, it was detailed well. I’m sorry you lost so many.
NR-Connecticut