Cedar needle drop

[Gaynor]

I drive past a wonderfully majestic Cedar most days and over the course of the year it has lost, I'd say a good 50% of it's needles. It's Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' and unfortunately, it's in someone's garden so I can't get in to have a closer look and because I seem to have misplaced my camera for the time being, I have no pics either. Sorry.

Any ideas as to why? I've seen other Cedars do this and has resulted in them coming down.

[Bundle 2]

Check it out...

[Gaynor]

Cheers. Looks interesting. I'll give it a thorough chewing over later...

[silvafox]

Very informative report but it does'nt specify cedar as a host.

 

I have come across needle drop on blue cedar that recovered over the following year. I suspected it was due to sustained heavy rainfall and waterlogged roots.

 

Also needle loss on a large lebanon cedar which continued to die back year by year despite best efforts to save it including removal of deadwood/foliage and soil aeration.

 

We took down two deodar cedars this week due to attack by honey fungus.

[Bundle 2]

No, cedar not specified.....but one look at the needles would confirm it ......

There was a report this year of dieback and browning in conifers (spp)...The alice holt lot reckoned they pick up on so many new diseases every 2-3 yrs or so and went on to report an increase in their findings in the last few years...hence their report and the association with climate change. In particular they claimed to have been aware of a pathogen that is affecting our beloved leylandii for several years...just that it was reported in the media as a " new discovery" which is not strictly true. I'm guessing the instances of the disease are more numerous....I will try and dig out the detail or you can search yourself the Alice Holt Lodge archives...

[Gaynor]

I'll see if I can get a look at the needles and let you know what i think...

[Paul Barton]

Like silvafox I suspected it may be a climatic/waterlogged reason.

 

I know of one chap that has used a terravent to aerate the soil around a poorly Lebanese cedar and that has recovered very well. Your case may be different however?

[David Humphries]

What, no pests !

 

Thaumetopea pityocompa possibly.

Pine processionary moth.

Does feed on Cedrus.

 

 

 

 

.

[Bundle 2]

http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Thaumetopoea_pityocampa/THAUPI_images.htm

 

http://facultyweb.cortland.edu/fitzgerald//PineProcessionary.html

Edited November 7, 2008 by Bundle 2

[Lee Winger]

Could be one of a hundred reasons