Italian Cypress Inner Needle Drop: Normal Aging

The "dying" middle/west-side foliage on your Italian cypresses is normal inner needle shed, not a disease. The west side gets more sun/heat, accelerating the process.

Why It's Normal

• Conifers shed oldest (inner) needles annually—usually unnoticed because new growth hides it.
• Italian cypress is dense; inner needles get no light → photosynthesize less → shed.
• If outer foliage is green and growing, the tree is healthy.

When to Worry

• Browning spreads to outer tips.
• Entire branches die.
• Cankers, resin flow, or borer holes on trunk.

Care

• Water deeply during drought (cypresses hate wet feet but need moisture).
• Mulch ring.
• No fertilizer needed unless soil test shows deficiency.

Your cypresses are fine. The "dead" middle is just the tree's inner cleanup.