Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Species >> Conifers

Sudden Browning of Cedar Clusters in Boerne, TX: Fill Soil, Root Damage, or Herbicide?

Three Likely Causes

Two clusters of 25-ft cedars turned brown after: (1) adding soil around them, (2) planting beds with Roundup and Miracle-Gro nearby, (3) pruning with spray on cuts.

Diagnosis Checklist

Fill soil >3–4 inches = root suffocation → death.
Root damage during planting = entry for pathogens.
Roundup on pruning wounds = herbicide uptake → systemic kill.

Test for Life

Scrape bark on a branch tip: green underneath = alive; brown = dead. Work inward to find live tissue.

Next Steps

Contact Texas A&M Forest Service for a free forester visit: county offices.
Cedars are highly susceptible to root disease—if roots were damaged, recovery is unlikely.

Conifers: Rust-Colored Gravel and Cedar Needles: Fertilizer or Irrigation Overspray?; Arborvitae Hedge Dieback and Spruce Galls: Comprehensive Causes; Large-Scale Cedar Reforestation: Direct Seeding vs. Government Resources; Identifying Cedar Trees with Orange Seed Pods; Large Cedar Stumps Near Foundation: Grind, Don't Dig; Cedar Hedge Top Dieback: Grafting Not Viable, Replacement Recommended; Sudden Oak Death and Ash Tree Decline in Ohio; Cedar Planting Failures: Burlap Left On, Overwatered, Wrong Mulch; Cherry Tree Decline from Soil Grade Change; Transplanting Cedar Trees: Red Cedar vs. Leyland Cypress for Wildlife

Garden Articles

Hemlock Decline from Ground Up: Woolly Adelgid Likely; Topping Delays Inevitable

Saving Thuja (Arborvitae) from Drought and Spider Mites

Oak Decline After Paving: Root Damage and Recovery Plan

Cedar Jelly-Like Orange Balls: Spring Fungus (Cedar-Apple Rust) and Organic Options

Dying Poplar Trees: Cytospora Canker Diagnosis and Management

Large Grub in a Dead Tree Branch in Thailand: Likely a Longhorn Beetle Larva

Lightning-Struck Pines: Fatal Diagnosis and Professional Assessment

Plants

Rooting Cedar Cuttings and Pecan Tree Fruiting Timeline

Cedar Hedge Shade Tolerance and Alternatives for Zone 4

Mature Cedars with Dead Lower Branches: Natural Shading, Not Disease

Newly Planted Leyland Cypress Browning: Spider Mite Infestation

Cedar Needle Drop and Cedar-Quince Rust: Normal vs. Action Needed

Transplanted Maples Leafing at Base: Check Top, Prune Dead

Cedar-Apple Rust: Orange Gel on Cedars, Spots on Apples