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New Japanese Yews & Dwarf Blue Spruce Browning: Check Drainage & Pests

3-week-old planting: Emerald Spreader yews + Dwarf Globe spruce. Browning/yellowing, especially yews. Drip irrigation, no fertilizer, 90°F, 6 hrs sun. Why?

Likely Overwatering / Poor Drainage

Pattern (yews worse) suggests root rot or oxygen starvation from waterlogged soil. Drip + heat + clay = soggy roots.

Immediate Checks

Dig down at root ball edge—is it soggy/muddy?
Reduce watering to 2×/week deep soak.
Inspect yews for scale (white bumps on needles/stems).
Inspect spruce for mites (tap branch over white paper).

Boost Recovery

Apply granular organic fertilizer now. Stressed plants attract pests.

Shrubs: Managing Japanese Beetles and Spider Mites Organically; Restoring Blue Color in Blue Spruce: Genetics, Light, and Nutrition; Dwarf Blue Spruce Dead Branch Pruning: Technique and Regrowth Expectations; Dwarf Alberta Spruce Pruning: Revertant Removal; Pruning Dwarf Alberta Spruce: When and How; Dwarf Blue Spruce Topping: Converting Tree to Shrub; Flies Around Dwarf Alberta Spruce: Find the Source, Not the Spray; Pruning Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce: Timing and Technique; Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce: Compact Blue Sphere for Year-Round Structure; Spruce 'Dwarf Black' (Blue Nest Spruce) – Broad Dense Globe

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