Question
I planted 5 Techny Arborvitae this spring. They are about 4 to 5 feet tall and about three feet wide. All have round little "buds" on them that are light green in color. One of the 5 shrubs is just covered with these buds (quite a few more than the others), and the foliage on that one is a lighter green (kind of sickly) while the other four have foliage that is more bluish green. I water them once per week (roughly 5 gallons each), and I have applied Miracid (a Miracle Grow product) twice since they were planted two months ago. Two questions:

1) Should all these buds still be there this late in the season... is this anything to be concerned about? What are they?

2)Is the slightly different foliage color on the one anything to be concerned about?

Thanks.

Answer
Bob,
The buds that you are seeing are the immature cones, they will darken to brown as the season progresses.
THe lighter color of teh one that has more cones on it could be an indication that this plant is starting to weaken. Increase your watering to twice a week and do not fertilize them again until the fall.
Good luck.
Ed Gulliksen