I'm new to gardening and looking for some advice about my arborvitae plants. I have a raised bed where I planted three of them to create a privacy hedge. They were doing well until they got some fungal issues, which I treated with fungicide. Now, two of them are recovering, but the middle one looks worse with pale green and curled needles. It seems like it might be underwatered or overwatered, but I'm not sure. I water them every morning with a soaker hose for about 20-30 minutes, unless it has rained. I checked the soil moisture, and it felt similar to the other two plants. Should I consider soil acidity or my watering routine? Here are some pictures for reference: [https://imgur.com/a/K6Tzb7v](https://imgur.com/a/K6Tzb7v)
4 Answers
Based on my experience, watering every morning might be encouraging shallow root growth. Try watering deeply for a longer time, like 2-3 hours once a week—this helps encourage the roots to dig deeper for moisture. Also, if your soil is heavy clay, that could be causing issues as well.
It sounds like your soil might need to be more acidic for your arborvitae to thrive. Sometimes they struggle if the pH isn't right! Consider testing the soil or adding something to adjust it.
Make sure to check the soil moisture by sticking your finger in about an inch deep. If it feels moist, you might be overwatering. Also, think about adding some mulch—how deep did you apply? It could help retain moisture and create a better environment for the roots.
I lifted my middle plant recently, and the roots were all the same moisture level throughout. They might not be going deep enough, which could be causing the problem. Consider cutting back on watering to see how it responds.