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You can tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying by checking for brown needles, bare branches, and a lack of new growth.
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A green giant arborvitae that is dying often shows these symptoms gradually, so early detection is key to saving it.
If you’ve been asking how to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying, start by looking at the overall color of the foliage.
Healthy green giant arborvitae should be a deep, rich green all year round, even through the winter months.
When that healthy color starts to fade or change into something else, your tree is clearly telling you something is wrong.
In this post, we’ll cover the most common signs of a dying green giant arborvitae, what causes those signs, and how you can help your plant recover.
Let’s get started.
How to Tell If Your Green Giant Arborvitae Is Dying
The best way to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying is to inspect it closely for these four key signs.
Each sign points to a different underlying issue, so paying close attention will help you diagnose the problem correctly.
Here’s exactly what to look for when checking if your green giant arborvitae is dying.
1. Browning or Yellowing Needles
One of the first signs of a dying green giant arborvitae is when the needles turn brown or yellow in large patches across the tree.
While some browning on inner needles is normal as the plant sheds old growth, widespread browning is a definite red flag.
If the browning starts at the tips and works its way inward, your green giant arborvitae may be dying from the outside in.
Check whether the browning appears on all sides of the tree or just on one side, as that can tell you a lot about the cause.
Uneven browning often points to environmental stress like wind or sun scorch on a green giant arborvitae that is dying.
Even browning across the whole tree may indicate root problems or a soil disease affecting the root system.
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2. Excessive Needle Drop
Another major clue for how to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying is when needles fall off in large amounts at once.
A healthy green giant arborvitae holds onto its needles for several years, so heavy shedding is not normal behavior.
If you notice the ground under your tree is covered in brown needles, that’s a strong sign your tree is struggling.
Gently run your hand along a branch to test the needle strength.
If needles rain down with just a light touch, your green giant arborvitae is likely dying or under severe stress.
This kind of heavy drop usually means the tree has given up on those needles to save energy for the rest of the plant.
3. Brittle or Cracking Branches
Healthy branches on a green giant arborvitae should be flexible and snap back into place when you bend them.
If the branches feel dry and crack easily when you bend them, that’s a classic sign of a dying green giant arborvitae.
This brittleness means the branch tissue has lost all moisture and is no longer alive or functioning.
You can test a few branches in different spots around the tree to see if the whole tree is affected or just one area.
If most of the branches are brittle, your green giant arborvitae is likely dying and may need immediate intervention.
Dead branches won’t recover, but pruning them can help the tree redirect energy to healthier parts of the plant.
4. Stunted or Absent New Growth
A green giant arborvitae that is dying will produce very little new growth in the spring season.
If your tree used to put out several inches of fresh green tips each year and now barely grows at all, that’s a warning sign.
New growth that comes in pale, wilted, or yellow instead of bright green also points to a dying green giant arborvitae.
Check the tips of the branches during the growing season to see if fresh shoots are forming.
A tree that shows no new growth for an entire growing season is in serious trouble and needs your help.
Common Causes Behind a Dying Green Giant Arborvitae
Once you know how to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying, the next step is understanding what’s causing the decline.
Different causes require different solutions, so identifying the root problem is essential for saving the tree.
Here are the three most common reasons a green giant arborvitae starts to decline and how to spot each one.
1. Root Rot from Overwatering or Poor Drainage
Root rot is one of the most common reasons a green giant arborvitae starts dying in residential landscapes.
These trees need well-drained soil and cannot tolerate sitting in water for long periods of time.
If the roots stay soaked continuously, they begin to rot, and the tree cannot take up water or nutrients anymore.
This leads to browning, wilting, and eventually a dying green giant arborvitae if left untreated.
Check the soil around the base of the tree for moisture levels.
If it’s consistently wet or muddy several days after watering, root rot is likely the culprit behind your tree’s decline.
You may also notice a foul smell coming from the soil, which is a clear sign of decaying roots underground.
2. Pest Infestations
Pests like spider mites and bagworms can turn a healthy green giant arborvitae into a dying one very quickly.
Spider mites are tiny and hard to see with the naked eye, but they leave behind fine webbing on the branches.
They also cause the needles to look speckled or bronzed in a pattern that’s easy to recognize once you know it.
Bagworms eat the foliage directly and can defoliate large sections of a green giant arborvitae in a single season.
If you see small bags hanging from the branches or notice that the needles are being stripped away, pests may be why your tree is dying.
Check the underside of the needles with a magnifying glass to spot mites early before the infestation spreads.
3. Drought Stress or Winter Burn
A green giant arborvitae that is dying from drought stress will look dry, crispy, and brown, especially on the side facing the sun or wind.
Winter burn happens when the ground is frozen and the tree cannot take up water, but the sun and wind dry out the needles.
This condition often affects the south and west sides of the tree first because those sides get the most sun exposure.
If you notice one-sided browning after a cold winter, winter burn may be why your green giant arborvitae is dying.
Drought stress can happen any time of year if the tree does not get enough water for several weeks in a row.
Both issues cause similar symptoms, but the season in which they appear helps tell them apart.
What to Do If Your Green Giant Arborvitae Is Dying
If you’ve figured out how to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying and identified the likely cause, here’s what you can do.
Quick action can make the difference between saving your tree and losing it completely, so don’t wait too long.
1. Improve Drainage and Adjust Watering
If root rot is the issue, stop watering immediately and let the soil dry out thoroughly before watering again.
If drainage is poor, consider replanting the green giant arborvitae in a raised bed or amending the soil with compost and sand.
For drought stress, water deeply once a week during dry spells, especially in the first few years after planting.
A slow drip hose placed at the base of the tree works well for delivering deep, even moisture to the roots.
2. Treat Pests Promptly
For spider mites, spray the tree with a strong stream of water to knock them off, or use insecticidal soap for severe cases.
For bagworms, pick the bags off by hand in late winter or early spring before the eggs have a chance to hatch.
Acting quickly can save a dying green giant arborvitae from complete defoliation and long-term damage.
Repeat treatments may be needed if the infestation is severe or if new pests appear later in the season.
3. Prune Away Dead and Damaged Branches
Pruning helps a struggling green giant arborvitae focus its energy on healthy growth rather than dead tissue.
Use clean, sharp shears to cut away branches that are completely brown, brittle, or obviously dead.
Don’t cut into the brown interior of the tree, as arborvitae rarely regrow needles from bare wood.
Prune only the dead outer growth and wait to see if the tree pushes out new shoots in the coming weeks.
Be patient after pruning, as it can take a full growing season for a green giant arborvitae to show real improvement.
So, How to Tell If Your Green Giant Arborvitae Is Dying?
You can tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying by looking for brown needles, excessive needle drop, brittle branches, and little to no new growth.
These four signs are the most reliable way to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying or just going through a temporary rough patch.
And this Miracle-Gro All Purpose Fertilizer on Amazon can be a practical addition for you, so click the link to check it out.
Once you spot the symptoms, checking for root rot, pest infestations, or drought stress will help you narrow down the cause.
With early detection and the right care, you can often stop a dying green giant arborvitae from declining further and help it bounce back.
We hope this guide has helped you understand how to tell if your green giant arborvitae is dying and what steps to take next.