If the thuja turns brown, this is an alarm signal for the gardener. The discoloration of the tips and needles often indicates diseases and pest infestation. However, when it comes to brown buds, the concern is unfounded. They just look ugly, but don't harm the tree of life.
Why does my thuja have brown buds?
Brown buds on a thuja are actually dried seed heads that arise when the tree of life exerts too much energy for flowering and seed formation. They are harmless, but can be visually disturbing. To prevent them, cut the thuja before flowering or remove inflorescences after flowering.
Why does the thuja grow brown buds?
The brown buds are actually not buds, but dried seed heads. They occur when the tree of life has to exert too much energy to flower and produce seeds. He then no longer has any resources to make the seeds ripen.
You can prevent this by cutting the thuja so that flowers and later seeds cannot develop. Alternatively, cut off some or all of the inflorescences after the flowering period.
As a rule, it is not desirable for the thuja to form seeds anyway, but rather it should put its energy into sprouting new shoots. The seeds are not used to propagate the tree of life. It is propagated via cuttings.
- Cut thuja before flowering
- remove inflorescences later
- Removing seeds
Brown buds are harmless
If the gardener discovers brown buds on the thuja hedge, there is no need to take action.
The brown “buds” are more of a blemish and do not harm the tree of life.
Cut off brown spots
Thuja tolerates cutting very well, it just doesn't like it when it's cut right into the old wood. It won't sprout again there.
You can remove brown shoots at any time. However, you should check beforehand whether diseases or pest infestations may have caused the browning. Sometimes strong sunlight and too little water lead to brown shoots.
But you don't have to worry about brown buds. You can simply cut off these blemishes if the sight bothers you. This can also be useful to give the tree of life more strength to develop new shoots.
Tip
If the Thuja needles turn yellow, you should have the soil examined. This discoloration can be an indication of a magnesium deficiency. If the suspicion is confirmed, fertilizing with Epsom s alt will help.
