Japanese umbrella fir has a brown needle

Persistent drought leads to brown needles

Japanese umbrella pines need permanently moist soil. They have shallow roots in the earth, which is why they cannot tolerate it when the earth dries out. They do not get to the groundwater. If it is dry for several weeks, the needles soon turn brown. They are dried up and it doesn't take long before they fall off and the conifers become bald.

Counteract this by using your Japanese Umbrella fir Pour regularly with lime-free to lime-free water. Outdoor plants should be given a thick layer of mulch. This keeps the moisture in the ground better. Container plants should not be exposed to direct sun, as they dry out too quickly there.

Normal signs of aging

But brown needles - at least a few - can also be a message of little concern: The Japanese umbrella fir ages and renews its needles. Her needle dress is evergreen. But that doesn't mean it will last for decades. Sporadically, individual needles are repeatedly thrown off and replaced. Before that, they usually turn brown in color.

Other reasons for brown needles

But there can be other reasons as well. The Japanese umbrella fir turns brown when:

• it has suffered frost damage
• is affected by rot in the root area
• Fungal pathogens sit on their shoots
• there is a severe nutrient deficit (especially potassium deficiency)
• it was over-fertilized with nitrogen
• she is sunburned
• there is too much lime in the soil

First yellow, then brown - time to act

Often the needles are only needed yellowishbefore they brown. Once they are yellow in color, act quickly. Then sometimes the respective parts of the plant still have to be helped. If they're brown, help comes too late. Needles are dropped and shoots can cut off will.