Brown Evergreens in Andrews and Seminole: Winter Burn or a Pest Problem?
Pines, junipers, and arborvitae are popular around Andrews and Seminole because they stay green when everything else goes dormant. So when one starts turning brown, bronze, or thin in November, it is easy to worry. Some of that change is normal for the season. Some of it is a sign of a problem you can catch early. Here is how to tell the difference.
Local tip: look closely before you worry
Inside needles on pines. Pines shed their oldest, innermost needles every fall. If the browning is on the inside of the branches and the tips are still green, that is usually normal needle drop.
Bronze or purple junipers. Some junipers and arborvitae take on a bronze or purple tint in cold weather and green back up in spring. Even color across the whole plant is usually just the season.
Brown on the windy side. Dry winter wind and low humidity pull moisture out of evergreen foliage, and the roots cannot replace it fast when the soil is dry. Browning that shows up mostly on the side facing the wind or a hot wall points to winter burn.
Little brown bags hanging on branches. Those are bagworm bags. Each one can hold eggs for next year. Pick them off and throw them away while they are easy to see.
Fine webbing or speckled, dull needles. Tap a branch over a sheet of white paper. Tiny moving specks can mean spider mites, which can stay active on junipers and other evergreens in cool weather.
Dead tips or sap spots on the trunk. Brown branch tips, pitch, or small holes on the trunk are worth a closer look by a professional.
Why it matters now
Evergreens do not drop all their leaves and rest the way an elm or a pecan does. They keep losing water all winter. A dry spell plus our West Texas wind can stress them just as a pest is starting to build. Winter burn usually shows up in patches, while mite and bagworm damage tends to spread if it is left alone. Sorting out which one you have this month lets you adjust watering now and plan a treatment before spring growth starts, instead of finding a half-brown windbreak or hedge in April.
What Tejas does
Tejas Pest and Weed Control provides tree treatments for homes, acreage, and commercial properties across Andrews and Seminole. Our licensed applicators will look over your pines, junipers, arborvitae, and windbreak rows, check for mites, bagworms, and other insects, and talk with you about watering and stress. If a treatment makes sense, we choose the right product and method for the tree, such as a soil or trunk application, and apply it according to the label. If the browning is just winter color, we will tell you that too.
Andrews and Seminole customers are served from our Andrews yard at 2184 SE 2460, Andrews, TX 79714. We also treat trees in Midland, Odessa, and nearby towns from our Midland yard.
Learn more about tree treatments in Andrews, tree treatments in Seminole, or see all of our tree services. In Midland or Odessa? See Midland tree treatments and Odessa tree treatments.
Call or text Tejas
Call or text 432-934-5248 to have your evergreens checked this winter in Andrews, Seminole, or nearby towns.
Tejas Pest and Weed Control · Andrews yard: 2184 SE 2460, Andrews, TX 79714 · 432-934-5248 · office@tejaspwc.com
