Repairing Winter-Damaged Evergreen Shrubs

Yellowing or browning of evergreen needles can be due to winter injury or salt damage.

Winter can be harsh on evergreen trees and shrubs. Even if your area didn't experience extremely cold temperatures, often drying winter winds, road salt usage, and the timing of the cold weather can cause more damage than you expect. In spring you may notice yellow or brown evergreen leaves or needles on plants such as rhododendrons, Alberta spruce, and cypress. The two main culprits of this damage are desiccating winds and road salt in the soil or on the leaves. Depending on the severity of the damage, you may or may not be able to save the tree or shrub. Here are some tips on repairing your injured evergreen shrub or tree and bringing it back to life.

Winter Injury

Heavy ice or snow load or drying winds can cause broken branches. Prune broken branches back to a main stem. If leaves and needles are brown due to desiccating winds, wait until warm weather to prune out the damage. Prune back to a side branch with live growth. Some shrubs, such as rhododendrons, will regrow if you prune back to old wood. Others, such as Alberta spruce, may not. In spring, apply an all-purpose tree fertilizer to stimulate new growth and water well. If the leaves or needles are merely yellow colored, give them some time. They may green up on their own and require only spring fertilization to come back to health.

Salt Damage

Road and sidewalk salt melts and gets into the soil, creating a toxic situation for tree and shrub roots. This may kill a plant. Another cause of damage to evergreens is salty water that splashes on the needles or leaves, burning and killing the growth. Prune out dead growth and wash the plant with water to remove any salt residue. Also, flush the soil with 2 inches of water to dissolves the salts out of the root zone.