Question
I have a row of 15 Italian cypress trees about 12 ft tall. They are kept manicured, but the end tree is getting a dead zone on the East side of the tree from the ground up about 3 feet. Our gardener told us it could be spiders 2 years ago and we sprayed and that stopped the dyeing. I sprayed again ~5 weeks ago and now we are getting another dead spot in the same area. Is there anything we can do to stop this process and get some new growth?

Answer
Check and see if there maybe spider mites present. Take a piece of white paper and put under a branch and shake the branch IF there is a red dust getting on the paper this is spider mites (they are small and the dust will look like it is moving. The spider mite can be controlled by the use of Insecticidal soap or insecticides. I prefer using regular insecticides, I suggest that you go to your local nursery /garden type store and ask for an insecticide for spider mites that works in your area. Here is a web site that gives information on spider mites and their control. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2012.html