Question
Hi, we used to evergreen (not sure what kind) 3 ball, 4ft topiaries for our wedding last September and after the wedding potted them and kept them outside on our front and back porch.  In may the first topiary turned brown, almost out of nowhere, and died on us (although we think this one had problems from the very beginning).  The needles on our other one have started turning brown on the top of the tree and each day the brown seems to be a little more on the top ball.  We don't want this one to die, but don't know how to save it. It has been a warm/hot dry summer here in PA, but we have been watering the tree regularly. We hope that you will be able to tell us what's wrong and if it is fixable or not?
Thanks for your time,
Emily

Answer
Emily,

I think that the problem is possibly the pots that the plants were put into. The die back from the top indicates a root restriction problem. Plants of this size should be in a 50 gallon or larger pot to give the root system a large enough area to occupy.

Drainage is also a problem in pots. If there is no way for the water to drain out of the pot, then there is a greater potential for root rot.

I would recommend watching the watering for this plant and giving it light fertilizations in the spring and fall. Use a low nitrogen fertilizer for best results.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen