Question
I live in the Pacific Northwest. I have a 10 year old Deodar Cedar in my fenced yard which has grown to 25 feet without any problems. This past month approximately 15 branch tips started turning brown, and on two of the branches they are 90% brown. The soil is topsoil over clay. We had a fairly wet fall/winter. It's one of my favorites. Can I save this tree? Thanks.  

Answer
Rick,

There are several things that could cause this type of die back- clay soils, the wet weather and possibly canker. I would have you check the branches for sap ooze, if this is present, then you have canker. This disease is difficult to control with fungicides, so I would reommend pruning the infected branches off the trees.

The clay soils and the excess moisture this winter. I would recommend trying to improve the soil texture by adding peat moss or compost to the soil under the trees. I would also recommend fertilizing them to encourage new stronger growth.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen