Question
My aborvites are looking pretty bad the ends are turning brown and they are thining I have them for about 11 years and I would hate to lose them now. They are well watered and fertilige

Answer
Diane:

Not sure what to say here. there is no magical cure for these, altho I wish there were, as this does happen to Arbs over time. are these growing in a more shady area? I have seen the thinning of them in shady areas, so I would not be suprised if this is the case. the browning, it could be anything, to many variables to know for sure. could they be getting to much water. has this been happening a lot, or just noticed it this year? it could be winter burn, just trim it off, and the plant should be fine. there could be insects that are effecting them, or a fungus. Not sure where you live, but there are different things that could be effecting them that does not effect them here in Minnesota. if you wanted to send me more specifics on the plants, location, exposure, etc, I may be able to help you. your best bet may be to check with your local state extension office, they are often located with your local university. sorry I cannot help more, but browning tips of an Arb could be one of dozens of different things. As for the age, the thinning and openness of the plant does tend to happen with an Arborvitae, at least some of them. is it a Techny globe, an upright? How big is it? Technys tend to get open as they get older, say 15 years or so, so these are getting a bit older, also the openess and thining tends to be more noticable if the plant has not been trimmed for many years. good luck with the plants, I believe they need to be trimmed back about 8-12 inches, and hopefully they will be fine.

good Luck and Happy Gardening.

Mark