Needle Blight / Needle Cast

What it looks like

Needles inside the plant or lower on the canopy turn brown and fall off, often starting deep inside and spreading outward. On Leyland cypress hedges this is easy to mistake for normal fall needle drop or drought stress. On pines, you'll see banded discoloration on older needles before they brown and shed.

Often mistaken for: normal seasonal needle drop or drought stress

When it shows up in the Triangle

Shows up through spring and summer, with symptoms usually peaking in late summer into early fall. It's worse during wet stretches and tends to ease up in dry weather.

Where you’ll see it

Affects Leyland cypress, juniper, and arborvitae plantings, plus pines in home landscapes.

What you can do

• Give plants room to breathe — thin out crowded hedges, especially Leyland cypress, which is very prone to this once plants grow tight together
• Rake up and remove fallen needles and prune out infected branches rather than leaving them under the plant
• Water at the base instead of using overhead sprinklers to keep foliage drier
• Watch for browning starting on interior or lower needles instead of assuming it's just seasonal drop or dry weather