Please help tree dying top down

[purplelila2]

I've got a tree that's dying from the top down.

What can I do to stop it dying completely?

Anyone know what this tree is called ?

Please help:(

It looks like a type of Leyllandi fir. Some firs can be pruned and will grow again.
Yours unfortunately looks like the drought has affected it. Cut off the brown bits and see what happens.

@JT05 thank you x

I'm wondering if it's sick or infected as the one next to it is doing just fine?

I've given it plant food and I'm also watering it once a day.

It could be that it’s planted in a bit where the roots are restricted and can’t get enough water in dry times. Whereas the one next to it has more room for the roots. It looks like another plant is growing between the two trees. It’s competition for any water.
Time will tell.

Conifers are not my strong point, and it’s hard to identify without closeup of foliage, and are there several varieties in there? I would suggest it’s a fungal disease

I'll take close ups

If it's got a fungal issue is it a goner :(

I’m not certain. I believe you can use fungicides with limited success. It may be that recent stressful growing conditions have weakened the plant making it more susceptible. As JT suggests, remove and burn the brown bits and cross your fingers. If it were mine, I would not be optimistic

The RHS has good section on causes of brown patches on conifers

In terms of replacing it are these trees hard to dig up? I've never done anything like this before

Frankly yes! Hard work especially as they are closely planted and look as if they’ve been there a while. Just persevere and try to minimise disturbance to healthy neighbours - hard as their roots will be intertwined. If you are going to extract them, what are you planning to do in the space?

@Trethew I wanted to plant another tree there that's exactly the same.

I've lived in this house for 8 years now and these trees were there even before I moved in so I know they're well established.

I've bought some fungicide and will start treating it.

But I'm very much a novice I've got no gardening experience as I've never planted anything all my plants were already there when I moved in.

Don't plant the same type of tree there.
It's a conifer but not a leylandii.

I've bought plant food , started watering it once a day, bought weevil killer, a generic pesticide and a fungicide and I've trimmed the dead bits.

I hope I haven't over trimmed as I've noticed with all 3 of these that I have that if I do it won't grow back ever.

The other two are really healthy the third one is really tall.

@MikeUniformMike what else could I plant?

I'd go for different evergreen. There are lots to choose from, and many are a lot more interesting than conifers. You could have something variegated, something with berries or something that flowers. You probably would want something of the same sort of shape that wouldn't be difficult to control.

It looks like it's a sort of hedge, so it would make sense to replace with the same, but you risk introducing the new tree into an environment that would make it ill.
I'd see if the tree recovers. They're pretty tough.

If one of the plants has got a disease, I wouldn’t be surprised if others in the row succumb in due course, either from spores in the soil, or from foliage to foliage transfer. Like Mike I would plant a different, non-coniferous evergreen. Lots to choose from. However, I would go the whole hog and remove all the existing hedge plants first and enrich the soil before replanting.

You are probably thinking that’s a bit drastic, expensive and hard work and you’d be right. But Ive learnt the hard way, and I hate looking hopefully at a dying bush for a couple of years to see if it recovers

@Trethew Do you think it's a good idea to treat all of them with fungicide/ pesticide?

Personally I wouldn’t bother as I think the chances of successfully treating an established fungal infection are poor, and, importantly, we don’t know for certain that that’s what it is. Also, we don’t know what the infective organism might. The range of fungicides available to non-professional gardeners is limited and may not be effective, and its hard to spray effectively with the dense and scaly growth of conifers, and you may need regular treatments to keep it at bay. Too many unknowns.

If it was my hedge I would either remove all the brown/dead growth and hope the rest remains healthy. OR remove the whole lot and start again. One thing is certain - the brown bits are not going to recover. Sorry to be so doom laden. Hopefully somebody will be along soon with a more positive and optimistic plan

I asked a friend who knows a tree surgeon and apparently from what he can see in my pics he thinks someone's thrown some thing corrosive on it .

I'm probably biased but I think it's starting to look better? aside from the dead bits that I've yet to chop off. I cut some dead bits i was too afraid to do anymore

I'm going to carry on watering and feeding it and continue pesticide and fungicide.

According to the tree surgeon it's recoverable as it doesn't look diseased etc

It looks like you’ve got new growth there, good.
Some years back I cut a straggling fir, with four trunks from the base, into a cloud shape. ( not very well). It rejuvenated itself and grew back into the four tapering branches.
There’s hope yet!

I've got one of those in my garden and it has been there a long time now - over 20 years - but it is on a slope and near some steps so the soil can get rather dry.

In particularly hot, dry summers I have to water it, and soak the top growth as well, otherwise it would just go crispy and kick the bucket. We give it about 4 or 5 big watering cans of water several times a week, but this year it has developed a small patch that looks a lot like yours does.

I reckon your one just got scorched and the top half has died due to lack of water. Maybe cut out all the dead branches and see what happens? It might end up a bit of a funny shape but there is still a lot of green showing.

Thank you @yamadori
I'm scared to cut anymore as these types of trees don't grow back I do think it's starting to revive.
Not sure maybe I'm biased and hopeful for a positive outcome