What is wrong with my holly you may ask? Brown Leaves? Brown Stems? Is It dying? In this case we are talking about Nellie Stevens Hollies, but it will be similar with any holly, or other broadleaf evergreens. In this example some nursery stock was potted up just a little to late when they were coming out of dormancy and potted up, they had root damage. This showed up about 2 weeks after potting these Hollies. Hollies are fast growers, and a perfect plant that has many uses, such as windbreaks or privacy. These pictures show dieback and dead leaves from the hollies roots being damaged when being dug up to repot. 
Sometimes evergreen issues can be a little harder to diagnose since evergreens tend to show damage later on instead of closer to whatever the issue was. Some every greens like the green giant arborvitae, may show symptoms of issues 6 to 12 months after damage occurred! Once leaves start turning brown on hollies it can also be a sign of cold damage. During many days in a row where the water at the top few inches of the soil is frozen, then the plant cannot take in any water. Plants often die of thirst from cold temps, than the cold temps themselves! Browning is very common with evergreens from any kind of root damage (transplant shock) or simply getting to much or not enough water.
Sometimes evergreen issues can be a little harder to diagnose since evergreens tend to show damage later on instead of closer to whatever the issue was. Some every greens like the green giant arborvitae, may show symptoms of issues 6 to 12 months after damage occurred! Once leaves start turning brown on hollies it can also be a sign of cold damage. During many days in a row where the water at the top few inches of the soil is frozen, then the plant cannot take in any water. Plants often die of thirst from cold temps, than the cold temps themselves! Browning is very common with evergreens from any kind of root damage (transplant shock) or simply getting to much or not enough water.
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Weaver Family Farms Nursery