Am not sure what is happening to these two dwarf black pines. Their needles are turning brown in patches and appear to be dead few are dropping and are actually difficult to remove. There is no sign of insects, have looked for webs, mites etc. Any suggestions? They are planted in pots and have been so for 3 years. Have been fine up til about 3 weeks ago. Thanks
Bugs and/or a fungus. Get a hand lens and look more closely, cleaning out the dead junk as you go. If browning has been there for months perpetrator(s) may not be active at this time.
While I'm no expert, I bet they'd do better if planted in the ground, versus in pots for 3years, as you said. Lovely trees, I hope they make it.
Ditto to kia that they'd do better if planted in the ground. If they have to be kept in pots, get some with twice the diameter and depth.
Along with all that's been said, strip the stems of all old needles and keep them away from the top of the root system. Loosen up the root system also if necessary before potting it up, or before planting. The application of a 3 month slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote or equivalent could do wonders for it this time around, as well. Dax
3 years in a container is not a problem for a black pine so long as it is in a proper mix. There are many BP bonsai that are many hundereds of years old that have been in containers for a lot longer than 3 years. That being said, being in container for 3 years in improper soil could lead to root damage and browning like that. What type of soil is it in?
That plant needs a new container. Unfortunately that pine won't regenerate from its' interior if pruned hard. You can go back along each stem and look for any bud and prune, to it, but it appears that it's far too large for much shaping to be done. Plant it in native soil (in ground) or buy a commercial potting mix with ground up pine bark as an additive. That's all I see being done here. Dax
Hi Buzzbee, I have a feeling the very very below 0 cold winter we had this year may have possibly done some damage to the roots. I must say that your pics do not do any justice to the acuaul size of the pots there planted in. I have been to your home and seen those pots. They are much larger then they look in the picture. They are likely 10 gallon or bigger. Those dwarf Pines should grow for a long time in those pots. Similar to the ones that Tac, the Japanese greenhouse guy on 24th ave near White Rock has. His are over 30yrs old and and much larger in only 20gallon, and they are doing awesome. Maybe it is the soil. Jim
thanks for your comments everyone it is much appreciated. and JimWeed , thanks for taking the time to come to see them. there is new growth, but there is still way too much browning. When we purchased them, we were told they would be happy in containers, provided with all the information re the soil ,size of containers etc. and followed everything that we were told. They looked wonderful until after the cold snap. I cleared away all of the brown needles from the base and the stems are all in clear view. We used a high powered magnifiying/light to look them over and no pests, fungus.We have moved them to a more protected area (in the same light conditions). We are going to moniter them and if need be remove one of them from its pot and inspect the root. I will add more photos if things change.
Repot then in fresh potting mix. Every three years a plant should have a fresh supply (2 years then refresh). It might be a good idea anyway as it hasn't been mentioned yet to check the root system, anyway. Dax
AN UPDATE: Happy to say the trees have recovered and are doing splendidly now. I think that the two or three really cold (minus 11) nights we had may have had something to do with it. We just kept clearing away all the dead stuff, watering and they look great now. We will have to watch them this winter and perhaps wrap them if it gets really cold again. Buzz
