I noticed some yellowing needles on my Afghan Pine Tree toward the bottom inner branches. It was bought and planted three months ago at 5' high and 20" wide. Where there were two leaders on top there are now nine. I deep soak it with a soaker hose every 4 days for 3 hours and give it one gallon of 20-20-20 liquid nutrients every three weeks. Is there anything else I should be doing or not? Would appreciate your input.
Fertilize only once (mid February) yearly from now on. Too frequent feeding can lead to insect and disease problems. http://www.darrolshillingburg.com/GardenSite/NewsletterPDF/MG_Newsletters/MGNewsletter_Jul10.pdf That needle shedding is probably normal. Just watch that it doesn't spread to new growth. And lose the stake.
Thank you for your rapid reply and link, SaltCedar. I noticed the link was for an Aleppo Pine but the yellowing needles in the B/W pix look very simuliar to my problem. You may be right about the feeding since the tree was only planted 3 months ago. I did appreciate the Aleppo site information since I have an 8 year old in the back of the house.
Nice Aleppo, wish it would grow here. Too wet and cold in Texas. I changed the link to a more appropriate one.
Thanks for changing the link. At one point it says the Afghan prefers hot, dry conditions. Well, it ought to feel right at home here. In July and August 110 *F is quite common.
Looks OK to me; the yellowing is just the oldest needles reaching the normal end of their life (typically 2-3 years). Keep an eye on that, and be prepared to prune back competing leaders (or bend them down to convince them to become side branches) so it keeps to a single straight main stem. You can probably start to let up on the watering now, cut it to a single deep watering per month. And don't add any more fertiliser at all - pines do best in low nutrient soils. Too much fertiliser may well be what is causing the proliferation of lead stems.
Thanks for your feedback on a variety of items. Food for thought! I did not know if you bent the leaders they would survive as side branches. Definitely worth a try. Appreciate it.
Gonna disagree a bit. Water every two weeks for the first year in the absence of rain. While sandy-loam is rich enough for pines, some pure sands are nearly devoid of elements. Once a year feeding shouldn't be too much for a pine. Hot climates tend to stress plants more than those in cooler a setting.
