Hi, Could you please help me? Last spring I planted 3 small white pines. I am a new gardener and I probably did something wrong. By the end of summer the needls on one pine started getting brown. I asked at the nursery where I had bought the trees. At first they said that it is normal in fall, but after nearly all the needls were brown and the branches dry the "pine person" said that I am not watering them enough and that I should increase watering. Well, it was the middle of September, so till the end of October I kept watering it. In November it was clear that the tree is dead. We had a rather rough winter, and another pine started getting brown. Now only some 25% of its branches are green. Actually this one looks like it has several trunks and now only one is green. As for others, though the needls are brown the branches are not dry (that is, they do not break when you bend them). I brought the dead tree to the same nursery and another "pine person" told me that I watered it too much. When I showed him the branch from this second pine, he said that probably it happened because of the cold winter and there is nothing I can do but to pull it out and exchange for a new one. Well, for the sake of the remaining tree I'd like to know whether I water it too much or too little. Or whether there is some other reason for the trees dying. And I'd like to save the Second pine rather than replace it. What can I do? I did not find any spots on the needls or branches. I checked the lists of most common pine diseases, but did not find any matches. I live in Ohio. The soil is clay. The previous summer was rather dry and we had a record amount of snow this winter. The pines are in the relatively sunny spot. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Vera
Hi. I am not a professional, but I can share a bit of knowledge about white pines with you. They do not like to have "wet feet" - these pines love sandy dry soil, not clay. So maybe they are planted too low - try mounding the trees when you plant them, so that they look like they've been planted in a little hill. That will keep the roots more above the water table and out of the clay until the tree gets established. If you can't do that - spruce do much better is clay soil. Yes, the young white pines need water, but clay soil does not drain very well and the roots are likely getting too soggy for too long. In the fall, you will notice that the previous years needles will turn brown and fall off. This is normal for these trees, but when the new shoots turn brown, you're in trouble. I live in London, Ontario, so our climate and soil is much similar to yours. Abbey
