Bristlecone Pine - Ask Extension
Hi, my bristlecone pine is turning brown. This past winter I had a problem with voles around this tree and the pine became loose in the ground. I ligh...
Knowledgebase
Bristlecone Pine #337227
Asked June 28, 2016, 8:43 AM EDT
Hi, my bristlecone pine is turning brown. This past winter I had a problem with voles around this tree and the pine became loose in the ground. I lightly compacted some extra dirt around the base. Did I damage the roots? Thank you.
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello,
The needles are the older needles, from inside the canopy. The new growth (on the tips) looks great. The browning needles could be from winter extremes, transplant shock or it could be vole damage. Do you see visible injury to the trunk from the voles? Look for teeth marks or damage to the trunk/lower branches.
This looks like a young tree--when was it planted? Did it receive regular water following planting? Was it planted correctly?
The needles are the older needles, from inside the canopy. The new growth (on the tips) looks great. The browning needles could be from winter extremes, transplant shock or it could be vole damage. Do you see visible injury to the trunk from the voles? Look for teeth marks or damage to the trunk/lower branches.
This looks like a young tree--when was it planted? Did it receive regular water following planting? Was it planted correctly?
I planted this tree over two years ago and it was healthy until this spring when the browning started. It has received regular watering throughout. I checked around the trunk and branches for damage and I do not see anything. I'm wondering if I added too much soil around the trunk after the voles loosened the tree in the ground? Since the tree was loose, I imagine some of the roots were damaged?
Thank you for your help, I really love this tree and would like it to survive.
It's really hard to say...while bristlecones can told their needles for 7-10 years, perhaps the stress of planting is causing them to shed early. As I mentioned, the new growth is excellent (especially for a bristlecone). The tree may be planted a little deep? As you digging around, did you find the root flare of the tree?
You didn't mention how much soil you piled around the trunk. If you remove the soil you piled, is the root ball of the tree dry? Water moves through different soil textures in different ways...so even though you're watering, it may be be getting to the tree itself.
You didn't mention how much soil you piled around the trunk. If you remove the soil you piled, is the root ball of the tree dry? Water moves through different soil textures in different ways...so even though you're watering, it may be be getting to the tree itself.
I put an extra 3 inches of soil around the trunk to stabilize the tree but after taking a closer look I have removed maybe 2 of those inches now. The root area is moist and drains well. I've included a picture of the trunk area after I removed the extra dirt.
It's hard to tell from the photo, but do you see the root flare (where the base of the tree flares out)? The root flare should be level with the grade of the ground.
Now that you've removed all the extra soil, is the tree unstable? Or has it rooted? I would suggest removing any/all extra soil and bringing the tree back to its original planting grade.
Keep watering and caring for the tree as normal. Again, the new growth looks fantastic and it's the old growth that is browning, which can be a sign of stressors, such as transplant stress, environmental conditions, etc.
Now that you've removed all the extra soil, is the tree unstable? Or has it rooted? I would suggest removing any/all extra soil and bringing the tree back to its original planting grade.
Keep watering and caring for the tree as normal. Again, the new growth looks fantastic and it's the old growth that is browning, which can be a sign of stressors, such as transplant stress, environmental conditions, etc.
