Vanderwolf Pine upper dry - Ask Extension
Our Vanderwolf pine has experienced dry damage to the upper half of the tree. The needles are dry but do not seem to be infested with any pest or di...
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Vanderwolf Pine upper dry #662142
Asked July 09, 2020, 6:23 PM EDT
Our Vanderwolf pine has experienced dry damage to the upper half of the tree. The needles are dry but do not seem to be infested with any pest or disease. Is this fatal or will it recover ? What should we do to mitigate the damage? I have attached photos.
Thank you,
Cindy
Thank you,
Cindy
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello Cindy,
Your Vanderwolf pine looks to be suffering the same damage that many evergreens have experienced over the last winter and fall. In October 2019 and last April we had warm weather followed by extreme declines in temperature. The trees were not hardened off for those events and many experienced damage. Not only pines and spruce were affected, but also deciduous trees. In addition, January was an unusually dry month with very sparse snowfall. Because evergreens keep their needles all year long, they continue to lose moisture through those needles and suffer damage if they are not taking up water through their roots.
The good news is that it is possible that your tree will be ok. Check the areas that have the brown needles to see if there is any green growth behind or around them.
Continue to give your tree adequate water this summer and well into the fall and it might be ok. Time will tell.
Our July newsletter called The Garden Buzz has an article that you might like to read regarding browning of evergreens. See link below for this article and links at the end of the article to fact sheets that will give you further information about watering:
https://arapahoe.extension.colostate.edu/2020/07/09/is-your-evergreen-brown-no-need-to-frown/
Your Vanderwolf pine looks to be suffering the same damage that many evergreens have experienced over the last winter and fall. In October 2019 and last April we had warm weather followed by extreme declines in temperature. The trees were not hardened off for those events and many experienced damage. Not only pines and spruce were affected, but also deciduous trees. In addition, January was an unusually dry month with very sparse snowfall. Because evergreens keep their needles all year long, they continue to lose moisture through those needles and suffer damage if they are not taking up water through their roots.
The good news is that it is possible that your tree will be ok. Check the areas that have the brown needles to see if there is any green growth behind or around them.
Continue to give your tree adequate water this summer and well into the fall and it might be ok. Time will tell.
Our July newsletter called The Garden Buzz has an article that you might like to read regarding browning of evergreens. See link below for this article and links at the end of the article to fact sheets that will give you further information about watering:
https://arapahoe.extension.colostate.edu/2020/07/09/is-your-evergreen-brown-no-need-to-frown/
Another note. The desiccating winds we had throughout the winter also added to the moisture loss of the trees. Again, watering the tree roots when the ground is not frozen will help in this case.
