Knowledgebase

Dying trees #847609

Asked August 28, 2023, 12:27 PM EDT

Hello, I've got some older trees in my back yard (25yr). I planted a couple pecans in line with them 4yr ago, bought and planted by a professional nursery. 2 yes after planting, the pine nearest them got sick and started dying. The next year the closest of the young pecans started dying. I hoped it was stress from the strong ice storm we had. The next year the other pecan died and this year another pine in the line of trees is dying. I've attached a picture of the tree line and it shows how the proximal ends of the pine needle bundles are brown while the distal are still green. The pecans just died off quickly. Any suggestions. There are many treesin the area and I don't want this to move into my neighbors yard. I do drain a pool into my yard surely stressing everything but I stopped exhausting it near the treesthe year they started getting sick.

Oklahoma County Oklahoma

Expert Response

The fact that two unrelated species have died indicates it is not likely a disease or insect related issue, rather a cultural and/or climate related one. It is also unlikely planting the pecans had anything to do with the death of the first pine.  

Stress is most likely the issue as we have had numerous weather events that have weakened and stressed many plants. Just in the past three years we had a deep freeze, high heat and drought, including a very dry winter with another quick freeze. These all lead to stress which can also lead to insect and/or disease issues taking advantage of the weakened state of the plant. The pool water does have chemicals in it that could also lead to problems on some plants. I don't know if a soil test would be helpful to determine if there are any high salts or other related chemicals that could lead to stress, but if you haven't had a soil test done in a long time then it wouldn't hurt. The Oklahoma County OSU Extension Center can assist with a soil test. Other factors to consider are soil compaction, soil moisture, damage from lawn mowers and string trimmers, herbicide applications, etc. 

The pine in the images with brown needles is the natural shedding of leaves that occurs this time of year. Needles that are two or more years old naturally drop from pine trees. From what I can see the newest leaves look healthy. If you are still concerned about the trees a closer look/inspection might be needed. A certified arborist or other professional could help you assess the health and situation of the trees. You can find a certified arborist at this web site - https://www.treesaregood.org/. The OSU county extension center can also provide additional assistance.

Oklahoma County OSU Extension Center
2500 NE 63rd St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: <personal data hidden>https://extension.okstate.edu/county/oklahoma/horticulture/

David Hillock Replied August 30, 2023, 9:42 AM EDT

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