Okay thanks!

It has been terrible windy. The needle bundles look almost "mussed up" otherwise healthy looking. It's one part of my "wind reduction plan" on the South side of the yard. You can see how open it is, the street in the background runs North to South, so when southeast wind blows it can be quite strong. I plugged this little guy in to fill a wide spot between the trees, hope it gets used to it (between the 2 left most spruce with hardware cloth around it).

The yellowing is abnormal also

There is some yellowing near the base of the bundles. But that appears to be enhanced greatly in the bright sun during picture session.

It could be one of those things where it just up and dies for no apparent reason, I hope not.

I believe it was planted fall before last, so has seen 2 winters already, the last with a lot of snow cover. Very nice new growth this spring and the branch tips look to have budded up nicely already.

The bundles look a little more extended at the base than the other tree pictured but I haven't fertilized or anything that might promote weird growth of any kind.

Might have been a close call by getting almost too dry a few weeks ago with temps near 90? But there was one day earlier where the wind whipped everything so hard it was a little concerning. I guess it's just gotta be a tough plant or die. :-|

hopefully just a camera trick .... the yellowing ... not only sunny.. but the tree is so small..its shining right thru it ... there is no interior darkness to insure a better pic ...

go look in the evening ... near dusk.. or a dark day.. to see if your eye sees any significant yellowing...

ken

Here's some closeups of the worst with a better camera. You might see faint whitish spots on the dark green, that's fungicide I tried earlier.

Looks pretty normal to me. In your zone I bet the pine's growth is just about to harden off.

Did so for me just a couple weeks ago.

Lets see if we get any creepers responding to my post lol

From a distance, the tree appeared lighter color than normal, it's what drew my attention in the first place. Then closer up I could see the needles weeping pr drooping. First time I've noticed this sort of thing so thought I'd better ask.

Is this something that just happens? Some trees do this and some don't? Like I say, my other one looks just fine and I've never seen this before.

Yes the new growth is beginning to harden off even though the needles aren't full length, at least on the red pines they don't look like they are.

No plant dies for no reason, when that assessment is formed it just means somebody didn't identify what happened.

That's fine Embo, trouble is, I know very little about maladies of pine trees (and many other trees for that matter). That's why I came here in the first place. But I know a symptom or two isn't always enough the make a diagnosis and even if you it figure it out, that doesn't mean you can do anything about it. The tree might be terminal and it might just be a matter of time before it declines to the point it can't survive.

It will be a little disappointing if it doesn't pull through, it's been in the ground for a while and has grown nicely for 2 seasons.

If I have to replace it, I'll find another Picea glauca, being all the rest in that shelter belt are that same species.

Thanks for looking! :-)

If you're really concerned, might put up a midday sunshade on it. Won't hurt it & might help.

With all the rain we been getting and being it's been in the ground almost two seasons, It should have enough roots to handle any kind of summer conditions. Unless it's some sort of disease that nursing it through might help. But then if it is sick with something it can't get over by itself, I probably just as soon get rid of it.

It doesn't seem to be getting any worse so I'll use the 'wait n see' approach. Too early to bring something else in right now anyways.

Update:

The tree appears to be over what every it was. The yellowing has lessened but you can see effects of some sort of damage. Possibly wind or wind with heat stress? Where the needles were bent, there is in some places a brownish orange color on one side of the bend, like it was bent past it's normal capacity or whipped too hard in the wind?

So I'm thinking it was some sort of physical damage that was the cause.

The green is coming back on the less damaged parts.

So, looks like it's going to make it. :-)

Good to hear Bill! I watched my P. Strobus Louie go from perfect looking to dead in about 6 weeks +/-. Appeared to be thriving for 2 years. Same exact symptoms as yours but it just got worse. I dont think mine had to do with over or under watering, still a mystery.

Out in the wild, I've had 10 ft tall pines, suddenly turn brown and die. Some have told me that gophers tunnel around and destroy the roots. It's not something that happens a lot but every time you see a plantation of pines, there will always be a few that die over the first several years.

Just part of growing trees imo, never is 100% success ratio.

Per one of my friends who knows more about conifers than I do, five-needle pines just up and die for no reason. I've lost two P. strobus 'Sea Urchin' in this manner. They were absolutely fine...until they weren't. :-(

And yes, yes, I understand that there is a reason and that I just don't know what it is. But I doubt that I ever will, and I doubt that I can guard against it. My ponderosas just don't do this!

Of the most abundant pines we have in my area, the ones we see the most diseased or dead is Pinus banksiana. Many times it's bugs that get them. And they are the most plentiful of the pines here, growing in sand where not many other trees will grow at all.

I have seen some Pinus resinosa and Pinus sylvestris die when planted along a field that was riddled with gophers and found a couple dead ones that were rootless and wobbled in the ground when shook. They were 8-10 ft. tall.

We don't have many Pinus strobus, they seem to grow in a more fertile soil than I have although I have some planted ones that are over 50 ft. tall and doing quite well.

I don't see anymore 5 needle pines die than other types around here and really haven't investigated why it happens, just what I've observed.

The two I have in the yard were growing in the shade under those large ones but have been in the sun for their second season now, in fact the other one has been here 3 years now. We have some nice large specimens in town so they must like it here.

We don't have ponderosas except if my little jeffery is really that, so we don't have those for comparison.

I think these pines genetically choke themselves out. Throw a graft on gnarled rootstock in 4" pot and you've compounded the issue. I've had several pines just croak out of no where as well.

Nice to see your pines are still chugging along.

I found pictures from the fall of 2016, I think these (red pine) were planted in the spring of 2015 (possibly fall of 2014) and I had one die by spring of 2016 so replaced it with the larger one on the right of the picture. I just thought that if I planted one the same size, the other, more established ones would overtake and outgrow it. I was right, they are almost the same size today.

There is one White and one Jeffrii(? still haven't seen cones) toward the left side, away. The half dozen on the right side are a year older bc I added some on the left a year or two later. They're all getting established and growing so can't complain and I didn't water any of them this year, they were all free range and did well. I've always thought pines are a little like cactus being they grow in the sand and endure dry spells quite well once established.

These are all originally intended to be a windbreak/screen from the neighbors yard, along the alley (where I stood to take picture).

This area was part of a farm field maybe 35 years ago. Sand underneath and silty sandy loam. My backyard is actually a rise where the topsoil thins out to 6" in the middle of the yard and is more gravelly. The better soil is more near the house and out past where I'm taking pictures. The good part is, we never get water in the basement. We are a 'high spot' in this town. All sewers drain down hill away and we have a basement floor drain. I have one of the larger back yards in this neighborhood. So who knows what I'll come up with next. :-)

Bill, your pines look good -- especially for such a difficult climate. Below is my pond pine (P serotina) that's technically rated at z8, but thrives here. It's had its roots in standing water for most of the summer, which would do in most pines...

Yes, pines around here usually won't put up with being too wet. Yours looks very happy there.

The only thing conifer we have that will grow reliably where it's wet is Tamarak. Never thought much about a pine that liked water.

I have seen a few red pine (Pinus resinosa) growing scattered where it's plenty moist and sometime outright wet on my land in the country. Not their usual conduct but these 3 or 4 grew to a considerable height, 50 ft. or so with 16"-18" diameter at the butt end. Not really huge for a red pine but well on their way and would've gotten larger but were removed along with the other trees, a few years ago, as part of a land management project we had going on there.

I've seen on those logging shows where there's acres of pine swamps down south. Something we just don't see up here.

Those trees look great and are just getting going. I bet you wish you would have spaced them 6+ feet further ;) They will make a great windbreak and shade.

Here are two small P. Strobus in wet, shady areas. Each has been in the ground 3.5 years or so and each got thrashed by deer once. Ive got more in similar conditions lol. In 2nd pic, P. Strobus in lower left (mound in middle is P. Pungens). I need to get some pics when the water is up.

The red pines can always be thinned and later on, every other one will be about right . I wanted fast screen and thick windbreak for now.

The small p strobus in my woods seem to like the shade and moisture to get started.

Wish I had some of your water for my yard pete. :-)

pete_powell, P pungens! You da man. Here's a branch from one of mine. Thick, sharp-tipped needles:

Just an update:

The pinus strobus is budding out the same as my other one, so hopefully no permanent damage. The needles still look a little mussed up so maybe it was a combination of heat & wind.

Hey, anyone know what happened to pete_powell ? Appears his account has been stripped. :/

Another year and the tree looks great!

New growth was less than normal bc of the drought but was a nice healthy blue color and makes the tree look fuller. Right @ 4 ft. tall.

Wow, looks like it sorted itself out!
It does look great!