Saturday, October 11, 2014

Yellow and Brown Needles Among the Green

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener


Looking out my dining room window into the backyard I noticed that the Eastern white pine tree was getting brown areas from top to bottom. Oh, no. Another casualty of last winter?

Before I had a chance to scoot down to the Extension Office and look this up, the Garden Professor’s Blog topic caught my eye: “What’s Wrong with My Pine Tree? Nothing”

Inquiry: “My pine tree looks like it’s dying. It’s dropping all its needles!” Reply: “White pine trees often grab homeowners’ attention as they begin to drop their needles in the fall.”

You can go to their blog for more scientific information but here’s the basic scoop.

Usually the tree is an Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and this is normal needle shed. Since white pine needles usually last only two years, they turn a bright yellow as they die and begin to shed in the fall.
The Professors bottom-line: “If it’s fall and your pine is starting to drop interior needles, chances are it’s normal needlefall and nothing to worry about.”
Garden Professor

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