Hey, It’s Maryann,
Every so often I have a useful pruning technique to share with you. I am calling them: A Tip for Trees! Since it is Autumn, this one comes to mind often.
Question: My pine tree has a lot of brown needles that are falling off. Is something wrong with it?
Most of us associate fall color with the vibrant red, orange and yellows of the deciduous hardwoods such as maple and oak trees. But our conifers tend to loose their old needles this time of year as well. The pines trees can be pretty noticeable until a few strong winds blow the old needles away. Often we mistake these yellow and brown needles as a sign of an unhealthy tree but usually this is not the case. Take a closer look and if they are located behind green growth then it is just the tree shedding old needles per its genetic instructions. If the brown needles are at the tips of the branches then something else may be going on with the tree.
What should I do?
I like to shake out or rub off the dead needles on my small pines. Especially if the tree is a small cultivar or protected and won’t get strong wind gusts to remove them for me. This gives me a chance to interact with my trees and see if anything else is going on with them.
The white pines are especially satisfying because their needle are so soft and the old needles fall off easily. I always start at the top and work my way down. Cleaning or leaving the needles depends on the context. Often there is room to leave them but sometimes they could smother a ground cover or if the tree is in a container, stack up deeper than I care for. Needles are slow to decompose and this can be helpful in some garden situations or bothersome in a different context such as a pine over a dry stream bed.
A short video
I created a short video on cleaning out conifers. Its takes very little effort and the trees always looks so fresh afterwards. Give it a try!
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With the Trees,
Maryann
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