We Noticed Our 15+ Year Old White Pine Has Started…
Jill Asked
We noticed our 15+ year old white pine has started to get brown needles on the underside of the branch on the south side. We don’t recall this happening in the past. Should we be concerned about a disease?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Jill: It is perfectly normal for white pines (pinus strobes) to drop needles from the previous year’s growth. They are considered evergreens but not all needles remain attached to the tree for its entire life. Usually every two to three years these pines will drop all needles except for the current season’s growth.The inner foliage will turn yellow and then brown this time of year (late fall) and then eventually fall from the tree. This is known as seasonal needle drop. New growth will never replace the lost, which is why younger white pines can almost look bare in the winter. This is a perfectly normal process they go through and it may start on the south side but should shortly move throughout the evergreen. If this is only happening on the south side and all the needles, including the current season’s growth, are turning brown this would be reason for concern. In some cases environmental conditions can come into play or chemical drift could also be a possibility if the browning is only apparent on one part of the plant. If the overall health of your pine looks good I do not think there is reason to worry. You can always take a sample to your County Cooperative Extension Office to have the horticulture agent take a look just to be certain.
