Should I spray with Copper Fungicide?

[Jphipps]

Hi guys. I have 2 Mugo Pines and one Scots pine. They all have yellowing needles that are falling off. It only appears to be on the older growth.

Thoughts for treatment? Is it too late in the year to spray with Copper Fungicide? Is that even the right course of action?

I have 2 other pines that show no current signs of this issue. Should I preemptively spray them?

 

[0soyoung]

I think you are just loosing old needles. Go ahead an remove them - if nothing else, they make congestion and shade that you don't want.

The new needles were the most susceptible a few weeks ago and they appear to be quite healthy by your pix. IMHO, put your fungicide away for some other day.

 

[Shibui]

This is just old needles naturally dropping. Needles are only effective for 2 or 3 years. By that time the tree has healthy new ones so the old ones are allowed to die. Nothing we can do about it as it is pre programmed in the tree.
The problem is that as this continues the inner areas get bare and foliage is only at the ends of branches. To keep pines compact and dense we need to prune and manage growth.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

I just liked the previous two posts and I normally advocate for spraying.

 

[Jphipps]

Thank you very much. I'm new to having pines so I wasn't sure if old needle drop was normal this time of year in the PNW. I bought the mugos this spring and plan on repotting in July per Vance Wood's repotting advice. I didn't want to prune anything yet as to not affect the health of the tree prior to the repot.

 

[Shibui]

Summer seems to be the normal season for pines to shed old needles. There are probably hundreds of old threads here around this time of year asking the same question.
Delaying pruning for a year won't make any difference now. Not doing proper pruning an maintenance for several years will severely limit options.
Following Vance Wood's recommendations will be a great start.

 

[Emanon]

Nothing we can do about it as it is pre programmed in the tree.

If scientists in China can use CRISPR technology to modify or edit the human genome how come we can't come up with some way to reprogram trees? Just saying...it seems like we should be able to do something like keep needles on pine trees for longer.

 

[Japonicus]

Is there black suet like residue on this branch???

There seems to be quite a bit that would be safe to remove and lightly wire, prior to a repot
and I'm one to get all hippy like, keeping as more foliage than necessary prior to a repot.
But I'm mostly talking about needles on the under sides of branches, and needles that are yellow or brown.
Once you repot, you'll not want to get prodding around to remove foliage that is shading out
desirable areas and wire soon after, which could be detrimental to the new roots moving about.

A picture of the trees in their full glory would be good to post.
How well the soil is draining, and just for curiosity sake, what size of pot are they in now?
I'm assuming 1 - 3 gallon nursery can? But a few good shots of the entire pine, at soil level
and from an elevated position would be good too.

 

[Jphipps]

No black suet. The 2 mugos are huge. Probably 4-5 foot wide canopy of branches that will have to be drastically reduced and work hard on back budding and likely approach grafting. Big nursery trees that are still balled and burlapped with field soil. They grew out new candles everywhere this spring. My thought was to do no reduction between this spring when I bought them and wait to only repot as to leave as much foliage for new root production. I may be off on that and if others think I should reduce now or prior to July, I'm all ears.

 

[Jphipps]

I got a great deal on them and both have really fat trunks that I'm excited to expose further during repotting. I knew I'd have a challenging project ahead of me.

 

[Adair M]

If scientists in China can use CRISPR technology to modify or edit the human genome how come we can't come up with some way to reprogram trees? Just saying...it seems like we should be able to do something like keep needles on pine trees for longer.

Why?

 

[Potawatomi13]

If scientists in China can use CRISPR technology to modify or edit the human genome how come we can't come up with some way to reprogram trees? Just saying...it seems like we should be able to do something like keep needles on pine trees for longer.

Do we KNOW the chinese enemy can do this or do they just say so?

 

[leatherback]

If scientists in China can use CRISPR technology to modify or edit the human genome how come we can't come up with some way to reprogram trees? Just saying...it seems like we should be able to do something like keep needles on pine trees for longer.

I do so hope this was a sarcastic remark. Let's please stop all direct fiddling with genomes. Cross-breeding sure. But editing genomes.. I get really concerned

 

[Japonicus]

reduce now or prior to July, I'm all ears.

I never mentioned a reduction.
Rather Letting light into crucial shaded areas a little bit prior to potting up.
Cleaning up and reduction are 2 separate tasks. The latter being one left for the following year or so.

 

[sorce]

enemy

I believe all that "China China China" shit was to make us think they are the enemy.
Truly a Trump Ally.

Funny how we never really shut down shut down, and it's "over" in China already.

One could have made a fortune on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, masks, and all that was needed is to move a stock here and there.

Follow the $.

Sorce

 

[leatherback]

I believe all that "China China China" shit was to make us think they are the enemy.

Or more cynical, to get attention on some common enemy to avoid attention to what was happening at home?

 

[sorce]

I feel safe because Americans are needed to buy all the dumb shit that keeps everyone's economy afloat.

It would be effed up if some Chinese Guy got his 23 and me back and found out his Ancestors were Native American.
If they decide to take us out for that reason I feel unsafe, but very willing to die.

Sorce

 

[Jphipps]

It would be cool to save China for a different thread. I appreciate the advice based on my question.

 

[leatherback]

It would be cool to save China for a different thread. I appreciate the advice based on my question.

Sorry.

I am bad with pines, so do not trust me on this. The overall image you show is however of a healthy pine, and it is only old needles that drop. Were it mine, I would thing this is just an early summer dropping of needles. The dropping of needles does happen in such a wave that have the tree looks yellow, from what I have seen.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

If scientists in China can use CRISPR technology to modify or edit the human genome how come we can't come up with some way to reprogram trees? Just saying...it seems like we should be able to do something like keep needles on pine trees for longer.

There are many ethylene inhibitors on the market that are used commercially for preventing fruit drop in orchards and improving the longevity of cut flowers.

It would be cool to experiment with some of these on pines, to see if one can get the needles to hold on longer, but I don’t keep any pines.