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David E. Ross wrote:
J.C. wrote:
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
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Hello,

I bought a house that has 20 white pines planted in the backyard to
provide a privacy shield for the neighbors. The problem is that pines
are dying one by one -- the needles become yellow and then the whole
pine dries up.

I talked to some people and they told me that this is because there
is
too much water in the back of my yard. I tried to fix the water
problem, but the pines keep dying. So, I was wondering if you could
help me with some of the questions I have:

1. Is that a fact that pines don't like water? Could that be the
reverse -- there is not enough water or yellow needles is a clear
indication of a water problem?

2. Assuming there is too much water, is there a water resistant
evergreen that I can plant instead of white pines? Are all pines the
same, or some of them are more resilient to water problem?

3. I was wondering about Green Giants -- are they more resilient than
pines?

Thank you very much for your help!!!

Evgueni

Do a Google search using the name of your state along with the words
"cooperative extension". You'll get a bunch of results. These are
services
run by universities within each state which have agricultural
departments,
and as far as I know, they all offer assistance to homeowners as well
as
farmers. Here in NY, advice is free and soil tests are $1.00 each.
However, soil tests (for pH and nutrients) usually begin by drying the
soil samples completely, so they're not going to be able to tell you
if
the area's too dry or wet for your particular trees. So, begin with a
discussion and some advice.


Could be "Pine Bark Beetles"

These beetles are killing long-established trees all over southern
California. In local national forests, the dead trees contributed to
the very severe wild fires we had just a few years ago.

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/

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Thank you very much for all your replies.

The pines are young 1 to 3 years. In the beginning of June I installed
a sprinkler system because a new sod was installed. I watered three
times a day for a month, and I noticed that some of the niddles started
to turn yellow. I then minimized the sprinklers in the backyard (where
the pines are) to twice a week. A month has passed since then and just
now some pines turned completelly dry. I must also mention that I am in
St Louis, Missouri and we did have very hot two past weeks. So, I am
still not sure -- is it water related, and if it's -- too much or too
little?

Here is a URL to some pictures of the pines:

http://www.rusmex.com/pines/pines.html

Thanks a lot for your help!

Evgueni


The best way to think about whether a tree is getting too much or too little
water is to ask yourself, "who waters the trees in a forest, and how often
do they do it".


--
J.C.