In article , bruceh wrote:

Phisherman wrote:
On Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:39:10 GMT, bruceh wrote:

My father has a couple of old (Japanese?) pine trees, each
about 8 feet tall in which the needles are browning.
He says that he only waters the trees and has never used
any fertilizer.

Is there any fertilizer/additive that can help with
these trees?

TIA


Don't need to fertilize pine trees. They can be mulched but the mulch
should not touch the bark. There are acres of dead pine trees in the
hills of TN due to pine beetle destruction.

I have heard of the beetle problems as the forests here in
Southern California have been infected due to the droughts.
As I understand it, however, it's due to the lack of water
that the trees have weakened and could not naturally fight
off the beetles. My father does water the trees so I'm
thinking this is not the problem.

So if fertilizers are not required, a thought came to
my mind. If I remember the way the soil is around the
base, it may be a bit compacted. Could compacted soil
prevent the roots from getting enough water? BTW, he
doesn't mulch.

I've no idea what a Japanese pine is but I have one Chinese black
Pine. Around here they mulch themselves as do the white pine.. However
I rob it and add the needles to my foot paths. If you are have a
general malaise with the whole tree involved I'm clues less. I've have
many white pine with some sort of borer that kills the new top growth
but the tree's seem to be able to carry on sometimes sending up a new
leader.

Now you got me looking about for a Japanese pine.


Bill lover of things unfamiliar.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA