|
| Can you folks help out a none tree person with a pine tree question?
Here�s the scenario: I live in a rent house which we rent from my father-in-law south of Houston, Tx. He planted 3 pine trees 30 years ago. They are maybe 50-70 ft tall, and were planted very close together. One started leaning badly, so I had the top 20 ft removed this past August(2 months ago). I knew there was a chance it would die, but it was a safety hazard so I did it anyway. Also, it may be important to know that we have experienced the most severe drought in recorded Texas weather history, and we remain in the drought today. Here is the problem: About a month after the tree was topped the needles on all 3 trees turned brown and appeared to die. The guy that topped the tree has been in the business many years and appeared to be a knowledgeable fellow, so I called and asked him why this happened. He said all 3 are dead and he said it was due to the drought- that pines are dying all over. Well, I looked at pines in my neighborhood and none of them have brown needles, so I have my doubts that he is correct. But I don�t know- as stated, I know very little about such things. 1. Do brown needles necessarily signify that the trees are dead and beyond coming back? 2. Dead or ill, could it be that the roots are somehow entwined and that the shock from the topping of the one caused this? Thanks for any help, Spencer |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Sun, Oct 23, 11 at 12:56
| Hey Spencer, welcome aboard. Can you use a site like photobucket.com to put up a couple pictures? Trees on the whole and of the ends of a couple representative branches where the buds are. I'll try to hit several points. Topping the tree is a temporary fix at best. Especially a larger tree. If the trimmer did not say this his level of knowledge and/or greed is in question. Evergreen conifers are a tricky bunch. They do shed some needles naturally but much like a Christmas tree can retain green foliage for a bit after they are effectively dead. If all of the needles on any pine died on me I would consider it a goner. I suppose there is a chance it will resprout in the spring. Maybe, maybe, and I mean the second coming might happen in the spring just as likely also. Far as roots being intertwined/grafted together. I suspect this happens more than we think. No scientific experience though. Pines just seem to go into decline and die in groups in folks' yards around me and we did have a terrible and terribly weird year. |
|
| Thanks for responding Toronado. Let's assume they are dead, which sounds like a safe assumption. I asked the tree guy how long before they are a safety hazard- falling down and what not. He said 4-5 months. Do you agree with this? |
|
| 4-5 months until twigs and small branches start to fall. Probably a bit longer till anything large enough to be dangerous starts falling, maybe a year or so. But it's a bit unpredictable, so best to err on the safe side. Resin |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.