lynncrenshaw80

Help with quickly browning of mugo pines

We were away for 10 days and all the sudden our 40 year old mugo pines are turning brown and the needles are falling off. They are in front of the house as foundation plantings and we would notice changes quickly out our window. My husband noticed they were brown this morning and I noticed tonight when I came home from work. It is as if they started dying overnight.


We have had too much rain and on Sunday and Monday there were up to 70 mile cold winds. Could they be drowning? Is it wind burn? More rain / snow expected and temperatures are fluctuating. What would cause this rapid change? Can they recover? Thoughts?




Comments (19)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    5 years ago

    Hard to see in the dark but that does not look good :-( Without being there to suss out the conditions firsthand, it's difficult to arrive at any firm causes but I think you have probably lost them.

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    They didn't drown. I'd bet over the last 40 years they saw similar conditions, or worse. It does not look good, but the future is in the buds and if they are still viable, then there's a chance...

    tj

  • Sara Malone Zone 9b
    5 years ago

    Woody plants respond slowly to stress and what has caused the problem could either have been months ago or happened over a long period of time. Mugo are native to areas with environmental extremes and so are usually tolerant of nasty winds, periodic drought or flooding etc. That makes this catastrophic fail of old plant odd, especially if it is affecting more than one. Sorry not to be helpful - it's a puzzlement, as the King of Siam said.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    5 years ago

    conifers are trees.. and things happen in tree time ... and that is counted in years or decades ... not the last few weeks or months ..... and whatever is going on now is just 'showing' in winter ... but the causes might date back a year or two ...


    on my 5 acres ... i might wait a year or two.. and see if they recover ... especially if they were 300 feet from the house.. and i didnt see them every minute of every day ...


    but because they are right out the window of your castle ... i would suggest that you dont need that constant irritation in life ... and that you should plan on replacing them ....


    some better pix.. and more history about whats been going on for the last year or two.. and we might be able to come up with some causes ... can you see/tell if the buds at the tips are viable ... hard and light brown.. like they might pop out this spring ... or mushy .. and dead .. if so ... they might bud out ok ... but whether then can break out.. regreen and thrive.. brings us back to a longer history of events ...


    a new post.. with some pix of the front of the house.. and we might be able to give you some ideas for something new .... prime planting time.. is probably in the next month or two ... and if you cant get it done by then.. fall planting wold be the next best time ...


    ken


    ps: i see some creative pruning to keep them off the walkway ... perhaps something with less future potential would be better suited to the site ....


  • plantkiller_il_5
    5 years ago

    was some sort of weed killer used under them ?

    ron

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Thank you all for your assistance. I just lost my post because a sponsor pop-up ad from Houzz covered the post and when I tried to get it of it I lost my post. Ugh. Will need to rewrite.

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Pictures are not seeming to post. Will try again.

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Ken, buds are firm on both green and brown branches. Took another picture because of white along stems. Is that normal?

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    5 years ago

    I am not sure how anyone could come to the conclusion that those are not dead!! Sorry, but I doubt you will see any kind of healthy growth appearing, now or later. Or not enough to offset the current situation.

  • bengz6westmd
    5 years ago

    I dunno, but I don't think Mugo pines tolerate perpetually wet soils (like last summer) for very long. Last summer's wet soil killed my concolor fir (which was in a somewhat poorly-drained area).

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I fear I agree, which is why I was so very upset when I saw them last evening. I really like to try to figure out what killed them prior to replacing. Not sure what I will replace them with but why they died could impact that decision.

  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Just thought I would give an update. I am having a specialist come to look at the mugos next week. In a conversation with him we discussed the death of the dragoon lady, needle drop on mature Serbians / Spruce, and maples dropping leaves without fall color. He will make a diagnosis once he has seen the plants, but his general comments had to do with too much rain in Maryland, clay soil, and fungus. There is evidently an epidemic in Maryland after the wettest year in recorded history. Trees and plants dying at a high rate. He said elevation also was playing a part.

    Will post back after he has made a diagnosis. Keep your fingers crossed for the plants.

  • Brandon Johnson Zone 5b
    5 years ago

    In general what everyone here is saying is true, especially for mature plants, BUT conifers are capable of having a response to climatic effects in a short period of time. We hit -16 degrees on our farm mid February and we are seeing the effects of that after a recent stretch of 50 degree weather.


    Sad day at the farm on wednesday:


  • Lynn in Parkton, Maryland
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Promised to touch back.

    Somewhat depressing morning walking around the property diagnosing issues all of which appear to be "plumbing" related. Too much rain has contributed to drowning and needlecast, and has exasperated other deficiencies. Species experiencing needlecast are not always the normal suspects and why it is so widespread in recent years along the mid-Atlantic is unknown.

    He could not tell why the mugos died specifically, but he said they are definitely dead. What is green on them is dry like a Christmas tree's needles. Serbian spruce and other spruce types are being badly hit with needlecast. Evergreen species that are usually disease free and hardy are suffering from needlecast all over the greater Baltimore area.

    Based on the conversation, there maybe a chance to save three out of five Serbian spruce. These were sprayed three times last year but removal of two will provide more circulation for the remaining three. These trees are at least 30 feet tall and a key focal point of our landscape. All three 20 foot boulevard cypress are probably too far gone to try to save. They showed little signs of trouble last season, but they have dropped so many needles now that you can see through them.

    Dragonlady holly most likely drowned or received so much water that key nutriates were washed away or the plant was unable to access them.

    We await a full report and recommendations. Depressing.


  • aak4
    5 years ago

    Oh no! I can't imagine the disappointment of losing so many mature plants. Years of TLC and hard work in the garden and now this happens. So sad.

    Lynn in Parkton, Maryland thanked aak4
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