Can I save dying trees?

14 years ago

I have a cluster of tall pine trees in my back yard. Sorry I do not know the type, but they have softer small needles and very small cones. They have been dying for the past 2 years, loosing much their green in sections. I believe the problem is because I placed several inches of soil from another part of my yard under the tree bed. I have now learned that can cause problems like limiting oxygen, etc. which can kill the trees. If I remove the soil, are they likley to come back or at least stop any more loss? Is there anything else I can do beside remove the excess soil? I fear I am too late as they are about 2/3 gone!

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Comments (10)

brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
I'd say you're right about them being unlikely to survive if they look "2/3 gone", but it's hard to say for sure, especially without a picture.

A good picture could also lead to an ID, which might provide further relevant information. How long was the soil left piled on the root system?
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
P.S.
If you used machinery to add and remove the soil, that could also have compacted your soil and damaged the root system.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
IMHO!!!!!

i doubt.. "a couple of inches" will have any impact on a mature tree ....

unless the machinery issue brandon noted...

that tree is said to be twice as big underground... did you cover the entire root zone.. with a foot or two of soil????? i doubt it..

IMHO.. there is no way that is the issue with those CONIFERS ... in a small yard .... any decent sized tree.. has roots half way to the 3rd neighbor down in suburbia with small lots ...... and they didnt add soil ....

we need a picture .... and a heck of a lot more info before we can help you ..

how big..

soil type??

any actual description of the damage .... is this internal thinning due to maturity.. as in.. the canopy has gotten so big and dense.. that it is losing interior needles and branches as they shade each other out????

DO NOT REMOVE THE SOIL... and potentially create more problems... until you give us some more facts.. and some pix ...

if you cant do that.. contact your county extension office and ask them to visit ... and give a hands on opinion ...

do NOT hurt them by applying too much love... FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM REALLY IS ...

BTW rick.. where the heck are you ... the wrong trees in the wrong zone would be a bigger issue than the little bit of soil ...

and ... i wonder aloud.. whether they are actually pines.. or if you are using the term generically ....

a pic of the bark.. the needle clusters.. and the whole group.. will get you some good information ...

i look forwarded to helping..

ken
rick104
Original Author
14 years ago
Hi all,

Thanks for the responses and great follow up questions. I will take a picture and post it (once I figure out how) with more information in response to your questions.

Thanks,
Rick
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
14 years ago
Rick, for the picture join a site like Photobucket, upload your pics from your computer, and use their provided HTML code right in your posts here. If you click around enough you can even send cell phone pictures straight to photobucket after you join.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
One of the easiest ways to provide your photo to be embedded into a post is to upload it onto an image hosting site such as Photobucket, Flickr, etc. That should be pretty straight forward, and the individual sites will give instructions on how to get your photos uploaded to their site when you sign up.

Once your picture has been uploaded, find its web address by right clicking on the image and copying the image location. Some sites may even provide the address in a text box below the photo for your convenience.

Let's say, as an example, that the address of the picture you want to post is http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg

To embed the picture into a post, use the command
img src="http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg">;

Note that I had to use special characters to get the command above to show up here without turning into a picture, but you can use it as shown (with the correct image location, of course).
pineresin
14 years ago
Look into soil decompaction. Do a search for "terravent" to find companies that offer this in your area. Can have strikingly good results for trees growing on soil that has been compacted.

Resin
mainegrower
14 years ago
"Softer small needles and very small cones" sounds more like hemlock than pine. "Losing green in sections" over a period of years is symptomatic of hemlock wooly adelgid infestation. Have your County Extension Service or state agriculture department check. Chances are the addition of soil over the roots has nothing to do with what you're seeing.
noki
14 years ago
I agree that they sound like Tsuga canadensis, also known as Eastern or Canadian Hemlock.

Rick104, what part of the country do you live, as wooly adelgid infestation is a major problem killing Hemlocks in the Eastern US
stimpy926
14 years ago
rick, is this on the underside of the branches?

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Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:456995}}