Yea I should of never jumped on the special low price in August. Although it was late August so I thought it would be okay. I'm going to return and purchase something else to plant in a few weeks. Oh well lesson learned. Thanks!

Let it go till late June, to be sure. But near 100% certain that's already dead -- the slight green part at top just doesn't know it yet.

you can buy in august .... but you hold it in the shade.. until proper planting time ...

the future is in the buds... if they are viable ... it will live ...

but i would return it for the refund ... because its going to be ugly for a long time ... besides.. they shouldnt have sold you a yellowing one anyway ... it was already severely stressed ...

pines grow so fast .. buying big ... is not worth the stress to the plant ... go for a 2 or 3 footer.. max .... imho ...

see planting guide below

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Make sure of buds status before hoinking it out of the ground. I've seen many white pines appearing 100 % burned up like that-recover completely once green out occurs. Why not wait the extra few weeks and see what happens? You might be uprooting a perfectly good plant.

tom was much more eloquent in stating what i meant to say ... the future is in the buds .. and it could bud out just fine ...

but all you see on it.. will fall off ... so it might not be pretty for a few years ...

i have seen this happen with plants i did not have a warranty for ... and they recovered just fine .. though on 5 acres... i could ignore them ...

but since you have the warranty .... i dont know why you wouldnt use it ...

ken

If the buds are good I would also let it come out. This is very typical of Pinus strobus and you might plant another one only to deal with the same issue again next season, after which you will no longer have a warranty. Like Eastern White Pine but after explaining this issue to customers they often opt for Pinus cembra or a Picea variety instead.

Exactly^. Open-grown Pinus strobus often exhibit rather severe winter wind "burning" like this, and as Select states, you could swap out this one, plunk in a new one, and a year from now be looking at exactly the same thing. I'd give it a month or so to green out. Then see what you think. This is a fast-growing species, and this little hiccup in its early going will fade to insignificance in the years ahead........assuming it has viable buds.

I'll keep an eye on new buds in the coming weeks, but as a backup plan I'll start to look for a different species to replace it with.

Select Landscapes of Iowa - I looked up Pinus Cembra and that looks like a great match. Any other specific suggestions from the Picea variety? I'll start calling local nurseries to see what they carry.

Svt, a spruce species which can keep up with white pine in terms of growth rate would be Norway spruce. Since you planted a white pine, I'll make the assumption that you wanted a large-growing tree. As such, Norway spruce would be your best bet in a spruce. And like white pine, fast-growing too. Will have no soil issues or anything like that.

Thanks Wisconsitom. This is in my front yard and the plan was to add something unique in that location. Unique in the sense what others in the neighborhood do not have. I actually was leaning towards something huge initially but now I'm ok with something smaller. Possibly a vanderwolf pine tree would be nice. Definitely some kind of pine is what would be ideal.

Thanks for listing the species. I'll start researching.

Don't know what's wrong with a Vanderwolf

long blue and green needles,,,,open habit like strobus

BEAUTIFUL , and limber

you could easily find one around Chi

I have one many years,,,candle pruned once in a while,,,,dense beautiful beast

ron

I have a vanderwolf in my backyard and it looks great. Planted in august same time as the pinus strobus.

Plantkiller do you have a pic? Would love to see what an established one looks like.

The main reason I am not in favor of Vanderwolf's is that they are not unique from a landscape perspective (you can now purchase them nearly anywhere including Lowes and Home Depot) and lose most of their density as they age, which (in time) results in a loose, open looking tree. For a backyard specimen I think the choice would be fine but for something different and a little denser in the front yard (that won't require pruning) I would choose something else.

Of course this is my own opinion so take it with a grain of salt. We're always trying to encourage diversity in landscape plantings, which is why I suggested some of the cembras. Over by Chicagoland you have an great number of choices so why go with something that is already planted quite a bit?

svtter , here you go

ron

Vanderwolfs are often sold and planted in northern Utah. It seems like at least a 3rd of the ones I've seen planted die suddenly after a year or so. I've got a regular limber pine that is doing fine. I'm not big on cultivars.

As for pinus strobus I just love those things. I planted one that was about 10" in 2008 and it's already 18'. It'll almost certainly reach 21' this year. It's grown a little over 3' each of the last 3 growing seasons. Beautiful tree.

Thanks for the photos. Someone on this site suggested a nursery to be a couple of years ago Richsfoxwillowpines.com. They have a variety of products and I'm definitely going to go with something that's unique for my area.

svtter , rich's is a must ! bring some bucks and an empty suv,,,,you will want to load it up,,,don't miss their 1 Gal. & other potted sizes

ron

svt, I've seen white pines temporarily expand buds when it was actually dead, so don't get your hopes up.

Ah crap but appreciate the honesty beng12. I'll give it another couple pf weeks.

I like white pine, but they are common enough there is no reason to put up with one in this kind of shape. This tree is unlikely to recover. Probably the fault is planting time rather then species. Or it could be road salt...they don't tolerate that at all.

If you are in zone 5 and are looking for a big unusual conifer, what about a fir? Concolor fir, balsam fir, Douglas fir...

Impressive trees seldom planted in suburbia. (At least my section of it)

Yup in zone 5 edlincoln. Those firs are fairly common in my neighborhood. This white pine is far enough from road salt.

I'd still wait a bit. And even if you replant a new one of the same species-I know we've already said all this-it is quite likely to do exactly the same thing. White pine-like all pine-are good in full sun, but they do also seem to appreciate some shelter when young. This is one such case, and replacing the tree will change nothing.

Right if this does make it I'll definitely plant something else. Actually making a quick trip to Rich's for some hertz wintergreens today. Very tempted to buy something to replace this pine but I'll be patient.

Sounds right on to me. It's your tree in your yard, and ultimately, what you do or don't do is up to you. I'm just attempting to describe things I've seen in the past, consisting of lots of open-grown white pine looking very wind-burned....and then coming through with flying colors later. Or should I say, flying color, that being green?

BTW, this always seems to happen in non-forest situations. It seems that same tree, in that same degree of wind exposure, but in a yard or along a field somewhere will burn up. But that same tree in a forest opening will be just fine. It's always planted ones, not natural recruitment it seems. Oh and BTW, I've got a bit of burning on a few of my white pines. I don't worry about it. I just plant them by the thousands.

Good advice and this is a true learning experience.

Quick update on this pine. Looks like it's very slowly bouncing back. I peeled at the bark with my nail amd its green. Buds look good.

svttr, I still think it's a goner because trees don't died like animals -- takes time. My cut down weeping willow has SPROUTS on the cut-up logs lying on the ground, for example.

By the heat of mid-summer you'll know. Still, water it alittle & cross fingers. I say alittle 'cause it's barely transpiring water & overwatering could drown the root-tips.

Thanks for the input beng12. I'll give it some time and will water when needed. Well the bright side is if it doesn't make it I'll head to Rich's foxwillow pines shop for a fall purchase.

Thought I'd post some updates on the pine. Hope I'm not annoying anyone but thought it would be beneficial to others to see transition pics should they go thru this in the future. Pine is lookin good!

"Pine is lookin good!"

Well, it looks alive, anyway.

tj

no.. i agree with junkie.. its not looking good .... lol ... the buds should be 6 to 8 inches long by now ...

i suspect ... when the continuous heat of summer hits.. its going to have a real hard time ...

it seems your having fun with all this.. boy is that the right attitude ... if nothing else.. you learned a whole bunch ...at the start of my learning curve.. i went thru a lot of this ...

please update us once more. in mid august ...

ken

Don't let it dry out, but don't overwater as the small amount of needles aren't transpiring much water. Good luck.

I'm certainly not going to argue with those saying the tree looks tough. It does. But it sure does showcase the drive to survive. And if only you can get it through one good growing season, it might be good to go from then on.

"Drive to Survive" that should be a song name or something ha. The true test will come. I'll report back in August.

At least it can catch some sunlight now and start building up strength. Pines are tough trees and I think it will survive. I did not think so after reading the starting post, but now I do.

When I lived in CT the state built a votech school on the highest most exposed location in the town I lived in. They planted dozens of b&b white pines of various sizes, some smaller, some bigger than yours in JANUARY. They looked great for the opening of the school, but by spring they looked exactly like yours looked. I passed by this building every day so I was able to watch the trees. About this time of year they looked like yours, and the following year they produced normal growth. Today about 40 years on they're a veritable forest. Not one died, and I give the state credit for not having them yanked. As far as your tree growth so far, I consider it to be less than it otherwise would have been if it hadn't lost it's foliage, but not by much.

Here's a quick update. Not much growth but it's alive. Winter will be the challenge.

Looks to me like it'll make it. Keep it moist and mulched -- looks like your Chicago-area is reasonably moist. I'm a bit surprised -- white pines that looked like yours earlier never made it in my experience. Kudos.

Thanks! I watered as needed in a somewhat dry summer we had.

Thanks for the update.

It gives a richer meaning to the phrase, "its all in the buds".

tj

It appears reincarnation is showing some signs of validity....at least in the Pine world. I thought it was a goner. Congratulations for hanging on when it looked as if all was lost. I woulda pitched it.

Mike

Quick update...the pinus strobus is a goner. Even with a fair winter it didn't make it.

:-(

Was just reading through this - should you be considering a 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' as a replacement, make sure to read about how wide they get. That is where the name 'Pyramid' comes from - they get almost as wide as they are tall. Hard to site in most suburban settings.

Yes Sara! You commented on Vanderwolf transplant thread yesterday. I will be moving it exactly to this spot. Plenty of space for it to thrive...45 feet clearance from the house. If it becomes a problem I'll prune as needed.

Too bad -- looked like it might make it.

I once transplanted a couple small white pines from very rocky soil -- so rocky I was carefully loosening & pulling up the spreading roots by hand from on top the rocks. There was no "depth" to the root mass. Spread the roots out on the new spot, covered w/soil & mulch and tied trees to supports, watered regularly, and they survived.

They get 45' wide, but it will take it quite a while!