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Landscape Design Topiary Japanese Gardens

Japanese black pine thunderhead not doing so well

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I noticed our thunderhead pine is looking less green. i planted it about 3 weeks ago. Seems like it is drying up and the ends are turning brown. I just noticed this 3 days ago. Could this be just stress? i hope it will recover and not continue to deteriorate.

it gets full sun for more than 8 hours.

This is the day I planted it. Much fuller and darker green in color.

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Comments (8)

Christopher CNC
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It looks dried up and desiccated. Not good. I see drip tubing. Is that how you have been watering it? I also see it looks to be planted in a hole in the landscape fabric. Did you close the fabric around the root ball after planting and hide a drip emitter on top of that?

Please tell me that fabric is NOT your left over rubber liner from the pond.
subersibo1973
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
yup, i use drip emitters but there is no fabric close to the root ball, I cut those away. Nope, not rubber pond liner lol.

i use drip emitters for all my plants in the front and backyard and have good results so far except for this particular plant but I have done supplemental watering by hose when I noticed it dry up. Hope it isn’t too late.
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what color are the buds on the variegated branch? i can NOT see the graft from your great pix .... resin indicates a hybrid ... which is what MIGHT be used as understock ... if there was a graft ... the graft would HAVE to be a thunber .... but the root stock would NOT necessarily have to be a thunber ... which MIGHT be indicated by the bud color being off ... again .. i can not look at these pix and tell you ... that is resin's job.. lol ... i doubt that a seedling would have variegation ... i wonder what the odds of that are ... if it were common .. then there would be a lot more of them on the market ... and a lot more because the producers would not have to invest in the grafting and growing on of the graft ... again .. are the buds on the variegated branch different than the rest of the plant???? the best example of the white buds of a thunber is P. t. 'Thunderhead' .... i am sure you can find a picture of that one on the web ... the buds are so white... and so elongated .. that they look like thunderclouds extending up into the atmosphere .... try google.com and hit the images link .. or try the ACS database .... or dax will come along.. lol ... i checked the ACS and google.. link below.. not very good pix ... take some time to check some of your other plants.. and you will see/learn what a graft looks like ... especially on the younger, smaller plants ... sometimes the graft dies.. and the understock continues to grow ... and you end up with a mis-named plant .... producers are pretty good about it.. the local seller might not realize what happened ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: google images
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Would be interested to know if the pine survived. If it did, I'd plan on moving it as soon as is feasible. It will get way bigger than that siting will accommodate!! The attached photo shows one that is not yet even fully mature.
Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
A specimen that was just like stock of this cultivar being offered by local retailers at the time appeared in a Seattle traffic island some years ago, went on to produce a plant more like the typical species in shape and size than was probably expected. And subsequently disappeared, as though cut down for being more than was wanted.

A thing that happens is commercially produced, otherwise quite dwarf and slow growing garden conifers being invigorated by grafting onto non dwarf seedling (as in raised from seed) rootstocks.
Christopher CNC
3 years ago
I'd sure love to see a Japanese Thunderhead Pine like that gardengal. I've never stopped for a close look at the one large specimen in town that I know of. Perhaps I should.

I'd be interested to know how it's doing too. subersibo1973 is in the desert SW if I recall. The only other option I could think of than water, was sun scald going from a comfy nursery to the desert sun.
subersibo1973
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi guys! Sadly, the thunderhead as well as 3 other plants (2 green mound junipers and a mugo pine) didn’t make it. I am pretty sure it’s a water issue. I’ll try planting again in the fall.

I have increased the water time on the one surviving plant (and also the most expensive!) - the scotch pine topiary.

i live in Elk Grove, Ca. It’s pretty hot here.
Christopher CNC
3 years ago
Bummer. We have all killed plenty plants. Keep trying.
Embothrium
3 years ago
Juniperus procumbens tends to be disease susceptible, a body can have this die out even when there isn't a watering issue.

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