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Pinus paviflora "Goldilocks" - brown needles after winter

ki_buxtki_buxt Posts: 63
in Problem solving
Winter was tough here. We had over a month of temperatures under minus 20 C and virtually no snow cover. The needles on our pinus paviflora are completely brown but I have scraped the bark several places and it is green and alive. Anyone know what I should do now - feed it? Just water it and leave it to recover? The needles are not loose and do not fall off when I brush over them with my hand. 

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited May 2021
    They need lots of water, and that looks totally dehydrated. Keeping them in pots won't do them any favours unless you're really vigilant with watering especially. It looks like it's in an exposed spot too, so wind will dry them out quickly. Unfortunately, by the time problems develop with shrubs and trees in containers, it's often too late to do much.
    Severe cold isn't a problem for them, but only if they're in the ground and have sufficient moisture and suitable well draining soil. 
    Certainly don't feed it. You'll need to soak it thoroughly, and make sure it has a better growing medium that doesn't dry out, and then keep it watered. A spot sheltered  from winds will help too. I think that's unlikely to come back though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ki_buxtki_buxt Posts: 63
    Thank you! Great advice. Have watered and moved it and will see what happens next... 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I don't know how long you've had it, but the container is also quite small, and you may find there's a lot of root in there and not much soil, which makes it hard for a shrub that size to sustain all it's foliage.
    You need to use a soil based medium too - not compost alone. That isn't enough to sustain any plant long term in a container. It needs topped up each year as well.
    I'm assuming the container is also lined? If not, the wood will soak up a lot of the moisture too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ki_buxtki_buxt Posts: 63
    The container is lined. We have had the tree for four years now and it has always looked great in summer. But I suspect you are right with regard to the wind and container size. We previously had a forest in front of the house but change happens and the forest had to give way to 18 building plots last spring. We noticed that the wind pattern changed and we get an afternoon strongish wind from the fjord now. That means it has been exposed to wind for the last year. 
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