I planted this Bosinan Irish Bell a year ago and it is placed in a spot that recieves lots of indirect sun except for the late afternoon when the west sun hits it for about 2 hours. The dead part is the side that this sun hits. The plant is irrigated by under mulch soaker. This plant is supposed to like sun. Or could it be because it died in the winter caused by cold stress.
Steve, I'm guessing it's a dwarf cultivar of Pinus heldrichi or P. leucodermis? Maybe you have a humidity problem caused by it being so low to the ground with constant moisture being relased into the mulch. Many of the drought-adapted pines get various needle-fungus infections here in our humid climate, and that could be what you're dealng with. The pattern does not seem definitive enough to be sunscald, dog pee, or something external like that.
Maybe one of the conifer specialists can tell you more.
Guy S.
Should I open the bottom of the pine so I get more air to circulate? And obviously cut back on irrigation. The rest of the tree is perfectly healthy it is only the west side that died this winter. I am fenced in and no dogs (but mine) to mark the tree and they don't mark in our yard only the neighbors. They have been trained to stay out of the raised beds and do so very well. I have to admit that the soil under the tree is rich in compost and pines like poor soil. But all my other ones are thriving. Even the Bristlecone pine next to it is thriving.
Yeah, bristlecone is very sensitive to humidity. I can't keep one alive here. Someone else might have other ideas too -- I just threw that out as one possibility. If it was new last fall and not well established, maybe it's just sunscald. Check for scale too, just in case.
Guy S.
Certainly looks like Pinus heldreichii. Sorry, no idea why it should be expiring like that, but it might be better off planted in full sun.
Resin
