Mugo Pine - brown needles

[Matt S]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine is having troubles with a Mugo pine that’s been planted in the ground for over 20 years, so I’m guessing that it’s a disease rather than root problems but I can’t comment on the watering regime. Any ideas?

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Matt

[shibui]

Not sure whether mugho is affected but other pines can be affected by dothostroma AKA needle cast which is a fungal infection of the needles. Initially shows up as brown bands across the needles then needles gradually turn brown and fall off.
Another possibility is the hotter than usual summer. Mugho is from the alps where they don't normally experience really hot, dry summers. Water shortage can also sometimes cause needles to turn brown as the tree tries to manage scarce water. Maybe not enough water through a hotter than usual summer?
Root problems can still turn up in established plants. Sometimes we introduce a fungal root diseases when planting new plants in the garden or even next door or down the street and suddenly established plants nearby start to die off as the new fungus spreads from host to host. Don't know what root problems can affect mugho.

[Ryceman3]

The banding in those photos does suggest needle cast - Ploioderma lethale ... I think it is apparent in Mugo but I don’t have any of them (or needle cast) so it’s just a stab in the dark that hopefully sends you down a path that leads to a solution, good luck!

[Matt S]

Thanks for your replies Neil and Ryceman, much appreciated.

I’ll suggest some Kocide blue for the needles and seasol for the roots, and check the soil for dryness or poor drainage.

Cheers,
Matt.