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pines

Pest Alert: Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

April 17, 2020

If you’re spending more time outside as the weather warms, you might notice problems in your landscape. One homeowner called the Garden Helpline about white webbing on the ends of some of the branches of a tree purchased as a live Christmas tree. She planted the tree in a special place in her yard as a reminder of that happy occasion. Although she knew it was a pine, diagnosing the problem required determining what pine species it was. The number of needles in each needle bundle can identify pine species. She reported that there were 3 needles in each bundle, helping identify the tree as a Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), a very popular Christmas tree species.

Scotch PIne three needle bundle
Three needle bundle pine

Damage: The description of the webbing she saw helped determine that her tree was infested with the Nantucket pine tip moth, (Rhyacionia frustrana). Other signs include:

• Deformed growth (stem crooking) or a reduction in growth (bushy or stunted growth);
• Fecal deposits may be present in the webbing on the outside of infested shoots;
• Trees can be killed when exposed to repeated Nantucket pine tip moth larval infestations.

Damage caused by Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

Identification:

• In North Carolina, this pest overwinters as pupae in hollowed out pine shoots;
• On warm days as early as January and February, new moths emerge to mate;
• Adult moths are 1/4 inches (6.3 mm) long with the head and body covered with gray scales. The forewings are covered with brick-red to copper-colored patches that are separated by irregular bands of gray and white scales;
• Adult females lay white to opaque eggs on shoots, needles, or terminal growth in spring;

Adult Nantucket Pine Tip Moth

• From 5 to 30 days later, young larvae (caterpillars) hatch from eggs and feed on the surface of new growth. These are 1/16 inches (1.6 mm) long, and cream-colored with a black head. They then move to the shoot tips, construct protective webs at the base of buds, and begin to bore into the bud or stem.
• Feeding continues inside the bud or stem until the caterpillars are fully grown in 3 to 4 weeks. The caterpillars then pupate inside the damaged stem.

Management:

• Proper watering, fertilization, and mulching practices to keep pine trees healthy;
• For minor infestations, you can hand prune infested shoots if branches are reachable.

Susceptible pine species:

• Other three needle bundle pines, which include pitch pine (P. rigida) and loblolly pine (P. taeda).
• Two needle bundle pines are highly susceptible to infestation. These include Japanese red pine (P. densifolia), mountain pine (P. mugo) and Japanese black ine (P. thunbergii).

Resistant pine species:

  • Eastern white pine (P. strobus) and Virginia pine (P. virginiana), which have five needle bundles.

                                        Article by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

For more Information:
Nantucket Pine Tip Moth: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/nantucket-pine-tip-mo

How to Identify Pines: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2019/02/arent-they-all-just-pines-how-to-id-conifer-trees/

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Categories Insect Pests Tags insects, Nantucket Pine Tip Moth, pines

Time to Maintain: Pruning Conifers—Know Species Before Using Your Pruners

July 3, 2018

Conifers are plants that “set” seed-containing cones to reproduce, in contrast to plants that flower to form seed containers. If you equate “conifers” with “evergreens,” think again! Although many conifers are evergreen, the aptly named bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one example of a deciduous conifer that loses its needles in winter. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is one of many evergreens that are not conifers. This is one reason correct identification of your plants is so important when you seek advice about your landscape!

American arborvitae cone_Maggie_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
American arborvitae cone

Common conifers
Evergreen conifers commonly grown in our landscapes include Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana), Norway spruce (Picea abies), white pine (Pinus strobus), Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), blue rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), hinoki falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), English yew (Taxus baccata), and Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). 

Amazing conifers
Conifers contain examples of the world’s oldest trees, such as the bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva). These grow in the desert mountains of California and Nevada and are estimated to be over 5,000 years old. Many of the world’s biggest trees are also conifers. These include the giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California that can reach heights of 95 meters (312 feet), and the coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) growing along the California coast that can reach heights of 110 meters (361 feet). 

Bald Cypress in Autumn_Lake Crabtree Park_Cary NC_by bobistraveling_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Bald cypress in autumn, a deciduous conifer

Pruning
Before you make any decisions about pruning, consider the natural growth habit and landscape value of the plant. Most conifers require only minimal pruning and will perform well in your landscape without your intervention. That said, do not hesitate to get out your pruning tools when you see dead or diseased branches. Leaving these on a tree or shrub provides a route for disease pathogens and insects to enter and they should be promptly removed. Many gardeners choose conifers for formal or informal hedges. When you shear any conifer hedge, remember to leave the bottom of the plants a bit wider than the tops to get light to the lower limbs, keeping them lush and green.

Most conifers are “self-limbing.” They naturally lose their lower branches as they mature. Have you walked through a mature, healthy pine forest? You’ll see hardly any limbs within 3 meters (about 10 feet) of the ground. This is not the pruning work of some forest gnome! The trees shed their lower limbs on their own as they grow taller. This is an example of knowing the natural growth habit of your landscape plants when making pruning decisions. 

Different conifer species bud differently and therefore require different approaches to pruning.

  • Pines have buds only at the tip of the current season’s growth, not on the stems. So, prune pines in the spring when you can cut or pinch the soft new growth—called “candles”—before the needles are fully elongated. Buds will develop from needle sheaths below the cut.
  • Firs, cedars, and spruce also bud along the current season’s growth, but on the stems. Prune these species back to the bud before the current year’s growth hardens.
  • Yews and hemlocks bud on both old and new wood. Their buds develop into twigs when you cut the wood above. Pruning in the spring, just before the new growth begins, allows new growth to cover the pruning cuts.
  • Juniper and arborvitae have buds present only where there are green leaves. Note that prolonged use of electric hedge shears on juniper and arborvitae hedges will result in a very small veneer of needles just on the outer surface of the plants. If part of a continually sheared plant dies or is cut back too far, there are no inner leaf buds to develop, and you will be left with a “hole” in your hedge.
    White pine bud or candle in spring_Lal Beral_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
    White pine bud or candle
    Blue spruce bud tip_Lal Beral_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
    Blue spruce bud tip
    Yew budding and growing_Karen Maraj_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
    Yew buds

Remember, the Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener HelpLine and Information Tables are important sources of information about identifying and maintaining garden plants, including conifers.

Article written by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer. 

More information
Selecting Landscape Plants: Conifers
by Virginia Cooperative Extension

The ConiferBase
by American Conifer Society
Online database provides information and photographs about conifers, including pruning, care, and varieties.

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Categories Seasonal Chores Tags arborvitae, cedar, conifers, false cypress, fir, hemlocks, juniper, pines, pruning, spruce, yew

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