Mugo Pine Shedding needles

[Nishant]

Hello Friends,

I live in London and bought a Mugo pine Bonsai two months back from a private seller. I notice that the plant has shed lots of needles and is still shedding. I had to cut quite a few branches which just died. There needles do not turn brown but first get covered with green coloured dust and then the needle falls off. When I rub off the powder, I only find a lifeless needle. Is this how pine needles shed? If not, what is causing this behaviour. I am rally concerned.

I keep the plant inside my greenhouse and bring it out in the morning to give it a dose of four hours of morning sun. Is there something I should do pro-actively to keep the plant healthy.

Please advise.

Thanks
Nishant

 

[Vance Wood]

I do not know what the green dust you encountered on your needles is. You cannot keep a plant healthy once it is not, that is just the nature of the animal. Your tree is in crisis and I am surprised your seller did not tell you how to care for the tree. Pines should not be kept indoors even in a green house, they must have an outdoor exposure 24/7- 365 days a year. Only exceptions are times of display. How often do you water the tree. It sounds to me like it is too dry. The tree is in crisis and you need to do a lot of things properly or you will lose it if you have not already.

 

[gallina1594]

-post pics

-get that bad boy outside NOW

 

[Nishant]

Many Thanks really for your replies.

I will post pics tomorrow morning as it is night now here. I will start keeping the plant outside 24x7.

The tree is in a porcelain pot. Do I need to bubble wrap the pot in winter? Any care instruction when it will snow or frost here.

 

[Adair M]

The pot should be frost resistant. Snow is actually a good insulator. So, when it gets deep enough, just bury it in snow. Mugo is an alpine species. It can take the cold. It wants full sun, all day.

 

[sorce]

Porcelain is freeze proof...
But does if have holes for drainage?

Sorce

 

[Vance Wood]

I would like to see a picture/pictures of this tree.

 

[Paradox]

I would also like to see a picture.

What you describe is not normal for mugo or any pine.

Ive never seen or heard of green dust on the needles and indicates possibly a fungus of some sort. Branches just dying is not a good sign at all.

 

[Giga]

Pictures before I pass judgment

 

[Vance Wood]

Pictures before I pass judgment

Yes of course beans before wind----- Just joking I could not resist.

 

[Vance Wood]

I would also like to see a picture.

What you describe is not normal for mugo or any pine.

Ive never seen or heard of green dust on the needles and indicates possibly a fungus of some sort. Branches just dying is not a good sign at all.

I am thinking that this tree has never been watered.

 

[clive bennett]

Sounds like green algae growing on the needles, are you getting some on the branches , especially in crevases?
Your tree needs the wind in its hair it is in too damp an atmosphere, keep it outside in the sunniest spot you can water to only keep the soil damp. Check the soil is it very gritty or clay? If clay the roots will rot as they will be too wet

 

[Giga]

Yes of course beans before wind----- Just joking I could not resist.

My wife says I don't need beans for that!

 

[Nishant]

 

[Nishant]

I have attached picture the dust infected areas and of the plant in full as well. Some of the areas were more heavily dusted. Today I have brought the plant out as suggested. However this issue came when it was outside previously. I started keeping it inside as a fix to this problem.

Today I removed the dust from the needles by wetting the leaves using spray and then removing the dust with a brush. Thankfully most of the leaves were firmly attached and I could brush off the dust ( Dust is really sticking to the leaves and so it was quite a delicate job to remove without pulling ). Have done this on one-third of the plant. Will do the same on remaining tomorrow.

I think this is a fungus of some sort and when it remains on the needles for a long time, the leaf becomes week and falls off. If that is the case, what kind of protection I should do. Any suggested fungicide.

The green stuff was on branches as well, so could it be the algae, as suggested earlier? This green daemon has claimed quite a few branches already.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[clive bennett]

I still think it is algea growing on older needles. Buy the way you should be expecting older needles to turn yellow and drop of this time of year, possibly some of the dead branches were pruned back too far leaving too few and only juvenile needles on the branch a sure way to kill the branch. Give the tree sun, wind and just damp soil, if water doesnt drain through when watered push sone thin (1/4 inch sticks through the soil and out the bottom in several places that will help drainage, than repot in early spring, good luck
Any garden centre fungicide will do but I bet you washing it off and sun and wind will make it disappear on its own

 

[Paradox]

Looks like you have a minor infestation of scale ( larger yellow patches).

I see the yellowish/green "dust", does not look like algae to me. I don't think it's more scale either. I still think fungus or something like that, but not sure and hard to tell.

It could also be some of the scale crawler stage or just soot, fungus, mold from the dying needles.

Still investigating.

 

[Vance Wood]

I though I had seen everything that affects a Mugo and this one is beyond me. I would suggest taking it to a nursery or even better the agricultural wing of some local university and see if you can get it identified. The Department of Natural Resources should be very interested in this. However keeping it outdoors is a better idea. If the tree were mine I would get it out of the porcelain pot, it's possible that the roots are not getting enough air. Is there a hole in the bottom of the pot? What state do you live in? This is important. I would slip pot the tree into a more porous container. This is a nice tree, try not to lose it. It could also be some sort of infestation of mites. Look at the dust through a magnifying glass and see if it moves. It looks like it is really root bound.

 

[Nishant]

Thanks all for your replies.

The soil drainage is good because excess water drains out quite easily. I want to change the pot as well for some reason. I will see if I can contact Agricultural Wing of Universities around here. Its a good idea, just in case they are happy to identify this. My investigation on this led me to this link.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=411

My garden is small and so the sun does not last full day at any one spot. So may be the rain water stayed caught up in the leaves and it encouraged this dust ( be it Algae, Fungus or anything ).

 

[Paradox]

@Vance Wood

He is in London England