pine needleminer attack on collected Pitch Pine

tanlu

Shohin
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Hi,

So I discovered after I brought my collected Pitch Pine out of dormancy into an area with full sun that some of the needles that appeared to be scorched, were actually suffering from an invasion of pine needleminers!

pineneedleminerdamage.jpgpineneedlemineradult.jpg

According to an article I read about the little bastards and all I can do is remove the infected branches. However, since the tree was collected last summer I'm feeling very hesitant to do that.

Has anyone had this problem on collected pines? If so, how do you remedy it?

T
 

edprocoat

Masterpiece
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Not much for pines myself. But, I had an odd thought, each year here in Florida they do control burns to to kill the overgrowth of dense underbrush in the stae forest lands. I have been by these and watched them, I seen them catch the smaller trees on fire and burn all the foliage off them. They come back after the next rain and in a few weeks are all green again. Years ago they were doing this in the Hillsborough River state park near Thonotosassa Fl. and I asked one of the state forestry marshalls about the damage to the trees. He said its actually good for them killing pests and stuff so I looked it up at the library and learned that plants when burned draw sugars into their root systems when exposed to the heat of fire which gives them the immediate spurt of new growth when they cool off and get moisture.

If I were going to cut off a whole branch to remove a pest I think I would give a try at burning the foliage on the affected branches with a lighter, it would kill the pests at least and see if it would work like in nature and give it an immediate spurt of new growth after a few days of rest. It seems like nothing lost if you have to cut the branch anyway, and it may just come back with the pests killed.

ed
 
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daygan

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... learned that plants when burned draw sugars into their root systems ... give a try at burning the foliage on the affected branches

Sounds like a creative idea... I'd be interested in seeing the results if anyone ever tries this.
 

tanlu

Shohin
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Thanks for all your input. Burning the foliage is an interesting idea since Pitch Pine tend to thrive in areas that experience fire more often. They have a unique ability to regenerate after all of their foliage has been burnt to a crisp. However, since my tree was just collected last August, I'm reluctant to try. What I've been doing is just cutting the infested needles. This tree needs all it's healthy needles (energy collectors) in tact to help it survive it's first full growing season. The warm weather is encouraging them to move, so they're not difficult to spot. At the time when I posted this the needles weren't as green and stiff as they are now. It seems that keeping it in full sun for at least 8 hours a day is doing the trick.

T
 

QuintinBonsai

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I had an infestation of scale bugs on my 3 pines. Ortho Elementals Insecticidal Soap took care of those little farts with a one time spray. Of course this was about 3 weeks ago, but I haven't seen them since. This stuff takes care of almost any kind of pest you may be encountering. And best of all, it's organic.
 
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