Identification
- On Austrian, ponderosa and other pines.
- Shoot tips die in the spring.
- Whole branches and entire tree may die if the tree is stressed by injuries to stem or roots, dry soil or other poor soil conditions.
- May look similar to pine wilt, but branches will usually have dead shoot tips with short needles.
- More common in trees older than 25 years.
- Small black fruiting bodies appear on cones and at the base of short needles that have been dead one year or more.
Control
- Spray branch tips thoroughly when new growth starts (around third week of April), just before needles emerge from sheaths, and 7-14 days later according to the label with thiophanate-methyl (3336, Fungo), propiconazole (Banner MAXX), copper salts of fatty and rosin acids (Camelot) or Bordeaux mixture.*
- Improve tree health by mulching with wood or bark chips and watering about 1 inch per week. Avoid overwatering.
- Bottom of the tree is affected more than the top.
