Q: I have two Aleppo pine trees in my front yard. The massive amount of brown needles occurred rapidly and I am not sure why. Do you have any ideas what may have gone wrong?
A:Β Your trees are suffering from long-term drought. Ideally, they would receive irrigation every two weeks during the summer to a depth of 36 inches, every three weeks in the spring and fall, and once a month in the winter. Because this tree species originates in the Mediterranean region where rainfall is primarily a winter event, the monthly soaks in the cold part of the year are important.
While it appears the browning of the needles happened suddenly, these trees have been slowly reacting to less than average rainfall for many years by gradually dropping needles and branches. According to climatologists, we are in a long-term drought and trees such as yours that did fine for many years on annual precipitation are now reaching a point where they can no longer survive on rainfall alone.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to
