Care of Conifers

BY BONNIE BLODGETT

Now that everybody knows that a conifer is a tree or shrub with needles and possibly pine cones, I must point out that evergreens lose their foliage. Just not as noticeably or as frequently as woody trees and shrubs. Similar to the way our bodies replace cells, evergreens replace their needles without dramatically altering their appearance. Eastern white pines are on a two-year cycle, while Scots pines turn over every three years and mugo pines every four.

If a conifer turns brown, it is sick (I recently had to remove a dwarf white pine covered with scale) or has suffered sunscald or wind burn. You can usually prevent the latter with proper watering and treatment with an anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt-Pruf and/or a burlap fence. I highly recommend both measures if you want a decent-looking Alberta spruce.

Prune arborvitaes with hedge shears, but never so hard as to remove all the foliage on a branch because it won’t grow back. On the other hand, shear yews to keep them shipshape (branches pruned hard will grow new foliage). Curb the growth of pines by pinching off the candles at the tips of branches. You can saw off the branches of any conifer at the trunk; they will survive the procedure, but the results won’t be particularly pleasing.

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