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Caring for established Ponderosa #873184

Asked June 14, 2024, 11:38 PM EDT

Should I water an established, large Ponderosa that looks dry, and may have been impacted by very recent surrounding home construction? I have two trees right next to eachother in my backyard and at some point they were trimmed up to several feet, and they look dry or ill. The lower part looks like it is dying. A local commercial arborist who came out to assess them recommended giving them extra water and reassessing them in 2-3 years to see what the development/building the home impact might have been. Do you concur that they should be given extra water, and if so, how often and how much to give a very large Pondo? Or do you recommend other courses of action, if any? Thank you.

Deschutes County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi Deb,  Thanks for the inquiry.  I would need to see more images of the tree from a distance, the base of the tree and a closeup of the lowest branch to furhter assist.  It is normal for Ponderosa pines as they mature to lose their lower limbs but I cannot tell from the angle of this photo how much of the bottom is gone. The growth does appear thinner than it should be.  Both yearly growth and needle length etc.  It will not hurt to add extra water to the plant.  You can deep water around the root system once every couple of weeks. Are you watering by hand or with an irrigation system?  

Thanks,   Amy Jo  

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