absolutely not ...

and if you give me a nickle.. i will tell you what i really think ...

how long has it been there???

isnt it a mini .... if its been there for a decade ... why would soil be a problem now ... and if it has not been there.. you kinda forgot to tell us that in the facts ...

winter burn .. or check out the link .. sun scorch or heatwave scorch ...

is it this years new needles... which would have no winter impact.. since they werent there.. or last years.. or interior ...

ONLY a picture will change my mind...

and get a soil test.. i know.. i know... or at lest call your county extension office ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

My soil pH is in the low 7s and I grow Tsuga. This year my guess is it could have been the shock from near 100F we had earlier. Too hot, too fast after a long cool spring.

tj

What TJ said. BTW, soil in this state is highly variable from one section of the state to another, ranging from circumneutral where you (And I) live, to very acidic sands in some areas, and everything inbetween.

Also FWIW, the #1 tell-tale sign of a too-alkaline soil is a symptom known as 'chlorosis', a yellowish tone to foliage that should be green. Browning tips are something else entirely and most likely from those two freakish hot days a while back.

+oM

thank you all. yes, the browning is on the tips/new growth.

glad to know that i don't have to amend/topdress regularly.

and, yes, i will get that darn soil tested. been meaning to do so for a while.

thanks again--kathy