Blue spruce with brown tips

ScooterMagee

Hello all this is my first post.

I have a 4ft blue spruce, where over the last 3-weeks the outer 1in of needles have turned brown/yellow and are starting to fall off.

I'm in Blair, Nebraska and we had a very dry March. This is only (1) tree in a row of (12). I know it was fine 3-weeks ago, because this is when I gave each of them a shot of fertilizier. 2gals of Miracle-Gro Miracid, mixed per instuctions is what I used. We have had 2.5in of rain in the last week. I also noticed that a mole or pocket-gopher had disturbed the soil around the trunk. This tree is about 4-years old.

Any suggestions on what to do?

Attached Images

BlueSpruce.JPG (261.0 KB, 25 views)

Ekka

Found a PDF you can read.

Can be a bunch of things.

Look for mites ... To check for mites, hold a white sheet of paper below a branch and tap the foliage against the paper. Then rub your hand across the paper. If mites are active, you will see red streaks from the crushed bodies on the paper.

The fact that it's happening all over not just the top I doubt it's drought etc.

Could be borers, weavils, fungal. You'll need to perhaps cut a few off and have a careful look. Even use a big magnifying glass.

Then once you know what the culprit is then look for a treatment.

Be either bugs or fungal, both hard to treat.

Attached Images

SPHAEROPSIS BLIGHT OR DIPLODIA TIPBLIGHT OF PINES.PDF (197.6 KB, 3 views)

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TreeSpecialist

Mites can always be a problem and Eric is right to look for them. I usually see browning from the interior towards the exterior when spider mites are present.

I think you problem more likely is due to the "dry March" you described. Dry soils with freezing temperatures can burn even the most cold hardy plants.

Dry soils combined with salty, man made fertilizers will burn plants every time.

Never fertilize a dry plant. Get away from any kind of product that promises a miracle.

Don't acidify your soil without first doing a soil test to see if its necessary. Check with you ag. extension agent to see if altering the pH is necessary or even feasible in your area.

ScooterMagee

Thanks for the information and your thoughts. Assuming it was the combination of dry conditions + miracle-gro, what would be your prognosis? Will it continue to die-back, or will the buds produce new growth? The buds still look good. Just looking for a best-guess opinion.

Thanks again!

TreeDimensional

Hey Scooter, you may want to try leaching some on the excess fertilizer out of the soil. Nitrogen move freely in the soil, so if they were my tree, and I was certain that it is fertilizer burn, I would give them a REAL good drink of water.

There is a possibility that it is wind burn, a good way to tell if if is windburn is it will exhibit more tip dieback on the predominant wind side of the tree. There is also a possibility that it is sunscald OR sunburn, which is normally only seen on the south-west portion of the tree.

As far as remedial action at this point, don't cut anything off. If the boroughs die back and don't initiate new growth, then the should be pruned. You will be able to determine if the tip is dead when you try to bend it gently and it breaks (snaps). This is what happens when the water conductive tissues shut down.

OK I skirted the issue enough, in my opinion, you have burned the tree with the fertilizer. See paragraph 1.

TreeSpecialist

TreeDimension's right on it again...... I thought about mentioning it but had to go back to work.

Dilute the fertilizer (if that's the cause for the burn) by flooding the tree. Dilution works well for all kinds of chemical mishaps. Even when an herbicide is causing damage. Water's cheap and the easiest approach - you can flood an herbicide damaged tree and significantly dilute the problematic chemical - be it fertilizer, herbicide, etc. - assuming you're trying to dilute a water soluble product.

With wind burn, it's also usually related to dry conditions - wind burn is dessication - an extreme drying,

For petroleum based problems such as a diesel fuel spill, you go a different route.

Ekka

Here's the PDF on the stuff

http://scottsti.com/en/08_resources/...lantFood06.pdf

It says guaranteed not to burn and money back if you are not satisfied.

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osb_mail

That the sad thing about most spruces and firs once they get in bad shape or noticeable bad they are pretty much dead I bet this one is going to die .Dont take word my for it let like nature take it course .I have seen type thing happen a lot .People dont think much about the soils evergreens need to grow usually moist well drained soil .

JayD

Hi Folks,
Are we sure of the species here? Blue spruce i've see really has a noticable blue haze

Picea pungens Engelm.
Description:

Colorado blue spruce, or blue spruce, is an attractive tree often used for Christmas trees or as ornamentals, particularly in the eastern United States and Europe. It is the official state tree of both Colorado and Utah. The species generally reaches a height of 65-115 feet at maturity with a diameter of 2-3 feet. It has a narrow, pyramidal shape and cone-shaped crown. As trees become older, they often take on a more irregular appearance. While blue spruce grows relatively slowly, it is long-lived and may reach ages of 600-800 years.

Leaves (needles) are 1-1 1/2 inches long on lower branches but somewhat shorter on upper branches. They are 4-sided and have a very sharp point on the end. It is this point which gives the species its name "pungens", from the Latin word for sharp as in puncture wound. Needles are generally dull bluish-gray to silvery blue and emit a resinous odor when crushed. Some trees have a more distinct bluish-white or silvery-white foliage. The cultivated variety 'glauca' is noted for this type of coloration. Nursery managers also select for "shiners" which demonstrate this very desirable characteristic. Needles occur on small peg-like structures on the twig called sterigmata. The sterigmata persist on the twigs after needles have fallen, which is usually after the third or fourth year.

Both male and female flowers (strobili) occur in the same tree, although in different locations. Pollination occurs in late spring and cones mature in one season. In the fall, cones are 2-4 inches long and turn chestnut brown with stiff, flattened scales. Cones generally persist on the tree for one to two years after seed fall.

The bark is thin becoming moderately thick with age. It is somewhat pale gray in small flattened scales when young, then turns reddish brown and furrowed with age.

Blue spruce is moderately shade tolerant and grows best in deep, rich, gravely soils, often along stream banks and other sites with high moisture levels. It usually does not occur in large stands but is found in small groves or in association with Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce or ponderosa pine. A deep penetrating root system makes the species resistant to being blown over.

Major pests include the western spruce dwarf mistletoe, spruce bark beetle, and spruce budworm. Trees infected with mistletoe typically develop abnormal masses of branches called "witches brooms". With severe infestations, trees may be killed.

Blue spruce is finding increasing popularity as a Christmas tree as a result of its symmetrical form and attractive blue foliage. The species has an excellent natural shape and requires little shearing. Additionally, needle retention is among the best for the spruces. Its popularity as an ornamental leads many consumers to use blue spruce as a living Christmas tree, to be planted after the holiday season.
Range:

Blue spruce occurs naturally from western Wyoming and eastern Idaho southward through central Colorado and Central Utah. The southern limits are New Mexico and Arizona. It occurs at elevations of 6,000 to 11,000 feet; generally at higher elevations in the more southern areas.
Propagation:


Most propagation is by seed but blue spruce can be grafted or grown from rooted cuttings. Vegetative propagation is more often used to perpetuate the rarer, more desirable forms of the species. Picea abies or Picea pungens are preferred rootstock for grafting.

Over 70 cultivated varieties have been named.
Uses:

The wood is light to pale brown in color and is lightweight, soft, and brittle. The lack of natural pruning leads to boards often being full of knots. Blue spruce grows in relatively inaccessible locations leading to its not being commercially important as a timber species. The wood is suitable, however, for posts, poles, and fuel.

Blue spruce has limited value to wildlife but does provide cover and seeds for squirrels, rodents and some birds.

In the western United States, the species has found some use in shelterbelts.

Prepared by Dr. Craig R. McKinley, North Carolina State University

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