Blue Spruce dying

[jerseywild]

Need some help, what do you think? Its a Blue Spruce about 7 feet tall. It had alot of dead branchs all over the tree not localized in any one area. We remove the dead branches before the photos. It may be hard to see but the new growth is not on all the branches. Caution to dial up users the photos have not been resized. Thanks

 

[jerseywild]

another

 

[jerseywild]

third one

 

[jerseywild]

#4

 

[jerseywild]

#5

 

[jerseywild]

#6

 

[jerseywild]

#7

 

[jerseywild]

#8

 

[jerseywild]

some of the tree #9

 

[jerseywild]

more tree #10

 

[Eric_E]

My guess is that it was dug spring '05 with a small rootball and then planted too deep. Good rainfall this spring?

 

[jerseywild]

I thought they said that its been in for two years. I checked the depth that it was planted and that looks good. I was thinking that it wasn't getting enough water but I wasn't sure what the white stuff on the branches was.

 

[Toparboring]

The white stuff on the branches looks like tree sap. I have run into problems like this on the campus with pines and spruces.
1 needle cast deciese from birds feet, bacteria that is on the birds feet that seeps into the wood and slowly kills off the tree. Tell from needles falling off the certian branches.
2 girddling fron past staking, I have seen on the trunks of spruces and pines where girddling have killed off everting up from that point.
Just 2 things that could be the culporate in this one and maybe I am way off and wrong, just passing on some info that I have run into. Be interesting to find out what you come up with. I will watch the post to find out and pass on anything else I can that will helpout.

 

[Colin]

Now I'm honest Eric, I have no idea about "spruces", we simply dont have them here.

Are you sure it's not just the annual dropping of older foliage? Like don't they drop 3yo foliage in cycles annually?

Otherwise it looks OK to me, any fungus attacks on them?

Up here we had some bizaar fungus attack some ornamental conifers about 6 years ago, they were treated with a copper fungicide and did OK providing it wasn't to advanced.

Other than that just keep the water and Charlie Carp up.

 

[Eric_E]

The overall look with a few dead spots looks consistant with TPS. Many times there will be random dead branches from when the tree was tied up. The branches frequently get damaged and die later on. If the root flare is visible that is good. Make sure it gets watered properly and it should be alright as long as the rootball wasn't too small.

Any idea where the tree came from?

 

[Eric_E]

Eric,

You are correct on the annual needle drop.

Having planted lots of Norway Spruce, I see a number of common TPS symptoms. Admittedly they are small, barely noticealbe things.

That Charlie Carp sounds fishy,/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif,

does that belong with the double gate biner and the groundhog?

 

[Toparboring]

I saw the almost the same deal yesterday and one tree came out with pine pitch canker, waiting on the other 2 I sent off to the lab.

 

[jerseywild]

I found out the tree was planted in 05. Looks like they had it planted and never did much else to the tree. We are having alot of rain now so hopefully things will improve.

 

[Eric_E]

Thanks for the follow-up.

[ QUOTE ]
I found out the tree was planted in 05.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I thought.