Chlorosis in white spruce?

[AspenArbo]

Has anyone out there ever come across iron chlorosis on white (Picea glauca) or black hills spruce (Picea glauca densata)? I live on the prairie and the pH on this clients property is 8.2 in adjacent wheat and sugar beet fields. I'm going to do a soil test to confirm, but in any way it's really high.
The other reason that I am leaning this way is that there are some green ash near by that are also showing some signs of chlorosis. And that is also rare.

I don't have any pictures, but the interior of the tree (everything but this years candles) is a sick looking yellow. There are no other indications on these trees of insect or fugal problems that typically attack spruce in this area.

I have never seen this and what some conformation that I'm not missing something.

Thanks,

 

[Frax]

Have you had lots of rain this spring Sam? Soil leached out maybe?

Our pH is like yours, well above 8. Colorado and white spruce are the two most common trees we have. I have not seen iron chlorosis in ours. Pines often chlorotic though.

In deciduous trees I see chlorosis first in mountain-ash here, and willow, and I suspect that these trees are over-irrigated somehow and the soil is leached. But its just a hypothesis.

You could try chelated iron treatments or something similar and see if it improves. or reduce pH the soil if that is possible to do with sulphur applications. I don't know how to do that.

Regular follow up with organics if client will do that will also help reduce the pH somewhat.

 

[AspenArbo]

The area is an old glacial lake bottom. Just imagine lake bottom soil and that is what our soil is like. It has been a wet few years, but what do you mean by leaching out? Like that the nutrients have been leached though the soil from all the water? The water content of our soil is always high...

Changing the pH here is very difficult because of the high buffering capacity, but I have been able to keep some maples alive with chelates iron, aluminum sulfate, and mulch. But this is a wind row of about 50 spruce, so I'm not sure how far this client wants to go.

If I can confirm that it is chlorosis though, I may be able to convince him of such treatments.

Thanks for the input!

 

[RopeShield]

Foliar analysis may be in order.
or Local fortifier may give some insight.
Any issues I have had with chlorosis here in Cambridge which is river run(lotsa stone and very good drainage) has been overcome with applications of Sulphur pearls(best longterm solution for pH issues and 1/4 the recommended rate of Nitrogen. I use Urea primarily, which will also help to acidify plus organic matter(mulch inexpensive and what is easily available).