Evergreens in trouble

[macrocarpa]

I have had more phone calls of dying Norway's with the same symptoms. The Ohio State lab is closed. Anyone know of another lab that might still be open? Without a positive ID what would you all recommend to these clients?

 

[JD3000]

Try putting some cuttings in a zip lock with a damp towel and see if fruiting bodies develop under magnification.

Try dissecting and cankers and streaked wood, look for canker fruiting bodies on bark and cankers areas

Dig up roots, look for rot

You will have to be your own lab, microscope?

 

[ATH]

MSU is good as well, but they charge 3x the price for out of state. If you want a "yes or no" answer for a disease, RAL (vetdna.com) can give you that...but if you don't know what you are looking for I'm not sure they can help? Might call them and ask...I called with some questions and the guy I spoke with had a plant pathology history.

Any signs of insect activity, you can probably email pics to Joe Boggs or Curtis Young, both with OSUR, and get a reply.

Will OSU answer digital submissions? I'm not sure what they will find from pics, bit another set of eyes could help.

Agree with @JD3000 about getting a copy at the roots.

 

[macrocarpa]

Here’s some pictures from a property I looked at today. Same general location as the original property I posted about. Powel, Ohio near the Olentangy River.

 

[ATH]

Some of those half brown/half green needles are pretty distinctive...but I don't know what it is.

 

[JD3000]

I don't see distinctive signs of a specific disease so would lean towards abiotic

@KTSmith

 

[Basswood]

I found this issue as well on some Norway spruce, or at least similar looking. Samples were sent to our in-house lab so I will post up results when I get them.

Images for comparison:

 

[Basswood]

Ended up being hemlock scale from my last post. Have been paying close attention to the spruces I come across.

This orientalis was healthy last year; client is only under a mosquito app contract so not much IPM other than alternating between two insecticides targeting mosquitos.

 

[JD3000]

Ended up being hemlock scale from my last post. Have been paying close attention to the spruces I come across.

This orientalis was healthy last year; client is only under a mosquito app contract so not much IPM other than alternating between two insecticides targeting mosquitos.
View attachment 66922View attachment 66923

Good heads up, elongated hemlock scale is subtle and easy to miss

 

[ATH]

@macrocarpa ... did you see OSU lab reopened this week?

 

[macrocarpa]

Just a follow up on this post. I finally received results from the Ohio state lab. Positive for rhizosphaera needlecast. Symptoms do not look the same as they do on the Typical blue spruce. I have already given up on all the blue spruce due to needlecast and hope this does not become the new normal for Norways too!

 

[JD3000]

Just a follow up on this post. I finally received results from the Ohio state lab. Positive for rhizosphaera needlecast. Symptoms do not look the same as they do on the Typical blue spruce. I have already given up on all the blue spruce due to needlecast and hope this does not become the new normal for Norways too!

Saw this on a dwarf Norway...

 

[macrocarpa]

Noooooooo! If its needlecast why does it seem to be affecting the new growth on the Norways? High moisture warm winters are taking a toll on our evergreens. Im still thinking Its time for a new perspective on the eastern red cedar.....

 

[ATH]

Remember...just because it is positive for the pathogen, doesn't mean that is the sole (or even primary) cause of the symptoms. Certainly has to be considered...

 

[JD3000]

Noooooooo! If its needlecast why does it seem to be affecting the new growth on the Norways? High moisture warm winters are taking a toll on our evergreens. Im still thinking Its time for a new perspective on the eastern red cedar.....

I think Norways respond differently than the Colorado spruces do

 

[MrBell04]

I’m an hour north of Toronto and we are having similar issues. We’ve had multiple blue spruces die of the needle cast like the pictures above and also a lot of our spruces are developing this type of fungus. Any idea if anything can be done to save this tree?

 

[ATH]

IF is just needle cast (maybe Spruce Spider Mites too?), that is, in theory treatable. It takes 2-3 sprays in the spring/summer. When needles are about half of their full length, then again 2-3 weeks later.

HOWEVER, look how much that is growing...looks like a couple of inches per year on the branches. Realize you are going to loose all of the inner needles. that means after 3 years of protecting the new growth (we are not curing the disease, but protecting new needles from becoming infected), you will have 6-7" of green? It will still look VERY thin, Is that worth doing? When the tree is still putting on 6-8" of growth I feel that that is something we can work with. There is still some vigor. 3 years later, there will be 18" of live needles so it looks lush and thick.

 

[Basswood]

I found this issue as well on some Norway spruce, or at least similar looking. Samples were sent to our in-house lab so I will post up results when I get them.

Images for comparison:
View attachment 66732View attachment 66733View attachment 66734View attachment 66735

Actually need to post an update on this. The elongated scale was a mix up with my sales rep. The images above left our lab stumped as to what it is, most likely not a pest or disease. It’s a weird one as I have seen in on other spruce.

 

[ATH]

Actually need to post an update on this. The elongated scale was a mix up with my sales rep. The images above left our lab stumped as to what it is, most likely not a pest or disease. It’s a weird one as I have seen in on other spruce.

Have you excavated the root collar?

 

[Basswood]

Have you excavated the root collar?

I have not on this particular tree, this client has a TON of material. But I can almost guarantee it’s planted too deeply. His entire landscape is relatively new plantings and he’s losing plants left and right due to a combo of deep plantings and water issues in other parts of the landscape (this area seems fine as far as water retention goes)

we have been trying to sell him on a big root collar job with the airspade, would probably take at least a few days. And I’ve been telling him he has a lot of the wrong plants in the wrong place and to explore some alternatives to adding more drains (rain garden, properly selected trees, etc).