serbian spruce question

[Starlet]

i have a client with serbian spruce, the new tips are falling off, almost like a squirrel or something is taking them off with a clean bite, all the new growth just falls to the ground. also some of the inside needles are dying and alot of resin is collecting on some of the branches? i will try to get some pictures but has anyone seen this? i was thinking cytospora canker maybe? but the tips falling off has me baffled. thanks guys

 

[tomthetreeman]

The excessive resin buildup sounds like cytospora, the other two symptoms I'm not so sure...

 

[nuthin_special]

Sounds similar to a clients colorado spruce problem that i am yet unable to solve. Are the needles falling off on every branch tip or just some tips, spaced sporadically throughout the tree?

Have you checked for spider mites? I think that they may be a cause of one twig loosing needles if a mite burrows under the bark during new shoot elongation.

just spray it with fungicides and inject it with insecticides and you have all your bases covered right?

 

[Starlet]

i thought so also tom, but the other symptoms have me baffled. yes i did check for spider mites, no go on those. it appears the tips falling off are sporadically spaced, not all of them, you can literally rake up new tips off the ground. i am going to uconn. tomorrow and take a sample, i will let you know what they find. in the interim, any other suggestions are always welcome. thanks guys for the info.so far.

 

[nuthin_special]

If you can post a coupla pictures i'd like to compare to my problem, sounds very similar. I had some help dissecting from a mycologist at the local university and he couldn't find anything, no bugs or crud.

 

[Starlet]

I am going there tomorrow i will get some shots and post them, it will probably be tomorrow evening. let me know what you think. thanks

 

[Starlet]

hey guys, well they never sent my pictures, but i did take samples to the scientist at UCONN. it is cytospora canker as far as the resin/sap running and building up, the tips are squirrels, because the weather was so hot and dry the squirrels would nibble the tips to drink sap. this is the final diagnosis from the top guys so i feel confident this is what is wrong. thanks for all your help.

 

[tomthetreeman]

[ QUOTE ]
the tips are squirrels, because the weather was so hot and dry the squirrels would nibble the tips to drink sap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hahahahaha that is awesome! Ingenious little buggers!

-Tom

 

[nuthin_special]

I always thought they were nibbling off branches to drop cones to the ground but i guess the sap drinking thing makes some sense. I'll have to smell their breath next time i trap another one of those f'ers in my yard.

 

[Starlet]

yeah i would like to see that, hope he gives you a big kiss about that time. it does make sense though. my client is very happy with the diag.