Spruce trees_ NOT healthy

[solamentej]

I have some larger spruce trees around my house... not healthy... 2 years ago.. I had to cut few 15 year old junipers.. now these spruce trees need treatment.. if available....
attaching pictures.. any idea?... potential cost for a treatment?.. I would like to save them...

worried this might be a fungal disease :-( ( no real treatment) :-(

what fertilizers to apply in spring and how to prevent spread of the disease to save the tree??

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THANK YOU

 

[mrtree]

30ish year old Blue spruce
Natural thinning and crown raising by man.
Add in (likely) Pitch mass borer and needle cast such as Rhizosphaera or Stigmina.

Resulting in declining tree.

Fixes are dependent upon your location and local pesticide laws. A dimethylation inhibitor or copper spray for the fungi and perhaps some digging for the insects along with mulching the area underneath the trees and starting a replanting program.

 

[solamentej]

OK.. I will spread few inches of mulch/bark around those trees/ if watering_ I will only water the ground.. avoid wetting lower branches of that tree.... what would be the best fungicide to spray the branches with in spring to protect especially the bottom part of the tree.. where the level of moisture will be probably higher??!!
I can rent some good large sprayer and spray most of the tree ( probably except the crown) with it...
( just trying to find cheaper solution to treat this tree without paying hundreds of dollars to some tree service guys?!) I do not have hundreds of $$ to spare

THANK YOU

also ...I would fertilize the ground around these trees.. Can you point at a good fertilizer for evergreens?? or any tree fertilizer will work, I guess

 

[cerviarborist]

"I can rent some good large power sprayer and spray most of the tree ( probably except the crown) with it... just trying to find cheaper solution to treat this tree without paying hundreds of dollars to some tree service guys?!) I do not have hundreds of $$ to spare"

I love the smell of chemical trespass and unlicensed pesticide application in the morning. Smells like money.

 

[solamentej]

if you have nothing to say.. better say nothing..

I do not have $300 per visit .. time 3..maybe times 6.. or how many visits tree service guys would have to make over 2 years to spray the tree ( and that considering I would find somebody knowing what they do?!)....
I WAS LOOKING FOR AN ADVICE.... maybe there is an environmentally friendly solution which can be applied over the needles to protect the new growth..

certainly.. there is an option to let the tree deteriorate and cut it down then.. I do not have $1000 or more dollars to spend on treating one spruce tree.. just wanted to save it with what I could do....

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

Call a local cert. Arborist. And the environmentally smart thing to do would be not to try to just apply chemicals yourself unless you know what your doing. Not to mention you might spend more $$$ / make things worse ,trying help the trees yourself rather than have a qualified person do the job.
just start with having a qualified arborist come by, then go from there.

 

[jed1124]

An Arborist can confirm whether or not you are only dealing with Rhizospheara or possibly cytospora, which if the latter you will be throwing money away on fungicide treatments. All of that resin coming down the tree looks indicative of cystospora canker.

 

[KTSmith]

Jed 1124 has a good point, looks like Cytospora to me...of course pitch mass borer might be the culprit for the pitch flow on the stem. Yes, have a professional make that call before investing a lot in treatment!

 

[The_Archdruid]

Most professionals are going to have their hands full on this, especially if a hundred dollars is tight in the fist. If it ain't one thing, it's going to be the other - Looks like the needles are infected by Rhizosphaera and/or Stigmina. And the trunk could have Cytospora, Setomelanomma, and/or Phomopsis. Between these combinations and the numerous fungicides with different timing applications and modes of action, I think the outlook is bleak.

Maybe drop it all and teach the trees some yoga? The flexibility is nice when you have to kiss your ass goodbye.

 

[solamentej]

thank you ALL
I will try to find some arborist in my town...
as, if it it cytospora canker... then no treatment will probably help anyway...
I will get the tree inspected, and will take it from there

guess ..nothing last forever....in wild these trees can live 200 years.. I guess.. in the city, not far from streets/salts 30 years might be all it takes.. this tree is probably 30-35 years old..

I guess, some fertilizing of the ground around the trees and some mulch around the trunk will not hurt.
watering only during dry season ( ground only)

THANK YOU