What is going on w/ this spruce?

[ATH]

Picea abies

*It was transplanted in fall of 2020 (not by me...). Some of the 2021 needles are a little small. It is not uncommon to see spruce needles slightly stunted after transplant.

*When I first got pics I thought Spruce spider mites. However, a week later, they turned more brown (was more "off color" green-yellow than brown).

*Under magnification, the stomata look good, so no rhizosphaera.

*There are 6 other trees planted same time. One is just a little off color, others look great. Contractor who planted them did say they fertilized with "tree stakes" after the color change started. He said he thinks the others look a better green since - I did not see them before.

What I find really odd:
*2021 needles are brown. 2022 look pretty good. 2020 (and earlier) are more green than 2021...certainly have more SSM damage on those. Relatively little evidence of mite damage on 2021 needles. Its there, but not enough to convince me that is the biggest cause of the problem.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Reach]

Around here, I would usually go straight to mites, because every spruce has at least a few. However, if you’re not seeing the characteristic stippling on the needles, or the real fine silk they leave behind, I would guess it is not mites.

Spruce Needle Cast would be my next thought, it’s here too. A Scale could possibly cause that also, but I would expect you would see evidence of that one like you would see mites.

 

[ghostice]

Around here we have many spruce going to the big spruce heaven in the sky slowly . . . needle casts (Rhizosphera and maybe Weirs rust), Cytospora trunk cankers, spider mites, spruce budworm, poor planting practices (City hydraulic spading clay soils without breaking up the pottery like sides of the excavation, girdling roots), winterkill . . . in short they're not healthy. We have tried controlling mites on individual trees but timing has been a challenge. Control for everything is beyond the amount of dollars folks are willing to pay for "trees" (e.g. even aerial spray for spruce budworm using biological control is way outta reach for acreage owners). I remember some web seminar in the last year that stated that municipalities in N & S Dakota, Minn., and other states have even stopped planting urban spruce altogether? If someone has an answer I'd sure appreciate the info too.

 

[ATH]

My answer has always been quit planting blue spruce and use Norway Spruce instead. We see all of the same things you listed (plus bagworms) hammering blue spruce. While Norway Spruce is susceptible to all of them, we almost never find them on Norways.

I'm pretty Good and picking out the things you listed... And I'm pretty sure this is not any of those.

 

[ATH]

We have a number of clients who really want to do everything they can to keep the blue spruce going. We do needlecast treatments. In the first spray for that, we mix a miticide in and that has seemed to do its job keeping me spruce spider mites under control.

The tough one is when we see the sap flow on the trunk from pitch mass borer. We usually get the call too late to save the top of the tree. If we catch it early, Safari in early summer seems to knock those out OK.

 

[FJR]

Do you see more pitch mass borer or white pine weevil on Blue Spruce with declining tops? We tend to see the later here.

 

[The Green One]

Blue Spruce and Norway less than 6 feet high more often WPW.

Older than that, more PMB.

 

[ATH]

Blue Spruce and Norway less than 6 feet high more often WPW.

Older than that, more PMB.

Same... except pretty rare on Norway. Used to see a lot more WPW, but seems less frequent last couple of years.

 

[JD3000]

How about throwing some winter desiccation along with fert burn in? Older growth burned, buds opened more or less as usual

 

[ATH]

How about throwing some winter desiccation along with fert burn in? Older growth burned, buds opened more or less as usual

I could but that. I'd think that would hit the buds too...but the right set of circumstances could do it.

Odd to see only on 1 tree...maybe that one got a bigger shot of fertilizer at the nursery before planting?