The Colorado Blue Spruce is a dear tree for many people . Rightfully so , as their silvery - blue needles and hone Christmas tree physique proffer a pleasing increase to any landscape painting . The Blue Spruce is often used for seclusion , shelterbelt , or as an decorative tree . Yet , we often get confused client who require to bed why their once - beautiful Blue Spruce is now losing its needles and turn dark-brown from the bottom up . We will babble about a problem we see a lot with Blue Spruce tree in the Springfield , MO area in this web log .
Colorado Blue Spruces are not well adapted to our sloshed springs and red-hot , humid summer . The mood they prefer are cooler and dryer . Missouri ’s weather is staring for a phone number of fungal diseases , including Rhizosphaera Needle Cast Disease , because it is always wet .
Needle Cast disease usually affects trees that are at least two age old . It starts at the understructure of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and work its elbow room up . The needles turn coppery - brown and fall off . If not treated in time , it can infect and kill the entire tree . You will need a trained oculus to face for diminutive calamitous fruiting bodies in the stomata of the needles to see if the disease is really Needle Cast . Unfortunately , once phonograph needle on an evergreen plant dice they do not number back . If treatment starts early on , however , new emergence can form , and the damage will become less obtrusive over time . The Blue Spruce is most likely to get this fungal disease , but the White Spruce and the Norway Spruce may also get it .
On our plant health care path , we treat a lot of Blue Spruce evergreens . As part of our treatment architectural plan , we utilize fungicides to the tree over a few years in a course . Three fungicide program program every class are recommended a month aside , starting at bud suspension to guarantee proper insurance coverage .
If you want to treat your tree , you should believe about how much it will be and how much the tree is worth . Is this a valuable tree in your yard , or is there something else that would work intimately there ? It may take a few years of intervention to get disembarrass of the disease , and even then , the change seasons can bring in new fungal physical structure . If the tree diagram is already sternly affected there may not be much we can do to save it . Treatment is good if started early in the disease cycle .
Blue Spruces are beautiful Tree and might be worth investing in on your belongings . We suggest that you speak to your arborist about how to protect your trees and the workplace you ’ve put into your landscape gardening . We ’re local arborist – and we ’re here to serve . For more information – contact your tree care experts here at Cherokee Tree Care .
spicy spruce trees are value for their attain argent - blue needles and conical bod . But if the acerate leaf on your newly establish down in the mouth spruce are turning dark-brown it can be worrying . Brown needles on a novel drab spruce are often a sign of transplant stress , but other factors could be to pick . This clause cover why a freshly plant blueish spruce may turn brown and what you could do to reinstate its health and color .
Overview of Blue Spruce Trees
With their dense , aristocratical - green leafage and cone-shaped form , blue spruce ( Picea pungens ) make an attractive landscape tree diagram . Some key facts about this democratic evergreen
aboriginal to western North America
grow 40 - 60 substructure tall and 15 - 25 foundation broad .
Has prickly phonograph needle and woody cones .
Thrives in full sun and well - drained soil .
abide cold clime .
render twelvemonth - round color and cover .
Why a New Blue Spruce Turns Brown
Seeing a new blue spruce with browned needles can be worrying but is often just due to :
Transplant Shock
Digging up and replanting a ripe blue spruce is stressful . The trauma of strike can cause transplant shock , and brown needles are a rough-cut symptom as the tree struggles to recover . source scathe makes the spruce ineffective to take up water properly , lead in needle browning .
Improper Planting
How the spruce was planted can also lead to problems . If the tree was plant too deep , roots may suffocate . Or if leave behind ball - and - burlapped too long before planting , roots may dry out . Both situation accentuate the tree diagram and make acerate leaf browning .
Under or Overwatering
deficient or excessive lachrymation commonly cause evergreen needle to brown . Spruce trees require regular deep tearing after plant to set up . But overwatering can damage solution , preclude oxygen ingestion , and also have needle to brown .
Sun Scald
If leafage on only one side of the spruce is turning brown , it may be sunshine scalded . This hap when sun photograph suddenly increase after transplanting to a novel gay spot . The sharp weak degree alteration can cauterise tender needles .
Signs Your Blue Spruce Is Dying
Brown acerate leaf do n’t necessarily mean your blue spruce is choke . But these signs indicate your spruce may be beyond economise :
All needles are shrink and falling off .
No new green increment appears on branches in bounce .
Bark is separate and peeling off the automobile trunk .
principal body and branches are brittle and photograph easily .
tree diagram is slant severely or falling over .
If your spruce designate several of these symptoms , it is likely all in or expire . hit the tree and replacing it with a sound new spruce is recommended .
How to Revive a Newly Planted Blue Spruce
If your spruce just shows some needle browning and is still mostly immature , try out these revival methods :
water system deeply and on a regular basis to reduce transplantation accent .
Add a layer of mulch around the base to retain dirt wet .
Stake the tree for support if run or precarious .
Prune away any fully deadened or discredited branches .
Fertilize softly with a balanced evergreen plant fertilizer .
Check for signs of plague or disease and plow any find .
Protect the spruce from harsh Lord’s Day and wind exposure .
Be patient as recuperation can take 1 - 2 growing seasons .
Ideal Growing Conditions for Blue Spruce
To avoid future issues , be sure your spruce has these idealistic care conditions :
Full sun – gamy spruce thrives with at least 6 hours of direct sun daily .
Well - drained territory – Wet , bundle soil causes root problems .
Moderate water supply – weewee 1 - 2 time per week , adjusting for rainfall . Do n’t oversaturate .
Shelter from wind – Reduce needle desiccation and breakage .
just strain flow – Promote leafage drying to forestall fungous disease .
yearly pruning – Remove dead ramification and configuration as involve .
casual fertilization – Apply balanced fertilizer every 2 - 3 eld .
Pest / disease monitoring – see for cuss like wanderer mites and disease like fungus .
Preventing Transplant Shock in Blue Spruce
To give a newfangled blue spruce the in force luck of avoid transplantation shock :
Choose a spruce with a wide tooth root ball – This contains more undisturbed roots .
transplantation in early spring before growing resumes .
ascertain solution ball last out moist when moving the tree diagram .
Do n’t get tree sit with roots expose before plant . Plant immediately .
Handle stem orchis carefully when planting to obviate further root damage .
Water thoroughly after planting and keep deep lacrimation for the first twelvemonth .
Alternatives If Spruce Doesn’t Recover
If despite your best efforts your raw puritanic spruce fails to recover , consider these options :
Replace with a new healthy blue spruce in fall or the following spring .
take a different but similar looking conifer mintage that may be more resilient . Evergreen options like juniper , arborvitae , or fir could work .
Try a more transplanting - friendly deciduous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree like oak tree , maple , or ornamental smorgasbord .
change over the expanse to a shade garden or decorative planting bed or else of replanting a tree .
utilise the space for a non - living feature of speech like a garden carving , H2O fountain , or cosmetic crapper exhibit .
It ’s disheartening when a newly implant grim spruce starts turn brown . But remain patient and focus on set care to help it get the best transplant tenseness . Ensure it has fair to middling water , nutrient , sunlight , and protection . Also , give it time to re - establish since recovery can take multiple seasons . With heedful forethought , the spruce ’s beautiful risque color should return .
