A GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE DESIGN & MAINTENANCE. Find out more in this article. A Guide to Landscape Design & Maintenance-Long Island is my newest blog addition which focuses on a variety of topics dealing with landscape design and general garden maintenance. Blue Spruce prefer to be located in a well-drained soil in an area of full sun, meaning the plant should be receiving at least six hours of sunlight daily. Constant moisture on foliage or over-watering can be a direct invitation for needle cast. You can have your tree looking lush and beautiful again within a few years by following a program of needle cast treatment. The best proactive means for preventing needle cast disease is to plant your Blue Spruce in the proper location and provide proper care. For more gardening tips Visit my Author Page, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Landscape Design CombinationsDream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener. Another key characteristic of needl… However, in some plantations needle casting symptoms still occur after sprays (Photos 1 and 2). Rhizosphaera needle cast is a fungal disease, caused by Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii that attacks the needles of Colorado blue spruce in the spring, as new needles emerge. The first application should occur when new needles are half elongated (around Memorial Day depending upon location) followed by a second application three to four weeks after the first. Instead, consider planting Norway spruce, which is resistant. These diseases primarily affect blue spruce. I am a landscape/garden designer, consultant, garden blog and book author involved in the design profession since 1996. I am a landscape/garden designer, consultant, blog author and published book author, involved in the horticultural industry since 1996. Newer current growth may show no signs of the disease until during autumn and into spring. Do not plant too deeply. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Experts recommend that you send a few diseased needles to a diagnostic laboratory where they can run tests to identify the problem. The sensory pleasures and earthy delights of gardening. Needle cast diseases cause spruce trees to “cast off” their older needles and keep only the young needles at the tips of the branches. Drip irrigation is recommended where possible, allowing the soil to dry between watering. Rows of white dots are normal. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Typically, infections start near the bottom of the tree where foliage dries more slowly and progresses upwards. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. A: The indication in the photograph (shown here) are classic symptoms of a common foliar disease called Rhizosphaera Needle Cast, which routinely affects Colorado Blue Spruce … The ups and downs of the gardening world. These tips also apply to dwarf forms of Blue Spruce, such as Picea pungens ‘Globosa’ (Globe Blue Spruce). Late Winter Bronzing of Evergreens-Is it Normal? With shovel in hand since the age of five, gardening has been and always will be a part of me. While monthly timing of topics is aimed towards conditions for zone 7, the information presented here can certainly be used by most other hardiness zones. Prevent irrigation from directly spraying on the foliage of the plant. Copper and chlorothalonil are two active ingredients that are proven effective against the diseases. The blue spruce tree (Picea pungens), named for its sharp-ended needles, is a coniferous evergreen member of the pine family also known as the Colorado spruce. Similarities and differences between the two diseases exist. The classic symptoms of needle cast include brownish purple discoloration and eventual death of older needles, while current-year needles show no symptoms (Figure 1). As mentioned in the beginning of this article, the best method of preventing needle cast starts with proper planning, planting and monitoring. Rhizosphaera and Stigmina, the two most common needle cast diseases of spruce trees, are treatable. 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Early detection and proper diagnosis is important in the treatment of… The tree becomes unattractive and may look as though it is dying, but don’t despair. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Change ). Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Have you ever seen a tree, such as spruce, with healthy looking needles at the tips of the branches, but no needles at all as you look further down the branch? Proper planting height is of course also necessary. Sign up for our newsletter. Other evergreen options include concolor (white) fir, Easter red cedars or other junipers, and yew. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Lee@A Guide to Landscape Design & Maintenance with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. White spruce and other conifers, like pine and fir, are also susceptible. The typical needle cast problem on a blue spruce is rhizophora, which is typically treated by spray in May. ( Log Out / Needle cast can be effectively controlled with fungicides containing chlorothalonil. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. You can have your tree looking lush and beautiful again within a few years by following a program of needle cast treatment. A southern or western exposure suits this best. This is caused by needle cast disease. "The love of gardening is a seed once sown never dies" - Gertrude Jekyll, Master Gardener, amateur photographer, intermediate quilter and lover of day trips around New England. Needles on infected branches will turn yellow, then brown and will drop by the end of summer. Alternate between sprays with different active ingredients. You are correct that spraying a 75' tall tree would be next to impossible. These dots are the fruiting bodies of the fungus, and they are diagnostic of the disease. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Should your tree show signs of early needle cast, it is treatable. Some spruce trees, such as Colorado Blue Spruce may be susceptible to environmental stress. I realize this is a lot of information but proper diagnosis is a key to successfully treating your spruce and maintaining its health. Lee Miller@Landscape Design By Lee 2020. Options include Norway spruce or Black Hills spruce. Large trees are difficult to treat without help from a tree service. Wear the recommended protective clothing, and read all instructions regarding mixing and applying the fungicide before you begin. Since needle cast is fungal and spread through spores, removal of branches showing early signs can prevent further infection, but the tree should still be treated with a fungicide and monitored on a regular basis. Keep in mind that these sprays are highly toxic to plants, animals and people. Stigmina and Rhizosphaera Needle Cast in Trees. Only the needles on the tips of the branches will remain. If you look at the needles with a hand lens, you’ll see rows of small black dots. I am involved in blog writing so that I can share my love of gardening with others. While some browning and dropping of older needles in spruce is common, needle cast disease is noted by a distinct brownish-purple discoloration which appears on needles (usually towards the bottom of the tree) mostly in late summer, followed by the eventual death and dropping of older needles. The damage begins on lower branches and moves up the tree. All Rights Reserved. Norway and Serbian Spruce are less likely to be damaged by needle cast and ‘Hoopsii’ and ‘Fat Albert’ cultivars of Colorado Blue Spruce are more resistant to the disease. Please read information in the links provided below. Follow the safety precautions on the label to the letter. The recent pattern of milder than usual winters and cool spring temperatures combined with wet conditions in the northeast have favored development of a fungal disease known as "needle cast". Some spruce trees, such as Colorado Blue Spruce may be susceptible to environmental stress. Lee@A Guide to Landscape Design & Maintenance, View landscapedesignbylee’s profile on Facebook, Early Detection & Treatment of Spruce Needle Cast Disease, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer, Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener, View all posts by Lee@A Guide to Landscape Design & Maintenance, Autumn Browning and Needle Shed on Hinoki Cypress: A Natural Process, Protecting Broad-leaved Evergreens for Winter: Anti-Desiccant Spray, Ornamental Grasses & Sedges for the Landscape, Growing and Maintaining Alocasia (Elephant Ear) Plant, Proper Planting of Trees & Shrubs in Burlap or Wire Basket, Early Detection & Treatment of Spruce Needle Cast Disease.