Green Spruce Tree Diseases

It was not immediately apparent what was causing these symptoms.

Green spruce tree diseases.

Needle cast diseases of spruce are treatable. They first turn yellow then purplish brown and finally fall off. There are three principle types of diseases that affect blue spruce trees. Rhizosphaera needle cast is a common foliar disease of spruces and other conifers caused by the fungus rhizosphaera kalkhoffii.

This is an important defoliator of spruce douglas fir true fir and other conifers. Feeding by the larvae can cause complete defoliation of heavily infested trees. Rhizosphaera needle cast is a common disease of spruce trees and affects all ages of needles. Last week we reported that the malady appears to consist of two previously known diseases of spruce that is a branch death and needlecasting see spruce tree problem shows symptoms of both needlecast and branch death.

As the name implies trees with needlecast diseases shed needles. Needlecasts tip blights and canker diseases. Left untreated a severe case of needle cast can lead to continual thinning and eventual decline of the affected tree if spring weather is conducive to infection year after year. Needle blight and needle cast can be treated with a fungicide approved for fungal diseases on spruce trees.

Colorado blue spruce is particularly susceptible and can be severly damaged by this disease.