engelmann spruce pest

[pwk5017]

Hello, this is my one and only engelmann spruce(only spruce actually), collected 2 years ago. The tree was rested for a year and then wired last year, but has grown very well over the 2 years. However, I noticed this evening the shoot tips are wilting/dead! This is affecting about 15-20% of the new spring growth. It rained like heck yesterday, so I was only outside with the trees for 15 minutes or so and did not notice this issue. It is frightening that it virtually happened over night, but the rest of the tree looks perfectly healthy. Looks like a fungal issue to me, any thoughts on what the problem is and the best way to treat it?

Patrick

 

[coh]

I have one engelmann spruce, picked it up last April so I don't have much experience with them. I'd snip off one of those brown tips and see if there are any insects (tip moth larvae, or something else). Is there any chance the tree dried out a bit too much recently (before the rain)? I underwatered mine for a while last spring (it was the first tree I had that was potted in 100% pumice and I thought it was holding too much water...wrong!) and some of the new growing tips turned yellow and wilted/dried up. I don't recall exactly what it looked like but it was similar to what you've posted.

I guess something fungal is always a possibility. Where did you get the tree? Might check with Jim Doyle at Nature's Way nursery, he has a lot of these.

Chris

 

[Bill S]

Could be a tip blight or bugs I guess I'd say head for a good nursery and see what they can tell you.

 

[mcpesq817]

I bought an Englemann from Jim Doyle this spring which had some dead tips (mostly gray and dried, as opposed to yours which seem brownish). Jim said that it was from a pest from where collected, but that pest can't survive here (East Coast) so I wouldn't have to worry about it. But, on my tree, all the needles at the tip were discolored. In your third picture, it looks like only some of the needles at the tip were affected, which might suggest a fungal issue rather than a pest issue. Unfortunately this is my first year with a spruce in my collection, so that's all I can really pass along at this point. Good luck though!

 

[wireme]

Hi, been browsing areound the forum, don't know if you're still watching this old thread but this is the spruce gall adelgid, not a fungus. On the second year of this critters life cycle they often show up as little cottony balls on douglas fir but can also survive another year on spruce. Not horribly damaging, affecting only the spruce buds but can really weaken and defoliate a doug fir. By now your tips should be swollen and crispy looking almost like cones, just remove the affected tips when they appear.

 

[Bradeen]

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[Redwood Ryan]

I have read the above posts and see some interesting stuff in these about pest control system. No these these little insects are cause of many big problems in our plants and gardens there for we need to find out the better solution and this discussion helps me a lot to do so . I think we are all should share our ideas to remove these pests from our garden..

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