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Is this abnormal growth on a spruce?

13 years ago

Well I think it's a spruce. I haven't seen this before and it doesn't look good to me, but I've searched online and haven't found any reference to something that looks like this. I hope the pictures are clear. The whole tree is covered in these little growths.

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Comments (10)

jean001a
13 years ago
Perhaps Cooley spruce gall adelgid.
IpmMan
13 years ago
Yes it is Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid. You can treat with oil when the buds are fully swollen but before the new growth appears, and again after the new growth hardens. The next treatment is during the last two weeks of September, but make sure it is during a couple of frost free nights. This pest will not kill the tree and has bad and good years so you can ignore it if you like.
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No, the gall was probably something that existed in a formative stage when you acquired it. Raising a plant so a fairly significant part of the root system is exposed above the soil line isn't something that would have a notable impact on top growth, and any impact it did have would be very short lived. The gall itself had a significant impact on the plant's vasculature, so look to that as the cause of a suppressed growth rate. Ficus benjamina ^^^ "...... when pruning, do you have to leave at least 2 leaves on a branch for it to survive or could you prune a branch back to 1-2 internodes with no leaves and it will still produce buds." That varies by species, timing, geography, the tree's state of vitality, and even by where the branch you're pruning is located on the tree. Some trees are inherently VERY reluctant to back-bud if you remove all the foliage from a branch; but for the most part, most species of Ficus can be taken back to bare wood in the summer if they're in good health. Ficus b is one of the most 'iffy' of the genus though, and the variegated varieties are least dependable because they're weaker due to a limited amount of chlorophyll that limits their ability to carry on photosynthesis as efficiently as their all green counterparts, so I wouldn't press my luck unless the benjamina was F benjamina 'Too Little'. That cultivar is a profuse back-budder and can be cut back hard if it's in good health. Al
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vickima
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks so much. It's great to know what it is, and esp that it won't kill the tree. I think I'll leave it alone and hope for the best since it's a rather large tree and that would be a lot of oil!
pineresin
13 years ago
This one is actually Adelges abietis, which is common on Norway Spruce (what you have).

Not Adelges cooleyi, which is only found on Sitka Spruce, Engelmann Spruce and allies.

Resin
vickima
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Resin, that's very helpful information.
IpmMan
13 years ago
Yes Resin is right they are Eastern not Cooley. The control is the same.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
I think I'll leave it alone and hope for the best

===>>> what are her odds based on this comment???

ken
sluice
13 years ago
The Cooley show up on spruce around here a lot. They look wierd and damage the infested bud, but don't seem to kill the tree. It's interesting that Cooley have a secondary host (Doug Fir) and Eastern do not.
brandon7 TN_zone7
13 years ago
Depends on what odds you're looking for. The odds of this pest problem being totally responsible for the death of the tree are pretty small. The odds of it disfiguring her tree and being a real eye sore are pretty good. From the comment, it sounds like Vickima may not be especially attached to this tree anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
vickima
Original Author
13 years ago
I'm hesitant about the treatment for a few reasons. One, it sounds like I'm a bit late in the cycle for it to work. Two, the tree is 15-20 feet high and I'm daunted by the task of spraying it. Three, I don't know much about horticultural oil, and I use "organic" approaches. Spraying this tree would involve a lot of drift (onto me too); could it hurt other nearby plants or me? What brand should I look for?

I have a sprayer, but it's not professional grade. If I don't have to have perfect coverage I could probably do it. But if every one of those burrs needs to be covered in oil, then I'm skeptical I could do the job right.

Brandon is right that I'm not *especially* attached to the tree, but I'm also working with the ol "cost/benefit" analysis here.

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