Care of New & Old Spruce, Rhizosphaera Needle Cast
Mary4b
9 years ago
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wisconsitom
9 years agoRelated Discussions
What Do We Do??? Dying Row of 50 Spruce Trees
Comments (5)Thanks for your advice guys. We live between Utica and Syracuse in a forgotten little town in upstate New York. We bought this beautiful piece of property last summer. The people we bought it from had added lots of varied landscaping over the years. Unfortunately, it seems that it will cost us a ton of money to properly maintain all of it. I wish the previous owners had not chosen to plant such a large row of Blue Spruce trees (50 of them!). I guess they were all the rage back in the late '80s. It's kind of a pity that they didn't go with Red Spruce since they are native to the area and probably less susceptible to needle cast around here. Besides the Blue Spruce needle cast disease, we have a dying Catalpa tree (verticillium wilt), dying Cottonwood tree (old age, lots of dead branches) and a large silver maple tree (next to the house) that will all probably need to come down soon. With regard to the horse chestnut seedling that retained its leaves, Ken was right in that it actually shed them once the snow finally melted here in late March. The seedling went dormant for a few weeks, and we thought it might have died. However, it actually sprouted new leaves again! Nature truly is awesome and works in mysterious ways....See MoreNorway Spruce Needle Browning and Loss
Comments (10)bluebars: This is so sad. I am sorry. Perhaps it is possible to give a level of application of this weed control product that most trees can tolerate while still killing weeds in a lawn. I would never take the risk. Also, I do believe that Norway spruce are more susceptible to poisoning from this product than some other kinds of trees. Norway spruce is one of my absolute favorite trees, and one of its virtues is its very high disease and insect resistance in most parts of the country. These trees are very tough, and also have wonderful drought resistance. But this susceptibility to weed control chemicals is a weak point. I often see some poor looking trees that are weakened if not completely killed by these chemicals. Needless to say, I hate them. The chemicals are designed to kill most everything except grass. Trees, in this regard, are "weeds." Most trees can survive light applications of these chemicals because they are so big and strong, but their basic susceptibility to the chemicals is the same as the weeds. I won't use them around any trees because it has negative effects no matter how light the application. Before we moved here to the Winchester area we lived in Arlington, VA. At the back of our property there we had the most wonderful line of NS trees--especially wonderful in the variation in appearance (growth form, foliage, etc) from tree to tree. Two years ago we went back to see how the old house was doing. The owner invited us in to see the renovations, etc. Out the back I saw all our NS trees dead or dying. All the weeds in that part of the lawn were gone, but also the trees, that were not only beautiful in themselves, but also a wonderful screen blocking the view from the houses behind. Awful! I must admit that I have a different attitude about lawns than most people. Weeds in a lawn dont really bother me, unless there is some kind that completely takes over and then doesnÂt provide a good ground cover. I really love dandelions, etc. and others that produce nice flowers at different times of the year. My attitude is one that was held for many years in this country. If you ever go to Monticello (Jefferson"s home) in VA and take the garden tour, you will probably be told about how people felt about lawns in those days and how the variety of plants that mixed in with the grasses were thought to be a plus. One of the "weeds" that grew in lawns at that time gave a wonderful fragrance when stepped on. I wish my view of lawns were more common. I have tried to talk to my friends about allowing more variety in their lawns and to stop using these chemicals, but I am sorry to say I donÂt think in all the years I have been doing this that I have made a single convert. There are some people I have met who agree with me, but I have never changed any minds. What to do? Two possible solutions. First, one can place mulch around the trees. Because the roots can extend so far, this may not be practical in most situations. Perhaps mulch closer to the tree, and then some kind of ground-cover plant extending further out or a flower garden, maybe. For the lawn--if the weeds get too bad, kill the old lawn with all the weeds, etc--perhaps with Roundup or something that is active on the foliage and not in the ground, and then replant with a kind of seed guaranteed to be weed seed free. Weeds will eventually come back, however. Perhaps for a long time they can be controlled in areas near trees by hand weeding them out. If it is a choice between the trees and the grass--I choose the trees every time. --Spruce...See Morespruce with brown needles????
Comments (4)Yes, Spring/early summer, to my recollection. You would probably want to just purchase a small amount of the pre-mixed product. It is a wettable-powder type of fungicide. Mixed with water, it forms a slurry, which is then quite easily sprayed onto the foliage, taking care to get good coverage. Have you tried to get an id? I suggest this as first, I can't condone any pesticide application in which the target organism has not been identified, and also, whoever does the id may well have other ideas for a control regimen. Keep us posted on what you find out. +oM...See MoreWeeping Norway Spruce- losing many needles
Comments (7)insert finger to 2nd knuckle.. AND FIND OUT WHAT THE WATER situation is.. even a small hand shovel.. and find out.. at least halfway down the root ball you planted last spring ... we can go nowhere without some actual facts ... and that is the basis of your frustration.. yes??? if bone dry.. water the thing... if saturated.. get it off the sprinkler .... most conifers need a drink and good drainage.. and do NOT need the amounts of water the lawn might need .... all that said... if it was a large tree.. [how big was it?] .... and a poorly dug root mass ... it just might be a form of transplant shock exacerbated by a miserable summer ... a pic will get you a couple thousand more words of speculation good luck ken...See MoreMary4b
9 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agosc77 (6b MA)
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agoMary4b
9 years agosc77 (6b MA)
9 years agoMichael Smith
4 years ago
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