My guess is that it's dead. I see multiple problems...too close to the wall/foundation/house for one. What zone are you in, when was it planted, was it potted or b&b, what was the root mass like and how was it planted, did you plant it or did someone else? We need more information to be able to help. I think it's probably too late for answers to those questions to be helpful, I'm sorry.

Thank you for your response. I live in the Nashville, Tennessee, area, which is Zone 7a according to the 2012 revision to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map. The tree was planted by a landscaper at the time the house was built (three years ago), and I believe it was B&B'ed. The structure behind the tree is a wall, the base of which is not as deep as a house foundation (obviously). None of the branches touch the wall. The wall is angled behind the tree. The closest part of the wall from the tree is a corner, which is four (4) feet from the trunk. However, the majority of the wall is five (5) feet from the trunk. The longest and lowest branch in the direction of the wall corner (nearest point to the tree trunk) is still a foot from touching the wall. After closer inspection, there is a white residue around the base of the trunk. The residue looks like bird droppings, but I have read that is a sign that the tree is infected with cytospora cankers, for which there is no remedy. I don't specifically know what a cytospora canker looks like, so I don't know what I'm looking for to confirm such (other than the white residue). I have read that this disease is most common in more mature blue spruce trees. The needles are also dropping, with the branch tips looking the most healthy. I have also read that this is a common sign of rhizospaera needle cast, which is treatable with fungicide. One thing that seems strange to me is how one quarter of the tree seems to be the most affected, the section that faces the evening sun. Could just be coincidence. ... If the tree is beyond saving, is it okay to replace it with one in the same place, or could that lead to transfer of the infection to the new tree? Is there a preparation process that is advised when replacing an infected tree with a new one?

Whatever happened occurred last fall or over winter and the warm up last month merely showed what died. If it was canker, blue spruce is arguably the most susceptible to that malady than any other spruce. Hot and humid temps only worsen the situation. I'd replace it with a different kind of spruce or another genus entirely.

tj

Thanks, that makes sense. It has definitely warmed up here over the course of the last month or so. We have had a couple days in the low 80's, but average temperature has been in the low 70's. Well, this is really disappointing. I would work to save the tree, but it is front and center in my landscpe and it sounds like it may never again be very aesthetic. I would love to replace it with another blue spruce just because it fits the other landscaping well, but I worry that planting a new one in this place will lead to the same result. Is there anything that can be done to prevent canker infestation? And does planting a new blue spruce in the place of an infected one run a higher risk of transfer, or is there no direct possibility of that?

Seems an awfully young plant to have already fallen to Cytospora. BTW, that presents as whitish resin underneath infected branches. Branches soon die, and disease progresses upward through tree's crown. Bird droppings and pitch from cankers do not really resemble one another very closely. Next, Rhizosphaera is another pathogen to which this plant can fall prey. But there too-at least in my experience-it is usually a more established tree that gets it. One thing that is starting to concern us with spruce is Phomopsis, a pathogen previously unassociated with spruce, at least at this degree of severity, that appears to be morphing into a virulent strain, causing much needle senescense on especially Rocky Mountain spruce species in the east.

Not saying here I know what's happening, but it's not due to proximity to that wall. One thing that you could look for is spider mites. Take a clean, white sheet of paper, hold under a branch, and vigorously shake and tap branch, looking to see if any tiny mites fall onto paper. Again, not laying blame on that, but it's worth checking for. And that is one aspect of being close to a wall that can be made worse by reason of that wall-spider mites. Sorry, wish I had the magic bullet for you.

+oM

is that the SW side of the plant???

blue is a wax on a green needle ... such plants should probably not be watered by sprinklers.. it wears off the blueness .. the wax ... but i doubt that had anything to do with this...

unless the sprinklers ONLY wet the soil surface.. as is common with lawn watering ..

a transplant of this size had to have a 2 to 3 foot ball .. and i wonder if it got sufficient water thru its whole root mass while trying to get established ...

was there a drought last year???

the disease you mention mostly affects old mature trees.. i have never seen it on a youngin ... though i am sure its possible ... maybe complicated by being saturated every night by the lawn watering ...

its buds are sitting right there at the tip ends.. they are either tan and well ... or they are black and not.. breaking branches should not be necessary ...

i agree its at least 20 feet too close to the house.. unless it is a named dwarf ... it was planted precisely according to its size at digging.. and not given any space for its huge potential .... the landscaper or architect ought to have known better ...

ken

I wondered too about H2O. Given that thick mulch layer, could it have not gotten sufficient water? Stranger things have happened.

+oM

I'm going with tsugajunkie's theory that this is not a suitable species for this climate. Picea pungens does not seem to thrive in mild climates or in areas with high summer humidity. It likes it hot and dry in summer and adequately cold in winter. In the PNW, which offers none of the preferred climate conditions, it is difficult to find a blue spruce that is healthy and looks good. Some of the dwarf cultivars seem to last longer before beginning to fail than the larger growing cultivars, but eventually they all fade away, looking much like the one in the photo.

IMO, that tree is beyond hope. I'd remove it and replace with something more suitable to the climate. Landscapers involved with new house construction are not known for picking out site-appropriate plantings but only something that will look good when the house is sold.

I would recommend Cedrus atlantica 'Horstmann' for that space and your climate. Much more appropriate size, and will deal better with your heat and humidity, plus you get the blue color

Thank you everyone for the advice. I agree with a previous poster that new construction landscape installers often don't take into consideration what the plant will grow to in time. It's a big pet peeve of mine to see a landscaper stick a birch tree or other monstrosity 4-5 feet from the house and think it will always stay its installed size. I was very particular about this when the house was built and the landscape being installed, which leads me to believe that it is a dwarf blue spruce. As for irrigation, the tree is irrigated from the bed only, not the yard sprinklers. So, the bed heads only pop up a few inches and wet the base of the tree.

As for location, there are a number of healthy dwarf and regular sized blue spruce trees in my neighborhood. The neighbor across the street has three of them side-by-side in their front yard. They have been there for years and are healthy and beautiful. And as for mine, it was healthy and beautiful for three years until now.

I took a white sheet of paper and shook several branches vigorously. Doing so produced a sheet full of dead needles and only one miniature sized insect. I am attaching a picture. When I look at the branches, I do not see anything crawling on them, and the needles that shook off don't have black or white spots on them -- they are just discolored and brittle. Also, the white fungus that I mentioned is only at the very base of the main trunk, and it is on the side of the tree that looks the worse. I am attaching a photo of that too.

Not mites. I'm afraid you may in fact have Cytospora canker- a slowly-developing but nearly always fatal disease on this young plant. I think it may have been planted too deeply or else had mulch piled up around the base of the trunk, neither of which is helpful to overall plant health, but neither of which is responsible for its present condition either. I'd start thinking about a replacement, preferably of another species.

+om

Thank you, this is what I feared. Hate to lose this tree because it was beautiful, but I tend to agree with your assessment after hearing from others and reading more on this issue. Surprising that it happened to such a young tree, but has the hallmarks of cytospora cankers. Appreciate everyone being so helpful!

one more thought .. dont know if any one else mentioned it ...

plants this size are usually field grown ...

it is said... that the root system is twice as big as that above ...

and sometimes... when you dig a large specimen ... the root mass is slaughtered ...

and there is nothing that can be done.. to save the plant ... and yes.. sometimes.. it can take a year or two.. before failure ...

you will not know about his.. unless you were to dig it up.. and bare root it.. and see what was left of the root mass ...

and if so .... then the plant was severely stressed ... and somehow.. stressed plants.. develop all kinds of disease and bug problems ... its like the vermin know its weak ... its all chicken/egg .... and which came first ...

ken

Now don't hold back, David - tell us what you really think! LOL!

B , look into that "Horstmann"