The two issues do not necessarily occur simultaneously. The insect problems most likely were present last summer, with the sooty mold developing later. And often it is an entirely different plant hosting the insects with the honeydew dropping down from above. Check the spruce for aphids, otherwise it may well be one of the deciduous trees and you will need to keep checking as the season progresses. IME, the sooty mold does not wash off satisfactorily with just rain water or irrigation - you need a pretty strong, directed stream to get rid of it. Any birches in the area? They are notorious hosts for aphids, so much so to the extent that it is not a good idea to plant them where one has a patio, deck or driveway underneath, as the honeydew dripping down gets all over everything.

mark replied to my email.. instead of here ... i dont see why i cant share it ... he said: Thank you. It's been in the ground a long time (6-8 years) so I don't think it's rootbound. I showed a branch to my garden shop this morning and their guess was that it was the winter cold snaps (we had lots of days going from 70 to 25). I'm not sure how else to diagnose it. I'll do a little pruning to get rid of yellow leaves and air out the crowded center. Once a month, the gardens here have a master gardener clinic so I'll go there next time it's open. Thanks for your advice. ===>>> mark.. i would not go pruning.. until i see where buds break .. if its just cosmetic to the leaves.. then i dont see why you need to go lopping off branch pieces ... the leaves will fall off themselves, if you have patience ... but why mangle the plant otherwise ... often a frost will only affect the leaves.. but not the buds with this years growth... that usually happens during a freeze ... as compared to a frost ... as i tell peeps.. you can always cut it off later.. but you cant staple/tape them back on .... thinning the interior should not be related to this issue ... if you want/need to do it otherwise.. fine.. but it isnt part of this ... you are welcome .... ken ps: it is already stressed due to the leaf loss ... severe pruning of the good leaves.. due to interior thinning.. may simply be removing more leaves.. that it needs to get over the stress created by the frost ...

Too many times, the symptoms of too-little-water and too-much-water are very similar.... I'm wondering if perhaps you haven't given it enough water: the top few inches are okay, but the lower part of the pot isn't. Some soil-less mixes contain a lot of peat. Peat can hold a lot of water -- but when already dry, peat hates to absorb moisture. If the yellowing began before the rain stopped, it might be that the first yellowing was caused by too much moisture, and the later yellowing was from too little moisture. Or perhaps the peat wasn't thoroughly damp when you potted it, and even the rainfall didn't remedy that situation. So I'd advise giving the plant the opportunity to absorb as much water as possible. The question is how best to accomplish that, because if you keep watering, the water may just run through empty spaces in the pot (where the dry peat has shrunken away from the pot), and do very little to moisten the mix. If it weren't a heavy pot, you could put it in a larger container (or even a large plastic bag) and wait until plenty of water was absorbed. Maybe someone else can suggest a better method to try. If you don't already have mulch, add some at the top of the pot to cut down on soil moisture evaporation. And water more and more often. One possible disadvantage of trying this is that you may lose some fruit to splitting.

I cut them back by about 7 feet ==>> consider the HUGE root mass that was supporting those previously huge monsters ... and ask yourself why.. the huge root mass would need fertilizer to support a much smaller plant .. imo.. they will NEVER need fert ... and it is rarely a remedy for anything.. and not being children.. they dont need to be fed ... if you think something is lacking in your soil .. then have a soil test done.. and act accordingly.. and frankly.. if anything were lacking .. they would have never grow to huge size ... what has changed in the last few weeks .. since this growth .. drought.. hail storm.. extreme heat .... etc ... if you cant find a bug or ID some problem.. there is nothing to do ... until you do ... next year.. watch for new sprouts way down low.. and if they trigger.. when they get to a foot or two.. go in there.. and remove what is left of the old big sticks ... in other words.. complete your renovation of the plants ... looks great ... congrats ken