I attached some photos of a Spruce tree with a problem. Seems all throughout the tree there are yellowing and brown twigs (probably not the correct name). Is it a disease or insect damage. Just noticed it today. A week and a half to two weeks ago it was fine.
Insect or disease on my Spruce tree?
- Thread starter chzuck
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If it truly popped up in the last couple of weeks it could also be a mite infestation.
Hold a piece of white paper under the affected area and shake the branches vigorously. Then smear the paper with your hand and check for streaks on the paper.
Hold a piece of white paper under the affected area and shake the branches vigorously. Then smear the paper with your hand and check for streaks on the paper.
With browning interior needles in the fall there is always the possibility of normal needle drop. If these are 3 to 4 year old needles only and no discoloration on younger growth you may not have any issues.
Give us a bit more analysis, and don't make us quite so dependent upon the photos.
Older needles dropping off can usually be diagnosed by counting the nodes on the branches. Pretty much all the needles on a node of the same age will be yellowing and falling off.
Apart from that, get close to some of the dying needles, and tell us if they are showing some green needles on the same twig as the yellowing. Follow the yellowing needles outward to the tip, and tell us what you are seeing as to where the green starts going yellow. Are there more yellow needles on one side of the tree than the other? If so, which side looks worse, with respect to the compass and to any possible irrigation heads.
Take a twig that is showing some yellowing (but still has green present), then get a sharp knife and dissect the wood. Split the twig lengthwise and make a couple of cross sections; send us pictures of that, too. Systemic diseases generally can be observed in the wood. Damage from mites seldom does. Some insects dine upon or lay eggs in the wood, and when they begin dwelling in the wood, they kill off the twig. This usually shows in a very clear demarcation on the needles, though: green... then dead.
There is lots of stuff to look for, and we just aren't likely to guess correctly without all the information available, unless your problem is one of the easy to diagnose problems.
Now all of that stuff being said, I have some general observations. It is October, and most of the fungal diseases will be doing their spreading and infecting in the spring rains. It's kinda late in the season to be an acute fungal problem. Almost the same story for mites, especially since they flourish best and show the most damage in warm weather. White pines are infamous for losing their 2 year old needles, but that too is generally a spring event. I am not aware of any predictable age for spruce needles to drop, but spruce trees are not my strong point for diagnosis, either.
I'd look real hard for a specific branch-related problem, rather than anything systemic. Even a kid climbing your tree can damage a few twigs and make it look like death has descended on your favorite tree.
That green stuff on your branches looked like lichens to me; probably nothing to be concerned about. If you can pair that observation to where the damaged needles are, then send some better pictures.
Don't be afraid to prune out a branch section that shows some damage. Sometimes a pattern is easiest to spot when it is isolated from all the other branches.
Older needles dropping off can usually be diagnosed by counting the nodes on the branches. Pretty much all the needles on a node of the same age will be yellowing and falling off.
Apart from that, get close to some of the dying needles, and tell us if they are showing some green needles on the same twig as the yellowing. Follow the yellowing needles outward to the tip, and tell us what you are seeing as to where the green starts going yellow. Are there more yellow needles on one side of the tree than the other? If so, which side looks worse, with respect to the compass and to any possible irrigation heads.
Take a twig that is showing some yellowing (but still has green present), then get a sharp knife and dissect the wood. Split the twig lengthwise and make a couple of cross sections; send us pictures of that, too. Systemic diseases generally can be observed in the wood. Damage from mites seldom does. Some insects dine upon or lay eggs in the wood, and when they begin dwelling in the wood, they kill off the twig. This usually shows in a very clear demarcation on the needles, though: green... then dead.
There is lots of stuff to look for, and we just aren't likely to guess correctly without all the information available, unless your problem is one of the easy to diagnose problems.
Now all of that stuff being said, I have some general observations. It is October, and most of the fungal diseases will be doing their spreading and infecting in the spring rains. It's kinda late in the season to be an acute fungal problem. Almost the same story for mites, especially since they flourish best and show the most damage in warm weather. White pines are infamous for losing their 2 year old needles, but that too is generally a spring event. I am not aware of any predictable age for spruce needles to drop, but spruce trees are not my strong point for diagnosis, either.
I'd look real hard for a specific branch-related problem, rather than anything systemic. Even a kid climbing your tree can damage a few twigs and make it look like death has descended on your favorite tree.
That green stuff on your branches looked like lichens to me; probably nothing to be concerned about. If you can pair that observation to where the damaged needles are, then send some better pictures.
Don't be afraid to prune out a branch section that shows some damage. Sometimes a pattern is easiest to spot when it is isolated from all the other branches.
I'm pretty sure that I see some "Tiny raised black dots in lines on needles are the spore producing structures of the Rhizosphaera fungus" in some of the photos.
You know, like the first responder mentioned.
Those are the kind of photos we need. Close up.
You know, like the first responder mentioned.
Those are the kind of photos we need. Close up.
Ahhh yes, but that is rather inconsistent with a sudden onset, is it not?
BTW: I am curious as to what is the only "one rototiller". I'll bet my BCS beats it silly.
BTW: I am curious as to what is the only "one rototiller". I'll bet my BCS beats it silly.
Raining here today. I will try and get some photos tomorrow.
That phrase was an advertising phrase that ROTOTILLER, INC. use in the 1950's. That company later became Garden Way with Troy-Bilt tillers. And yes, your BCS is more advanced to tillers that were made 70 years ago. So it should beat it silly. As far as the job done, I believe my Frazer Rototiller would do a better job in one pass than your BCS. The Frazer probably weights double what your BCS does.
Well it may not be as much as a 'sudden onset' as it is a 'suddenly noticed' occurance.
As a true patriot, I'm sure he's talking about the best AMERICAN MADE tiller.
(and he replied, he was)Yes the BCS is a great roto tiller, and a whole lot more than that with it's attachments, none of which I have use for. Plus the fact that it is in the $4,000. dollar range when a good used Troy-bilt Horse roto tiller can be had used for less than $500. I bought mine back in 1984 and I'm still using it today.
I only use my Horse to till about 3 or 4 inches deep although it will go to 8 inches. I till corn directly into the ground with it. Our beds are 40" wide with walkways 20" wide making the beds 60" center to center. I dig with a broad fork to 14" deep after tilling. Basically I only use the tiller to till in organic residue. Research seem to be showing that a complete homogenizing of agriculture soils disrupts the life cycle of soil micro organisms. Micros that thrive at only a few inches depth don't do so well at eight inches depth and vice versa. We have 29 40" wide beds and for the past couple of years I've been digging most of them with a Meadow Creature broad fork.
An ancient Chinese proverb goes something like this: "The best fertilizer in the garden is the gardeners footsteps."
Now for some bragging. (and bonding with the O.P.)
Minor fungal banding on needles, not a concern. Yellowing with some green blotching points more towards an abiotic issue. Possible nutritional or moisture problems. Still need to eliminate normal needle shedding. I'm guessing these samples are from the interior of your spruce.
Yes, they are. Anything else I can look for? I realize how hard this is by not seeing the tree for yourself.
I looked up the Frazier rototiller; that certainly looks like an excellent heavy duty tiller. The best weight-guess I could find was about 450lbs, and I think that is a close match to my model-852 BCS. The two wheel tractor weighs 340 lbs before adding the 34" wide tiller attachment, so I think we are close to the same weight.
Here is the big difference, however: I don't garden with my tiller, except upon customer request (for hire). Otherwise, we use it to tear up firm ground for hand grading and re-seeding. We also use it on some pretty severe slopes! I have it set up for 3 tires wide on each side of the tractor, so slope just isn't much of an issue. I can also rotate the handles around and make a front tiller out of it; then I can gently putter right into tight quarters and get the stuff inaccessible to most rear tine tillers.
BTW: I got the 6-tires wide setup for cutting cattail swamps with a 5' wide sickle bar. It's really awsome to be sinking into the cattail swamp up to your knees while that beast keeps slashing down the cattails in front of you. In only a few moments, however, you discover that you and the machine are quickly buried in cut off cattails, and you transition to only cutting 1/2 pass wide. (The handles easily offset far to either side, so the tall weeds don't all fall on the operator if you make 1/2-passes).
I never managed to get it stuck, mostly because it almost floats on the cattail mat it is cutting. That contract went away after one year, and that machine mostly gets used as a street sweeper and occasional tiller these days.
A picture of a full spruce branch showing this year's growth back to the interior yellowing needles. Need to establish if the discoloration is affecting newer growth.
OK.
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