Gray blight, Botrytis cinerea.
Infected needles usually die and are cast by late summer- in severe cases, trees can lose up to 90% of their new needles. While spruce needle rust is not considered fatal, repeated infections may retard growth and reduce marketability. It is usually first evident on lower limbs and gradually proceeds up the tree.
Sunken areas of bark appear on branches or the main trunk. A white resin is usually associated with the cankers and can be so excessive that it drips onto foliage and lower branches. Needles may drop from infected, girdled bushfell.clubg: Fairfield CT. Jul 09, If needles are browning at the tips of the branches followed by lower branches dying, you may be dealing with a fungal disease known as cytospora canker, which is the most common unnatural cause for needle drop on Colorado blue spruce.
Cytospora canker is expressed through dead areas, known as cankers, which form at the base of the bushfell.clubted Reading Time: 3 mins. Affected branches may be scattered through the canopy.
Frequently, by autumn, all of the needles on the affected branches fall off except the newest needles on the tips of the branches. Eventually the canopy of the tree thins, sometimes leaving bare branches.
To confirm a diagnosis, plant samples can be sent to the University of Minnesota Plant Disease Clinic.
Life Cycle. (SNEED) Sudden Needle Drop (also sometimes called Spruce Needle Drop) has been found on Norway, white (Black Hills) and Colorado blue spruce bushfell.clubg: Fairfield CT. May 18, Older needles closer to the trunk of the tree become discolored and fall off mid-summer, leaving the tree looking thin and bare.
Damage typically starts on the lower branches and moves up the tree affecting susceptible spruce trees when 15 to 20 years old. Close inspection using a hand lens will reveal tiny black dots on infected needles- stomata (tiny holes that allow gas exchange) are white on healthy needles.
Missing: Fairfield CT.