Common Blue Spruce Diseases

Colorado Blue Spruce

Because of its fantastic, blue-silver foliage and generous growth rate, the Colorado blue spruce tree is broadly planted throughout the U.S. This famous tree is the ideal tree for significant landscapes. Frequently, blue spruce trees become infested with tree fungal infections that affect their growth. Also, blue spruce diseases encourage damage from pests. 

Blue Spruce Diseases and Their Symptoms

Common blue tree diseases include needle cast and canker fungus. Needle cast is a transferrable needle disease due to a fungus. Canker fungus is a disease that infects tree limbs. 

Symptoms of needle cast diseases are dead limbs and discolored needles. Generally, your tree looks like it's dying from the bottom upward. Diagnosing needle cast disease is done by examining the faded needles with a magnifying glass. 

Blue spruce trees affected with canker fungus frequently have sunken spots along a stem that might ooze resin. If you study the tree, you might also see folds of injured tissue around older canker infections. As the canker fungus spreads, it hinders the tree's capacity to transfer nutrients, resulting in dead limbs.

How to Manage Tree Fungal Infections
To effectively manage needle cast diseases, get rid of fallen needles and dead limbs beneath the tree to halt further infections. Also, you can spray diseased blue spruce trees with a fungicide. An insecticide application stops new viruses and safeguards new growth. It would be best if you used fungicides when the new needles extend halfway, usually in April or May. 

There is no cure for canker fungus. Therefore, fungicide treatments won't work. The most efficient approach is to sustain the health of your trees. Affected limbs must be trimmed in the cold months when the tree is dormant. Pruning is the primary technique of treating trees displaying signs of canker fungus.

Best Disease Control Techniques
As with diseases, the best control for blue spruce diseases is prevention. It's vital to know how to best maintain your tree, in terms of water, soil, and pruning obligations to successfully stop Colorado spruce issues.

Soil should be fertile and well-drained. It's critical to keep the soil moist when the tree is young. Your tree must have sufficient water at all times, especially during a drought. To sustain moisture and soil quality, you can apply a mulch layer around the bottom of your tree. 

For more information on blue spruce diseases, contact Rochester Stump Removal.

---