Question
spruce branch
We had an incredibly damp summer for Kansas and my beautiful spruces' needles are turning yellow from the inside of the branches spreading out to the outer needles on the branches, then the needles fall off. It is increasingly getting worse, starting lower on the tree but now I'm seeing it halfway up the tree. I had a tree company out to look at them. He didn't see any signs of parasites and chalked it up to the wet summer. He advised that they do a deep root fertilizer now. Does this sound correct? I don't want to waste money on the fertilizer if it's a fungus and needs to be treated differently. Thanks for any comments you might have
AnswerLori:
I am assuming the tree has been planted for some time. I did not recognize any infectious disease from your photo. Most conifers prefer well drained soils and any extended wet conditions may have created a soil related stress, resulting in needle browning/drop. I would probably pass on getting it fertilized now. Consider contacting your local county Extension office and arranging for someone to come to your home and seeing the tree first hand and these folks will be able to give you an assessment and do not have a product to sell. You can also contact your local nursery/garden center for some advise as well. Contact your local Extension office to get additional information. These folks are good resources are offer unbiased information.
If the tree is newly planted, then it may be experiencing some stress getting acclimated to the new surroundings.
Steve
