She said to make sure to follow the label directions when applying a fungicide. She recommends spraying the tree with a fungicide when the (new) needles are coming out and are approximately half the size of the adult needles - then reapply two to three weeks later. … Also you can spray the tree with a fungicide, but if you don’t spray it at the right time, it’s not going to do anything.” At first, needles have a purplish hue, eventually turning brown and dropping, leaving dry, brittle twigs and branches. “So remove any lower limbs that have been dying back and remove the needles from the ground. “So early spring or late fall you want to remove any potential places the tree can get reinfected,” Cox said. “Typically what we will see is the damage in the lower limbs, which are typically ones we can reach,” she added.Ĭox said this is a good time of the year to treat any blue spruce suffering from the fungus. She said these preventive measures will keep the fungus from moving up the tree. In addition, it will help to remove any needles lying beneath the tree. “So one of the things the homeowner can do before the tree gets infected is to prune off those lower limbs and make sure they are not touching the ground,” Cox explained. But while the disease has become more and more visible in this region over recent years, it is treatable. Classic symptoms of the needle cast include: brownish purple discoloration and eventual death of the needles and branch. She said blue spruce typically have branches near the ground. It’s a soil born fungus.”Ĭox said the fungus can attach to the tree when it rains and water splashes onto bottom branches. “What you notice most is the lower branches die off. “If you take a magnifying glass … you can actually look at the needles and see little black specks on the bottom of the needles,” she said. She said the fungus clogs up the circulatory system of the tree.
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