[griffithtlc]

If anybody has any ideas whats going on with this evergreen tree Please help. The customer has a line of trees in her backyard and this is the only tree that looks like this. The rest are ok. The customer also said she had somebody else take a look at them and said that if the tree roots grow over a buried power line it can cause this? There is some buried power lines in her back yard. The pic shows the difference between the trees.
Could it be a lack of iron?

Any suggestions are appreciated. We are going to go back and take a soil sample and see what the ph is of the soil also.

 

[griffithtlc]

Here is a close up:
Again thanks for any help

 

[two_planks]

ITs hard to tell just from a picture. Testing the Ph is a good idea. Spruce trees need a highly acidic soil to thrive. It could be any number of problems ie. poor drainage (thus over watering), under watering, the brown tips suggest you might have some type of blight, or if there are little flecks of white out by the tips where the new shoots come together and some little thin spider web like material in the tree then you probably have spider mights. It could also be aphids. THe buried power line thing sounds a little hookie to me.

 

[P&C Lawn Care]

I doubt it is buried power lines. They don't like wet feet so could be a drainage problem. HOw long have the tree's been there? Could be something happened when it was put in the ground. I have some pines at a site that were planted (not by me) with twine around the stem and it grew and caused girdleing. Tree lasted maybe two/three years before it died. Many different things could have happened since it takes a long time for trees to respond. Could this be herbicide damage?

 

[griffithtlc]

When she talked about the power lines i thought that was pretty odd to. I have never heard of that before. Trees touch power lines that are above ground all the time and never seem to have a problem.

From talking to her again today there is a underground drainage that goes through her backyard. She lives at the end of a culdesac and she said when there is a hard rain, it all drains through her property. Drainage problem could possibly be it.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Norm Al]

it looks like it is planted to deep and is suffocating!

to deep will also make you think its drownding,,,,,

weedeater damage around the base of the tree?

red mites?

 

[tiedeman]

its probably a mite.

 

[pcnservices]

I've seen some of that before but in a very bad state and the problem were mites. Mites will eventually kill the whole tree.
If it is mites and you dont treat the problem fast enough your other trees can become host to the mites too.
PC

 

[WAGS LandL]

Take a sample of the branches to your local ag ext for an analysis.
The purplish color to the branches looks like it could be caused
by a fungus (possibly sphaeropsis/diplodia). I have also seen
firs look like that when there is a lack of magnesium in the soil.
The other suggestions are good as well. Oh, exept the underground power lines (sounds like a line of s&#@ to me).
Good luck.

 

[AustinCharles]

It looks like spider mites

try iceotox (sp)

 

[specialtylc]

It is possibe it is a type of root rot. Many times the trees are infected from the nursery. If it is, the other trees could all die with in a couple of years.

 

[sharpcutter]

Yep, spider mites.

 

[joshua]

spider mites, if it is you can test for them, take a white piece of paper and tap a dying branch on it and you will be able to see with a magnifing glass the bugs. little reds specs. running around. but like others have said it could be 1 of a dozen different things. take a clipping and a few pics of the tree to your local extensionist.

 

[two_planks]

Just spray paint it green......
I actually did a pruning estimate on a douglas fir today that has a few dead branches in it and another guy had told her to just spray paint the branches green.

 

[Phishook]

I'd say something happened to that tree if the others are all fine. Hard to say with just a pic. I've got an 1 Arb. that's dead as can be in a row of about 20. Turns out that you can't run into them at 8mph with a Z.

The soil, fungus, mites, or others would have some effect on the other trees too.

 

[On a call]

Just spray paint it green......
I actually did a pruning estimate on a douglas fir today that has a few dead branches in it and another guy had told her to just spray paint the branches green.

Better than painting a lawn

 

[Mark Oomkes]

Why is there no bed with mulch around the trees?

How many spruce trees do you see growing naturally in a field of grass?

 

[oqueoque]

And 13 years later, did it die?

 

[oqueoque]

Better than painting a lawn

How often do you have to paint a tree? Do they recommend Oil or Latex?

 

[Mark Oomkes]

And 13 years later, did it die?

Dangit..........I usually look at the dates, not this time. lol