[kevin]

I've got this 20year old white spruce in the front lawn that's been vibrant as anything for the 4yrs I've lived here. Late this summer, seemingly out of now where it's gone to hell in a handbasket. It's lost needles from the ground, almost to the top seemingly faster than we could even notice that something was up. Its got lots of vines that have climbed it from the ground to the top; but nothing else unusual. we've cut and pulled vines today in case that's the problem, but no clue really.

[AlpineZone]

If clearing out around it doesn't solve your problem you might talk to a landscaper, arborer or look it up on the internet to see if that species of tree might have a disease that can be identified or an unwanted species of bugs.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by AlpineZone

If clearing out around it doesn't solve your problem you might talk to a landscaper, arborer or look it up on the internet to see if that species of tree might have a disease that can be identified or an unwanted species of bugs.

did some internet research; there are some specific ailments we are gonna check out. it's quite cleared out after an hour w/ the woodman's pal and a firesteel induced bonfire out back. hopefull it can breath now and that was the problem.

[snowshoe67]

Kevin,
Have a arborer's take a look at it, a disease hit a few spruces in Maine a few month ago. Alpine is right they will check for bugs!!!!!

[Dick]

Spruce, like every other tree, have a number of pathogens that will kill them. Given the rapid rate of it’s decline it rules out a few.
Biological:
Root diseases tend to be slower and you should see a gradual loss of vigour, discolouring of the needles, and some “weeping” of pitch from the stem (lower). The exception is when other trees, with root rot have been felled adjacent to your tree. The root fungus “flashes” with all the new (undefended) food (roots) and will be more vigourous / rapid.
Any kind of weeping indicates a possible fungal infestation.

Bark beetles will kill a spruce tree in short order. In that case you should see sawdust accumulating in the cracks of the bark and at the base of the tree.
Take one of your many knives and scrape the bark off. You will be able to see the excavations (galleries) if not the insects or larva themselves.

Abiological:
Maybe your neighbour didn’t like it and poisoned it. Don’t laugh, it happens.

If roots are buried by landscaping they can suffocate.

Excessive road salt, or other chemicals / elements, can create an imbalance and the tree will not be able to get all of the right nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies can take many years to manifest, but not long to kill.

A break in a water main, or some other kind of drainage alteration, can flood the root, causing the tree to suffocate.

If your neighbour was doing some landscaping maybe he damaged the roots enough that they could no longer sustain the tree.

Excessive water or drought can kill a tree, but it takes a really bad drought to impact a large tree with deep roots.

Other:
Sometimes the tree is weakened by one factor and finished off by another. A tree that can normally live with a little fungal infection may succumb if stressed in some other way.

That’s all i can think of.

[kevin]

thanks for such informative post, Dick. I checked and found no evidence of bug infestation. now that I've cleared all the vines and weeds, should I water it, or give it some fertilizer or something to increase chances of survival (if of course the weeds/vines were the problem and not something I can't see)

[vthompson]

Kevin,
You may also want to call your local county extension agent and see if there are similar problems with other homeowners in your area. You can also tell him/her what you told us and they may be able to help you further.

[Dick]

For some reason i was left with the impression that the tree was already dead. So it only has needles at the top of the tree?

In heavy shade, as a tree matures the crown will lift naturally. But this usually only happens in dense forest like conditions. I assume the vines were next to the stem, so that’s not likely to be the situation.

Most conifer needles only live for about 4 or 5 years and then abscise (turn colour and fall off). But you should still have 4 years worth of green needles on the branches.

There is a fungus that causes needle cast, which will infest new growth but it won’t turn the needles colour until the following growing season, so you should have at least one year of green needles at the tips of the branches if that is the case.

If you had a deep and persistent snow pack, the needles can essentially rot in the wet snow of the spring. This would be below the snow line though.

You have to be careful with fertilization. The best bet is to find a place that will analyse the needles for nutrients to see if there are any deficiencies. You could get one of those soil testing kits. The problem with the kits is they don’t test for nutrient deficiencies except maybe N, P, and K. They test soil pH also.
The reason you have to be careful with fertilization is that if, for instance, you have a boron deficiency (common here) and add N, P, and K you will potentially exacerbate the problem. Alternately, because of the boron deficiency, you will get no result what so ever from fertilizing.

As far as watering goes, i would only water if i suspected drought as the damaging agent. Generally with drought you will see the tips of the branches and the leader drooping, and the needles tend to turn brown at the extremities of the tree and branches...top down. It doesn’t sound like drought.

If you take some picks (whole tree, and branches) i might be able to narrow it down a bit.

Are you on sewage or do you have septic with a drainage field?

P.S. It's very unlikely that vines and brush would kill the tree, although some plants (black walnut?) are allelopathic, which means they produce a toxic chemical that kills other plants roots, thereby giving them the competitive advantage.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by Dick

For some reason i was left with the impression that the tree was already dead. So it only has needles at the top of the tree?

In heavy shade, as a tree matures the crown will lift naturally. But this usually only happens in dense forest like conditions. I assume the vines were next to the stem, so that’s not likely to be the situation.

Most conifer needles only live for about 4 or 5 years and then abscise (turn colour and fall off). But you should still have 4 years worth of green needles on the branches.

There is a fungus that causes needle cast, which will infest new growth but it won’t turn the needles colour until the following growing season, so you should have at least one year of green needles at the tips of the branches if that is the case.

If you had a deep and persistent snow pack, the needles can essentially rot in the wet snow of the spring. This would be below the snow line though.

You have to be careful with fertilization. The best bet is to find a place that will analyse the needles for nutrients to see if there are any deficiencies. You could get one of those soil testing kits. The problem with the kits is they don’t test for nutrient deficiencies except maybe N, P, and K. They test soil pH also.
The reason you have to be careful with fertilization is that if, for instance, you have a boron deficiency (common here) and add N, P, and K you will potentially exacerbate the problem. Alternately, because of the boron deficiency, you will get no result what so ever from fertilizing.

As far as watering goes, i would only water if i suspected drought as the damaging agent. Generally with drought you will see the tips of the branches and the leader drooping, and the needles tend to turn brown at the extremities of the tree and branches...top down. It doesn’t sound like drought.

If you take some picks (whole tree, and branches) i might be able to narrow it down a bit.

Are you on sewage or do you have septic with a drainage field?

P.S. It's very unlikely that vines and brush would kill the tree, although some plants (black walnut?) are allelopathic, which means they produce a toxic chemical that kills other plants roots, thereby giving them the competitive advantage.

septic, but it's on the other side of the house. I'll take some pics. still needles at top. thanks for your help!

[kevin]

here's the pics of the tree. dick, you really knew a lot about this stuff, maybe the pics will provide a clue as to whats going on.