Question: My beautiful 50+ year old blue spruce is dying from the top. It's over 50 feet high and it's slowly turning brown and dead from the top down. Is this a natural death? It's about 10 feet from my neighbors' driveway and they use a lot of lawn and other chemicals and leave their trucks idling in the driveway. One of my lilac bushes nearby has already died, from the exhaust fumes, I suspect. Help, please.
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Shirley from Kenosha County, WI
Answer: According to the University of Minnesota Extension Agency, when grown in our Minnesota (zones 3 and 4), the Colorado blue spruce " grows fast, lives hard and dies young" (at the ripe old age of 30). If yours tree is 50+ years old, I would say it has lived a wonderfully full life. Still, you're in zone 5 (like parts of Colorado), so it's possible that your tree could expect to enjoy a longer lifespan (up to 200 years in some cases). Your description of needle death from the top down doesn't sound like any blue spruce diseases I'm familiar with.
That said, there is some new mystery disease showing up in black, blue and white spruce tree across Minnesota and Wisconsin this year. Needle drop and chlorosis (lightened needle color) are two of its symptoms, but I'm unclear as to whether of not the disease progresses from the bottom of the tree to the top (as happen in most cases), or if the reverse is true. You might want to take a picture, and if possible snip off a portion of a dying branch and submit it to the University of Wisconsin Extension Agency for testing. http://www.uwex.edu
Like animals, all trees do eventually grow old and die. As they get older, they become more susceptible to storms, disease and pests, which ultimately take their toll. Unlike animals, vital functions are not controlled by a central nervous system. Instead, vital functions in trees are decentralized. This means that a large part of the tree can die off (and routinely it does), without the entire tree being killed off.
My best advice is to call in a professional arborist. Contact your country extension agency for recommendations.
Good luck!
Ellen
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RE: Old Blue Spruce Tree Is Dying
Thanks very much, Ellen. This tree has a lot of sentimental as well as environmental value to me. I'm relieved to know that this might not kill the whole tree, but I can see it progressing down the trunk. Right now it's gone about 10 feet down from the top. I'll call the extension office, but I won't be able to get a sample from 40 feet up. I really appreciate your expert advice.
RE: Old Blue Spruce Tree Is Dying
also don't know if this would apply in this situation or not. but on a houseplant when the newest growth (or top portion) was dieing it meant the plant was getting too much water! and the old growth was turning brown it was underwatering!! this is barring that there wasn't spider mites or the like. but i read this in a plant book one time and found it really held true. another sign of underwatering was the soil pulling away from the side of the pot.
RE: Old Blue Spruce Tree Is Dying
Good ideas both. Thanks so much.
Shirley
RE: Old Blue Spruce Tree Is Dying
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Post By (Guest Post)
(09/25/2006)
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It might have been struck by lightning...good luck..Jannie
RE: Old Blue Spruce Tree Is Dying
Go to your garden center and buy some Miracle-Gro. We had a huge arborvitae that had leaves that turned brown from using too much rock salt. Follow the directions on the box and hopefully your tree will be revived. Lots of Luck!! sewingmamma
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