Blue spruces are characterized by their elegant blue shimmering needles. If these fall off in large numbers, the tree is probably not doing well. Below you will find out what can happen if a blue spruce needles and how you should react.
What to do if the blue spruce needles?
Find out why your blue spruce is needling. Common causes include pest infestation, a stress reaction after moving, drought, compacted soil and nutrient deficiency. An accurate diagnosis is essential in order to be able to take the right countermeasures and save the blue spruce.
What could be the reason if the blue spruce needles?
If your blue spruce is needling, it can have various causes:
- Pest infestation, especially by Sitka spruce lice, but also spider mites or bark beetles
- Stress reaction after implementation
- Drought due to lack of water or frost
- compacted, solid soil
- Nutrient Deficiency
How do I recognize a pest infestation on my blue spruce?
To determine whether your blue spruce is infested with pests, you should closely examine thebranches within your reach and look for characteristics that are typical of common uninvited guests. To do this, use a magnifying glass if necessary.
Little trick: Place a white sheet of paper in A4 format under the blue spruce. Then tap off the branches in the inner area. If you see small green insects on paper, your conifer tree is almost certainly suffering from an infestation of Sitka spruce aphids.
How can I help my needling blue spruce?
How you can help your needling blue spruce depends on the cause of needle loss:
- The best way to combat pests such as Sitka spruce lice and spider mites is to use specially designed sprays. If you have a bark beetle infestation, you may have to cut down the tree.
- If the blue spruce needles after transplanting, you usually don't need to do anything.
- If it is dry, you should water the tree more frequently and/or more heavily.
- If the soil is too dense, loosen it up.
- Appropriate fertilization helps if there is a nutrient deficiency.
Tip
Dry conditions possible in frosty temperatures
A blue spruce can suffer from drought and therefore needle, not only in summer. This risk also exists in winter when the ground is frozen. The tree then cannot absorb water from it. If the sun shines, moisture also evaporates through the needles. The result is dry damage.
