norway spruce slow death-advice please

10 years ago

hello:

in the fall of 2011 i planted a good quality 5'-6' b&b Norway spruce purchased from a reputable nursery. the soil was not the best as it was at the edge of a newly constructed road, so i amended it as best i could with fresh top soil, peat moss etc.

in the spring of 2012 it was slow in blooming but eventually did, by the end of last summer the bottom quarter was starting to turn brown and die. it survived the winter but now the dry/dead area has expanded to the bottom half, however the rest of the tree is starting to bloom.

all the basics are accounted for, watering,mulch, fall fertilization etc.

please see the picture, any ideas? why such a seemingly long and drawn out death?

Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
ball and burlap or potted ...???

if BB ... there is no way to tell if the root mass was slaughtered at digging ...

we would have never recommended amending the soil .. nor fertilizing a stressed tree ...

but my best bet.. would be.. lack of deep moisture.. thru the whole root mass ....

how did you water these things ... what was your protocol???/ ...

i cant focus on the buds ... so i dont know how to predict its future ... but let me suggest.. that when this thing is 30 feet tall.. like the one in my backyard ... that little damage on the bottom is not going to matter .. one whit ...

i dont understand the curb in the pic.. but when it is 30 feet tall ... it will be 15 to 20 feet wide.. by which time.. you will have to have trimmed it up ... so what difference will it make ...

i would wait to see how it buds out.. remove any dead material... insure proper watering.. deep thru the root zone ....

and i would check to make sure its not telephone poled.. i dont see the root flare ...

good luck

ken

ps: what does your nursery man say?????
gw409
Original Author
10 years ago
the tree was BB not potted and the root ball was large, as far as i could tell it did not look damaged but who knows?
the tree is not "telephone poled" as i try to be vigilant about that in my new plantings. the area is mulched so the crown of the root ball is not clearly visible, however the one irregularity concerning the root ball was one large "veined" root which is visible at the bottom center of the picture, but i don't know if that would be a critical issue here ?

my method for watering is usually to scratch my finger into the soil and probe for moisture and water accordingly.
the area is kept mulched.

as you can see from the picture the tree is planted at the edge of a newly constructed road, in soil that consists of construction type back-fill of rocky /dusty soil, certainly not dark rich virgin soil, it is for that reason i tried to amend the soil as best as i could but to be honest i never felt comfortable with the soil quality given its close proximity to the edge of the road.

your theory on lack of deep watering interests me, could it be possible that although i feel moisture at the top of the soil the bottom could be on the dry side?

i always thought amending the soil for new plantings, at least with 25% peat moss was preferable? i also thought if a tree looks stressed that fertilizer would help? what biological mechanics are in play that cause that not to be helpful?

looks after cutting out the dead wood are not a concern for me, i can only wish the tree lives to reach 30'

thanks
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
well .. you seem to have done pretty good with most of the variables ..

take a hand trowel.. and dig down about 3 to 6 inchesd... near the edge of the root ball you planted.. and find out about moisture at depth.. its a lot better than guessing ...

and.. i dont understand why you want this monster right next to the new road ...

i have had some pines.. which this isnt ... lose every needle after a hard transplant.. and bad winter...

the future is in the buds.. and you will have to wait for it to bud out.. to really understand the totality of any damage ...

ken
gw409
Original Author
10 years ago
Except for the roughly 25% of the tree thats brown and dead and slowly expanding the rest of the tree is blooming. Thats what makes puzzeling?

P
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
if you dig the hole.. perhaps your puzzle will disappear ...

also.. we will never know about digging.. shipping .. transporting and nursery abuse ... etc

BTW .. planted before or after the driveway??? could be exhaust fumes on large machines also ...

defining why certain browning occurs.. as you suspect.. may never be answered ...

but properly watered things do not brown for no reason .. hence my suspicions ..

ken
famartin
10 years ago
Chemicals/etc leaching in from the newly constructed road?

Winter treatments on said road?

Those are my only guesses.
botann
10 years ago
B&B means it was field dug. Did you leave the burlap on the rootball?
I think it's adjusting from being dug and transplanted. It will recover and as Ken says, those branches at the bottom won't be missed when cut after everything is sorted out.
Mike