The color is way off. Did you check around the trunk for damage or any other type of infestation?

Was the soil ever waterlogged or water standing?

conifers hold there leaves... needles one season to 3 ... and then they are shed ...

the oldest needles are interior ... and the oldest .. so those are the ones that are normally shed ...

shedding is increased by any significant stresses .. like large transplants... harvesting from a growing field.. severe winter.. severe drought.. etc.. etc ...

so this is not surprising with your huge transplants ... they are stressed .. and probably will be for a few years to come.. until they regrow the root mass for the size ...

your only option is to water properly for two or three years ... which is defined as a depp drink.. with near drying before the next deep watering ... you have to insure you get moisture down to where the roots are.. not just surface spraying .... your soil type is part of this equation ... see primer link below ...

they are stressed.. not hungry.. fert is not a response ... if ever ...

many of us would have recommended smaller transplants ... just less stress all around ... and smaller often outgrow the larger in 5 to 10 years ... aka tree time ... but that is hindsight ... and btw.. if i planted volume.. it wouldnt surprise me to have a lose or two .. its just the odds .. we never know what went on in digging the big plant ... and sometimes they just dont get enough roots ...

the future is all in the buds.. and next years spring push .... that is when we will have a better idea of future success ... and this is also why interior shedding just isnt a big deal ...

keep them properly watered.. and good luck

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

ps: i dont know about the off color comment .. lol .. might be.. or it might be a camera trick ... the grass behind kinda looks off also.. so i might tend toward the camera issue???? .. who knows.. we will know better next spring ...

wait.. they have been in the ground a few weeks.. or a full year???

I agree with the transplant issues. Roots getting chopped on a larger tree that comes through winter fine then the tree decides there's not enough roots to support everything on top. The lower branches are what suffers first and damage was already noticeable early last summer.

Also agree with the new growth, in the next couple of years, covering all that up, unless the branch is completely dead. But I've had spruce branches that look dead and then put out new growth from dormant buds the following year.

If it continues to decline next season, the it could be something else but that looks completely normal for a large transplant that was root chopped, handled roughly or got too dry at some point.

bill

To clarify.. they were planted November 2017, 1 year ago.

Surprisingly, no real signs of any transplant shock. They all flushed out in spring, and what seemed like another smaller growth in late summer. This is a recent issue.

I planted 7 Blue Spruce, and the 7 Norways. Lost 1 Blue Spruce this spring to an obvious fast downhill death. It has since been replaced, just recently. All others seem good until this browning on the one norway.

13 or even 12 out of 14 isn't a bad success ratio. But I wouldn't panic yet. It could be the inner branches that are browning were already getting low on sun hours and when planted got situated on the north side so now are not getting enough light. Spruce needles, when dying, can take a while before they show browning.

Not much you can do now anyways, just see what they do in the spring and replace it if it doesn't show any promise.

Unless I’m seeing things with the color, this is not transplant shock. That would have manifested over this past winter or in the spring.

Root rot or mites would be the things I’d be looking into. In either case not much you can do now.

Surprisingly, no real signs of any transplant shock.

==>>> thinking in tree time ... years or decades ... why is this not some form of transplant shock??? ... im furthering a conversation.. not pontificating ... what do you think??

a large percent of the roots were cut off ... it had enough stored energy for spring flush ... watering wasnt too bad ... but by late summer ... the stresses started to show???

btw: how much leader growth did you get the spring after planting??? .. that is usually an indication of vigor ...

anyway.. the stress is still the interior or older leaves .. and not that bad.. as of right now ...

i cant speak to whass' issue

ken

BIG question ... how much did you water this year ,, and how ?

ron

The lighter color looks exactly like the two large spruce I transplanted from the woods fall before last. The lower half was much lighter and some branch tips browned. I moved one of them again, a year ago last August, same light green at the bottom intensified this year with brown tips on lower inside branches.

Just saying.

Yes, a dry spell this summer could have the same or increase the effect.

bill

I'd agree its possible part of the root system could have died off and/or is struggling to uptake the necessary nutrients based on the original root system compromise of digging up the tree. That would further manifest later based on for example, heat, drought, winter winds, excess moisture.

More on mites

https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/spruce-spider-mite

https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/why-do-white-spruce-trees-show-interior-needle-discoloration/

Yes, it's sure worth checking out.

If it doesn't look better next spring, probably is something else bothering it.

Thanks whaas.