^^

What she said. Impossible to tell without pics, but google rhizosphaera needle cast in blue spruce. You are likely living on borrowed time in my experience. And no, the damaged areas don’t grow back.

I thank you both very much! It was so small and a shrub when first bought. I read that the ball or globe eventually turns into a cone-shape when it matures. So this disease is the beginning of the end? I'm surprised it lasted this long. Gosh, my neighbor has 4 of them in the small globe stage.

Thanks again,

Julyguy

I just google the needle cast and looks like what I have. I sprayed it with Bayer that I had on hand but is meant for pests not fungus. So wasted time on that. Thank you both again, appreciate it. Now that I have it, what would the best treatment be?

A confined area makes things even worse because there's not enough air circulation to help combat the fungus. Can't help you with a formula.

With further reading it sounds like July is too late to treat with a fungal remedy, the best time in the spring, but another report said late August/early September. Anyone have any experience with treatment timig? Thank you again!

I didn’t treat mine as the tree was quite tall, and I felt it was too ugly to save by the time I understood what was happening. So I opted to remove instead. Maybe someone else can help regarding treatment options.

The fact these continue to be sold anywhere, bar the intermountain west where they belong, sadly tells you all you need to know about the American nursery industry as a whole. Perfectly happy to take advantage of people's ignorance. They are absolute trash. They are particularly bad in the more humid parts of the mid-Atlantic like my locale. I have about 3 in my neighborhood that are huge eyesores and I'm flabbergasted people don't cut them down. About 80% dead twigs. Utterly hideous. Yet I see them for sale every spring at the nearby Lowes and HD!

conifers are trees ... and basically.. they never stop growing ...

this one has a proclivity to stay in a ball shape .. hence the proper name ... Picea pungens 'Globosa'

since they are cheap ... you wouold be best off.. just bing done with this one.. and if you wish ... just buy another ... though i agree with the other peeps ... its just a future problem ...

my bottom line is the old cost benefit ratio .. is it really worth it to spend 20.. 50 ... bucks.. whatever.. to try to save a 15 dollar plant ..????

shearing is very time specific ... its addressed here: https://conifersociety.org/conifers/learn/designing-with-conifers/

but frankly.. imo.... you should have started the process with a young plant... it might be very hard to institute such on an older mature plant ...

and besides.. it already has the other problems.. so just be done with it ..

july and august is not really tree planting time for most of the US ... so work on removing it .. and replacing it in fall or early next spring ...

with a pic or 2 of the spot.. we might be able to make suggestions ... most of my large collection came mail order .. so dont settle for just what the bigbox might offer ... especially if you have a limited space .. get a tree that will fit that space for decades ...

ken

I just started , this year , spraying my ( 6 ) different Picea pungens with Draconil

will have to see if this helps at all

this disease is getting worse year after year

and yes , a 'Globosa can be pruned

in his book , Adrian Bloom talks specifically about pruning one

ron

mine

All your comments as so valuable. I learn every time I submit a question. The Globe Blue Spruce has some meaning, as it was my mom's purchase and her favorite but she has passed on now. So I want to keep it as long as it is feasible. I took a sample to Purdue University Extension for them to give a diagnosis and suggestions. It probably will be what you all have said but for 3 dollars it is worth it. 98 % of the globe still looks fabulous. From the street you can't tell, but of course I do, so am bothered by it. I might trip the bottom branches which are laying on the landscaping stone. Maybe it will give it more ventilation as someone noted. And I can get rid of the damaged limbs since they aren't coming back.

Thank you all again,

Julyguy

this used to be the go to blue plant in front of every mc donalds in mi... a decade back or so ... they sheared them every year .... but i am pretty sure.. they sheared them in spring .. not summer .. and i think they sheared them like pines ... when new growth was soft.. so new buds could set ... if in fact.. the landscape dude actually knew what he was doing .. other than just shearing every plant in front of the store ... lol ...

ken

I will look into Dracanil. I read about that somewhere also. Mine looks much like Plantkiller's.

LOL!! That would be Daconil :-) Much easier to find when spelled correctly.

Just seeing who is paying attention!

no,no dracula makes mine

ronha

Maybe I'm getting it mixed up with a french product.