Dwarf alberta spruce tips brown - bugs?

4 years ago

I am helping an elderly neighbor with her plants and noticed this today on all three of her DAS's. Must be some kind of bug. These plants are 3 years old. The first year, I was treating spider mites on one of them, but year 2 they were all fine. Got thru the winters with no winter burn. Now this spring I find these eaten (?) tips. The last pic is trying to get a pic of all three of them in a row. The damage is worse, foreground to background. I wish I knew how long it has been like that. No clue.

Diagnosis tips? Treatment tips? I gave a quick panic spray with Bayer Rose & Flower Insect Spray, but I know I should get a better diagnosis before willy-nilly spraying.

I am thinking about a soil drench of Bayer Tree & Shrub systemic.... Contact spraying going to be tough with the dense foliage.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
still the mites...

when you are sure they wont bud out.. in a few weeks ... just trim out the dead ... they will releader ...

and every other week or so.. just blast them with the hose to reduce mite populations ..

bayer is a thought if properly labeled for the problem ... though a bit of overkill ....

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
Looks like spruce sawfly damage. Read up......the instructions and treatment will be much different from that of mites (which seldom ever will show a specific concentration of damage).
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WendyB 5A/MA
Original Author
4 years ago
Yikes! I once had sawfly damage on a mugo pine. I think it didn't end well. I forget.

Will investigate. Thanks.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
this is winter damage in the cold north ...

the tissue was minimally damaged last year.. and didnt brown until winter sucked all available moisture out of the damaged tissue ...

this is just darn common in my z5 MI ...

you have 2 suggestions now.. figure it out before you freak out or start treating such...

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
Since DAS are fully hardy all the way down to zone 2, it hardly seems likely that a comparatively balmy zone 5 is going to cause them much concern :-) What you could be able to see in zone 5 is winter burn or foliage that is exposed to winter sun and/or strong winds will dry and discolor turning a goldy-brown. But it will not be limited to just a few branch tips but the entire side with that exposure.
WendyB 5A/MA
Original Author
4 years ago
I've seen winter burn in DAS. This is not that. I contacted local extension service for treatment options

Not freaking out.

Thanks.