{"id":21800,"date":"2023-04-06T12:30:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T16:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=21800"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:42:20","slug":"early-season-samples-spruce-needle-loss-and-boxwood-leaf-spots-landscape-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/early-season-samples-spruce-needle-loss-and-boxwood-leaf-spots-landscape-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Season Samples: Spruce Needle Loss and Boxwood Leaf Spots – Landscape Report"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>

Figure 1: A spruce tree showing significant needle loss and dieback lower in the canopy.<\/p><\/div>\n

Purdue Landscape Report<\/a>: There have been a number of samples we have received at the PPDL in recent weeks that bear similar problems worth noting. It is still relatively early for significant in-season disease development due\u00a0to how cold it has been, although we have certainly had enough rainfall to encourage fungal growth. We have received multiple samples of spruce and boxwood which will be covered.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Since the start of the year, we have been received spruce samples showing needle thinning, browning, and loss in the lower canopy (Fig 1, 2, 3). If I said these are Colorado Blue Spruce, we could call it\u00a0Rhizosphaera<\/em>\u00a0and maybe call it a day, however, these samples are primarily from other species of spruce. An important thing to remember when it comes to evergreen conifers is that it takes time for symptoms to develop, whether due to disease or to abiotic factors. The majority of these branches lacked any discoloration within, suggesting that there was no infection and that the limbs were still living.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Last year, we had drought conditions during the summer throughout large parts of the state leading into the fall with below average precipitation (Fig 4). Since evergreen plants hold onto their foliage through the winter, desiccation can occur since they are still losing water to the air, especially when it is dry and windy. If these plants are not getting enough water going into winter, there is greater risk of winter injury or burn and needles may turn brown, especially near branch tips (exposed areas).<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>

Figure 2: Needle loss at or near branch tips.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Close<\/a>

Figure 3: Close up of needle browning and loss near spruce branch tips.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Irrigation during periods of hot and dry weather will mitigate drought stress, but irrigation may still be necessary in the fall to avoid needle desiccation. What about when trees of the same age, on the same property are showing different levels of severity or one tree is perfectly fine while the next is toast?<\/p>\n

I think it is important to remember each tree is an individual. We may see similar patterns in the landscape across the same tree species when stress is caused by environmental effects, but if the overall health of that tree when it was first planted, the amount of love and care, and the site conditions (soil, light, general water levels) are different, then the trees may have vastly different reactions to stress. Determining this 5 years after planting can be difficult for someone just walking into the situation, or when dealing with 30ft tall trees, but it is something we have to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>

Figure 4: Indiana Precipitation data, in inches of rainfall, from 2019 to present.<\/p><\/div>\n

For more images and full article view: Early Season Samples: Spruce Needle Loss and Boxwood Leaf Spots<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe and receive the newsletter: Purdue Landscape Report Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resources:
\n<\/strong>The Purdue Landscape Report<\/a>
\nPurdue Landscape Report Facebook Page<\/a>
\nFind an Arborist<\/a>\u00a0website, Trees are Good, International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
\nEquipment Damage to Trees<\/a>, Got Nature? Blog
\nTree wounds and healing<\/a>, Got Nature? Blog
\nTree Defect Identification<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
\nTree Pruning Essentials,\u00a0Publication<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Video<\/a>, The Education Store
\nShrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest<\/a>, The Education Store
\nTree Risk Management<\/a> \u2013 Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR
\nWhy Is My Tree Dying?<\/a> \u2013 Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources
\nID That Tree<\/a>, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube playlist
\nSubscribe to Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube Channel<\/a><\/p>\n

John Bonkowski<\/a>, Plant Disease Diagnostician
\nDepartments of Botany & Plant Pathology<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purdue Landscape Report: There have been a number of samples we have received at the PPDL in recent weeks that bear similar problems worth noting. It is still relatively early for significant in-season disease development due\u00a0to how cold it has been, although we have certainly had enough rainfall to encourage fungal growth. We have received […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,80,45,49,622],"tags":[1746,1745,67,895,71],"class_list":["post-21800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forestry","category-trees","category-howto","category-plants","category-woodlands","tag-boxwood-leaf-spots","tag-needle-loss","tag-plants","tag-purdue-landscape-report","tag-urban-forestry","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21800"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41161,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21800\/revisions\/41161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}