Why is my Serbian spruce dying?
It could be that your tree succumbed to a fungal disease. Serbian spruce is susceptible to needle cast, a disease caused by the fungus Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii.
How do you identify a Serbian spruce?
Identification is made easy by its unique habit and needle characteristics. Serbian is one of the few spruces with flat needles like a hemlock, not the four-sided needles of most spruces. The short, ½ inch to 1 inch long needles are lustrous dark green above while the underside has two broad, white stomatal bands.
Why are the needles on my Serbian spruce turning yellow?
Less commonly, Serbian spruce may fall prey to canker or needle rust. Needle rust causes needles to drop after first turning yellow or rust-colored in the spring. Canker may cause sunken, dead areas to occur on the lower branches of the tree, eventually moving up to higher branches.
How tall does a Serbian spruce tree get?
Plant it as a lawn specimen, or in a group of three trees across a lawn or on the edge of a wooded area, to be seen from a distance. Mature trees can be 50 or 60 feet tall, and just 20 feet or so wide. This tree is an excellent choice for a larger urban garden, and it is almost extinct in the wild.
What to do if your Serbian spruce has needle cast?
Destroy infected branches and sterilize pruning equipment to keep the disease from spreading to healthy trees nearby. To help prevent needle cast, keep the area around the tree weed-free, and apply preventive fungicide if the tree consistently seems to contract the fungus.
What kind of bugs are on Serbian spruce?
Pests include bagworms, which web sacks in the branches filled with needles and debris,and aphids and spruce budworm larvae, both of which feed on new buds and needles. Bagworms can usually be plucked off by hand, while smaller pests may be washed off with a direct stream of water.
How tall does a Serbian spruce tree grow?
Related Articles. Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) is an evergreen tree native to the Balkans that grows to a height of between 40 to 60 feet, with a spread of between 15 to 20 feet. The tree boasts a narrow, pyramidal habit that does not require pruning to maintain its graceful shape.
Less commonly, Serbian spruce may fall prey to canker or needle rust. Needle rust causes needles to drop after first turning yellow or rust-colored in the spring. Canker may cause sunken, dead areas to occur on the lower branches of the tree, eventually moving up to higher branches.
Destroy infected branches and sterilize pruning equipment to keep the disease from spreading to healthy trees nearby. To help prevent needle cast, keep the area around the tree weed-free, and apply preventive fungicide if the tree consistently seems to contract the fungus.
Pests include bagworms, which web sacks in the branches filled with needles and debris,and aphids and spruce budworm larvae, both of which feed on new buds and needles. Bagworms can usually be plucked off by hand, while smaller pests may be washed off with a direct stream of water.
