Spruce Needle Casts
We have a question here, ‘I bought a Blue Spruce from your store about two years ago I’m really impressed with it. Question is, do I need to worry about the needle cast?’
Most of the spruce varieties we sell, there’s one called Baizan and Hoopsii and Bacheri are resistant. I would say most of the last 10 years we quit carrying the old-fashioned Colorado. Now we did bring it back in this year for the first time in a decade.
These are all resistant varieties to the needle cast. It’s your best bet to have a blue spruce but not have to experience the issues from the needle cast. There is nothing in the blue spruce family that is completely impervious to it, to my knowledge.
Keeping it healthy is a big part, kind of like us, you know, if we get wore down or we’re hungry, we’re not eating right, our diet’s poor, we’re more likely to get sick. It’s very same in the plant world. Keeping the plant healthy, fertilize it once a year with all-seasons fertilizer. If we have a long drought in the summer, give it a drink every once in a while.
The spruce is very drought tolerant, but if we go three months with no rain or any substantial rain, it wouldn’t hurt to water a newer established plant. Then you’re going to resist the possibility of getting that needle cast by trying to keep the plant healthy in the environment conducive to growing.
Now will that tree develop a skirt around the bottom? All of the evergreen spruce trees, their branches grow down towards the ground. Some people will try to keep them trimmed up so they’re not touching the ground because that can encourage less air movement. The less air movement that happens, the more likely fungal problems can happen.
So that’s just two people looking at a painting and having a different opinion. Some people limb them up, some people let them lay onto the ground. It’s really up to you on how you choose to do this. It will probably develop one over time either way.
Interested in a Blue Spruce for your yard? Stop on in to either one of our locations and we’ll direct you to the right one for your property. Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call one of our two locations: Portage (330-499-0101) or Everhard (330-492-1243).
