sick blue spruce?

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lovepat906 Havre De Grace, MD Oct 28, 2015

this has just showed up on my 36yo blue spruces.
What is it and what should I do?

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Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Oct 28, 2015

Has anything changed from the usual cycle?
Summer drier than normal, or so wet the soil cannot dry out?
Anything else different?

I would continue looking at the plant.

Start with the dead or dying parts, and follow them back toward the main trunk. Look for a small hole, or a swollen area. Peel the bark off in the area where the tree seems to have died, and see if the wood under it looks like there is a groove, or series of channels.
This could suggest that a female bug has laid eggs under the bark, and some baby bugs have been tunneling around under the bark. This stops the flow of sap beyond the place where they tunnel, and the twig dies from that point out. When the babies are mature, they tunnel out, leaving an exit hole. For more info, look up Twig Girdlers and Borers that may be found in your area, and that target conifers. Some are very specific and only eat one species of plant, but most specialize in a group of related plants. So look for Girdlers etc. that may attack pine, fir, spruce and other trees.

Another possibility is some kind of disease, but you would have to check with a local expert who knows the diseases in your area. Department of Agriculture, or University Extension offices are good places to start.

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