How To Treat Cytospora Canker On Blue Spruce

The beauty of many ornamental spruce plantings has been destroyed by the fungus disease known as Cytospora canker. Cytospora Valsa canker caused by the fungus.

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Although cytospora canker is caused by fungi treatment with fungicides is not effective.

How to treat cytospora canker on blue spruce. Control of Cytospora Canker. It mainly infects blue and Englemann s. How to control Cytospora Canker.

Survey photo Table 1. Cytospora Canker on Spruce. Instead try using organic methods for control of cytospora canker.

Plant trees in a good site one that is well-drained and allows unrestricted growth as the tree matures. Cytospora canker can cause serious and unsightly damage to spruce trees. Though this disease commonly starts on the bottom branches you may find individual branches dying further up in the tree.

You may look to fungicidal sprays as a cytospora canker treatment but these are not effective and are not recommended by experts. If infected good tree health will slow the progress of the disease. Cytospora Canker Treatment for Spruce Trees.

Once trees are infected proper care by a Certified Arborist is your best bet for saving them. The problem may be Cytospora canker. The Davey Institute recommends maintaining the health and vitality of susceptible trees to manage the disease.

Other conifers reported as being susceptible to Cytospora or Leucostoma canker Common name Scientific name Black spruce Picea mariana Kosters blue spruce Picea pungens Oriental spruce Picea. Blue and Norway spruces are susceptible to a branch killing disease caused by the fungus Cytospora kunzei. There is no known cure for cytospora canker.

How to manage Cytospora canker in spruce trees. Plant Norway or white spruce instead of Colorado blue spruce. Plant spruce trees on sites with moist well-drained soil in full sun.

A dead branch in a spruce is often attributed to Cytospora but that is not always the case as was evident in a recent blue spruce sample. Prevention is easier than cytospora canker treatment. Fertilizing may also stimulate new growth that may fill in small vacant areas in the trees but large dead areas seldom fill back in.

Cytospora Canker of Spruce. Perhaps the easiest way to avoid Cytospora canker is to avoid planting Colorado blue spruce. Your blue spruce is just reaching maturity when suddenly needles start turning a purplish brown and eventually the branch dies.

Pecknold Extension Plant Pathologist. Since weakened trees are susceptible to this disease fertilizing to stimulate vigorous growth may help to combat Cytospora canker. This stem and branch disease is most common on Colorado blue spruce and Norway spruce but will also infect other spruce.

Healthy trees are less susceptible to cytospora canker. Cytospora Canker of Spruce. Trace the dead and dying tissue back to where it transitions to healthy.

How do I avoid problems with Cytospora canker in the future. If you do plant blue spruce allow adequate spacing between trees in new plantings. Plant tree species that are resistant to the fungus.

Drew Zwart PhD Plant Physiology. The Cytospora canker doesnt attack healthy undamaged bark so prevent mechanical injuries to roots trunk and limbs and reduce insect damage. Cankers sunken dead areas of bark and underlying wood form on the lower branches of the trees girdling small branches in one or two years and large branches after several years.

Adding mulch around trees increases overall health in many ways including reducing competition from turfgrass. Look closely at the dying branch. Cytospora canker on a Blue Spruce branch As with many diseases the best control for Cytospora canker is prevention.

For established trees judiciously prune branches to. Spruce trees grow well under these conditions and will have reduced stress as a result. Remove infected trees away from healthy trees.

A closer look will confirm your suspicions. Prune heavily infected branches during dry periods in the growing season or in late winter. Cytospora canker on spruce is usually i ndicated by conspicuous white deposits or encrustations of resin on the bark IL Nat.

Instead infected trees are treated to increase vigor properly remove infected parts and control the spread to other trees. Cytospora kunzei is the most destructive disease of spruce. This damaging stem disease is most commonly found on blue spruce but it also has attacked Norway spruce and hemlock.

Fungicide treatments are not recommended. Carefully scrape the bark at that transition looking for discoloration of the. Proper cultural practices including proper irrigation mulching and pruning can assist with reduction of tree stress and cytospora canker infection.

Fungicides are not very effective against the Cytospora canker so prevention is key to controlling the disease. Prune six to twelve inches beyond the canker.