how long planted ...

and i only see one stem with missing needles.. just off dead center toward 4 o'clock ...

did you happen to have a frost/freeze on the day the buds broke????

my plant looks a lot worse than that after a MI winter ...

and yes.. believe it or not.. a frost/freeze can sporadically hit a conifer ...

you have to email me thru my members page.. as you dont allow such .. as per that gold cone look alike ...

ken

Hi Barbara,

Something like that I wouldn't write home about, pardon the pun, as it happens to plants quite-often. It could be anything from too much water to too little water and I think that for you and in the long run, it's going to be fine.

Dax

Thanks guys, but I was embarassed to show how far this problem has progressed....

It could be sunburn if the needles naturally have a yellow pigmentation (i.e. 'Skylands'), or it might have too much water at its roots.
Is it in a container? If so, I think the latter is a likely possibility.

-Sam

I think Sam's got it. Looks like it's simply too bloody hot where you are trying to maintain Picea orientalis. What's the temperature of an average Summer day where you are? Before you midwest guys jump on this, it's my contention that a plant can survive a humid 105f easier that it can survive a searing-dry Western 105f.

In the tree's history, as it flushes and grows new foliage. Is that foliage nearly white by August? That's another sign.

~Dave

This conifer has been in the ground for around 5 years.
Our lowest temperature of 23F was early this year, but not for a sustained period of time and not during bud break.
The cultivar is not yellow, rather a bright green color.
Yes, we have long, hot, dry summers with low humidity. In Sunset's 'Western Garden' book the only Picea rated for our area is P. pungens, which is the only one I can grow in the sun, so heat just may be the issue. Come to think of it, the problem started occurring when some shade was lost after I limbed up trees that were on either side...and one of those trees was just remove due to disease.

Is the best option to try moving it to a cooler spot in the yard?

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

I had the same on a Golden Abies koreana and it was sunburn.

Wolfgang

for sure what they said.. especially the regional advice ....

but how big at planting..

how did it come.. what size pot/crate ...

is there any possibility.. that its root mass was abused on balling and burlapping???

for example.. in the extreme.. was it a 4 foot tree in a 5 gallon pot

or was it field grown.. and digging involved HOPING they didnt cut off 99% of its root mass on making the ball ...

unless you bare root things.. it will always remain a mystery as to what is underground.. until it dies.. and you bare root it then and find out ...

on some level.. one would have to respect its will to live... its only real failure is not that.. but its failure to live up to your expectations .... if you went a little more zen on your teenager... and quit complaining about how he isnt what you thought he would be .... your life together.. would be much better.. [though i appreciate you can get rid of a plant if you dont like it.. lol] ...

ken

Disaster! ;(

Chalk that up to finding a spot with afternoon shade.

Dax

"Chalk that up to finding a spot with afternoon shade"

Then hope that it will survive the transplanting if you go for it.

With April already upon us I would screen it this year and transplant in the fall.

Dave

Planted from a 5 gallon pot too long ago for me to remember the condition of its rootball Ken! However I was new here on the forum and implementing bboy's advice to untangle roots and loosed up the rootball.

Dave's idea to screen it this summer and transplant in the fall sounds the best, though there will probably come day this spring when I get tired of looking at it and do something drastic.

The past few years have been spent watching and learning which conifers grow well here. Unlike many of you my zone pushing is about sun exposure, dry summer heat, and wind...not winter low temps. I did a bad job of choosing shade trees to plant 15 years ago too so we're slowly loosing them to diseases....or annoyance, which makes the yard even less hospitable to those that require shading.

Thanks so much for the help,

Barbara

I think i know the answer to my question but i will ask anyway...If Barbara gets the right water and shade combination down for her tree, will it fill back in on the original wood or will it take new branching to have the fullness it had before. And...with time will it happen or will it always have open bare areas where it was burnt?

I don't see any disease issues here.

That leaves me with three concerns regarding it's down hill trend.

Too much sun which I have already commented on and what I would do. First and foremost screening will give it a chance to stabilize before moving. If you move it in its weaken condition it will surely fail.

Root girdling. If indeed that is the case the plant is already slowly shutting down. Nothing you can do will reverse this process. I see indications this could be the problem. You can observe to some degree if and when you transplant it. Usually those constricting roots are to big to remove when discovered. Removing then will put the plant into shock. Been there and done that.

Too much water. I don't think this is the case with this plant. I do mention this because the characteristics your plant displays could be a result of this.

Again for what's its worth.

cat man

Original wood removed never regenerates to fill in bare spots caused by disease or removal of limbs. New growth is and extension of old growth at the end of last years growth. In time new growth could cover damaged ares left bare. It depends on damage and the cultivar you are growing. The best case scenario for cover up would be with your pendulous or weeping conifers.

Dave

Since this small tree is in a highly visible location, the decision was made to relocate the poor thing and move on. After being sprayed generously with Cloud Cover it was safely removed with the help of my husband and our farm tractor

The roots looked good...no circling or girdling....and we were able to dig what i consider to be a very generous B&B sized root mass. However, there were roots underneath it from an adjacent Juniperus scopulorum 'Tollenson's Blue Weeping', whose competition may have contributed to it's condition

Its new spot is close to the lawn, which will be cooler than the previous location by the driveway, plus is protected from the hot sun and wind by a large camellia and trees. I should have taken a photo, but this after digging, backfilling, and taking at least an hour to position it just-so this 'ol lady was too tired!

As to its survival, I'll hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Along with the learning experience there are three healthy rooted cuttings, so it will never be a complete loss.

Thanks for all the information and advice!
Now, what should I plant there next?

Barbara