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Needle Cast, Collingwood, ON

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Are your spruce needles falling off?

Needle cast diseases are harmful to trees and their vitality, and they can hamper a tree’s ability to provide beauty and ecological benefit to the area around it. Most commonly, Colorado Spruce trees are the most susceptible to Needle Cast diseases. Right now, we continue to find two needle cast diseases the Colorado Spruce are experiencing here in our region: Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii and Stigmina lautii.

Needle Cast in Collingwood, Ontario

Both of these needle cast diseases contribute to the needle loss we are seeing on spruce trees throughout the Collingwood, Ontario area. When left untreated, the trees eventually decline and need to be removed from the area. Luckily, we have had very good suppression success with a 2-year tailored fungicide application program. Following this 2-year fungicide application program, we would assess the tree’s health and advise the property owner of future care for their trees.

If needles are falling off your spruce trees due to a needle cast disease, pruning of any dead twigs and branches should be performed. The removal of this interior dieback and dead branches improves airflow within the plant and increases sunlight into the interior to encourage sprouting of new growth within the trees. Additionally, Cytospora canker, which is often associated with Colorado spruce, needs to be pruned out of the tree before it spreads further. If left untreated, these cankers will also lead to more needle and branch failure and the eventual decline of the tree.

If you have a sick spruce on your property with falling needles that shows signs of a needle cast disease, our team at WillowStone can provide further information about our fungicide application program and assess the health of your tree. Contact us today.


At WillowStone, we can help treat needle cast tree diseases for residents of Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Wasaga Beach, Meaford, and Thornbury, Ontario.