Q: We have three blue spruce that are about 5 years old and late this summer we noticed needles were turning brown close to the trunk. Is this something we can treat? – Nicole H.
A: Although we discussed the situation a few weeks ago, similar questions keep coming, so I know it’s still on the minds of evergreen owners.
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The good news is that most evergreen photos show normal seasonal needle shedding, which usually begins late summer through autumn. It’s more visible and pronounced this year on many trees.
Unlike deciduous, leafy-type trees that shed all their leaves annually, evergreens hold onto their foliage for multiple years. Although we call them “evergreens,” the needles don’t cling on forever, instead they cycle out as they age.
Spruce trees maintain their needles for about five to seven years. Some spruce species and pine-type evergreens hold needles up to 10 years before dropping, according to University of Saskatchewan and Colorado State University.
Evergreens don’t drop all their needles at once, creating a bare tree, instead, the older inner needles cycle out, due in part to interior shading, with newer, outer needles remaining.
This normal cycling out of n...