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Spruce needle drop #923447

Asked January 08, 2026, 7:03 PM EST

I have 12, 17', 20 year old Spruce trees in Isanti County, MN. These trees are losing they're needles and branches are dying one tree at a time. This has been happening for a year now. I thought it was from the drought but I have watered and fertilized them but they still are dying one by one. I am close to Wolcyn Nurseries which has a great reputation at the MN State Fair and had them come out to estimate replacement and they mentioned they had some kind of disease at their farm that requires treatment in Spring. I do not want to replace any until I find the cause. Please help me determine what is at fault so I can prevent the death of further trees.

Isanti County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hello Mark,  Your photos are very helpful, thanks for including them.  It  appears that the trees have a needle killing disease.  I am not an arborist and cannot diagnose tree diseases.  I recommend that you have a certified arborist assess the trees for diagnosis and hopefully a treatment.  There are 2 large companies, Davey and Rainbow, that showed up when I googled certified arborists in Isanti county and some other companies that appear to be local to you.  As in seeking a medical diagnosis from a physician you may want to get the opinion of 2 arborists from different companies.

For future reference;  You may want to hold off on fertilizing your trees.  I have read that this practice may interfere with interactions between soil fungi and the tree roots.

Joan Replied January 12, 2026, 12:28 PM EST

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