What's eating my weeping norway spruce?

Weeping Norway Spruce faces its worst threat from spruce aphids, which can strip needles in late winter before damage is noticed. Eastern spruce gall adelgid causes pineapple-like galls at shoot bases. Spider mites attack in hot, dry summers. Deer and rabbits browse lower weeping branches in winter garden settings.

Needles yellow then drop from the inside of the canopy outward; damage peaks in late winter/early spring; severe attacks cause permanent thinning Apply insecticide (imidacloprid, bifenthrin) in autumn before temperatures drop; inspect undersides of needles from November onward; neem oil for lighter infestations

Pineapple-shaped green galls at shoot bases in spring; galls dry and persist; distorted growth tips Prune and destroy galls before adults emerge in late summer; imidacloprid soil drench or bark spray in early spring

Bronze or silvery stippling on needles; fine webbing in branch crevices; worst in hot dry summers Overhead watering to reduce dusty conditions; neem oil or bifenazate miticide spray; predatory mites in protected settings

Weeping branches browsed; bark stripped from trunk base in winter Tree guards on trunk; deer fencing or repellent sprays on lower foliage; wire mesh collar for rabbit protection