Red Spruce

Picea rubens

Pinaceae · coniferous tree · native

Last updated April 25, 2026

Quick Facts

Height

80 ft

Spread

10-18 ft

Growth Rate

Moderate

Light

Part Shade

Soil

Wet Tolerant

Water

Moderate

Hardiness

Zone Zones 2a–8b

Origin

extends from eastern Quebec to the Maritime provinces of

Cytospora CankerHigh

Spring Canker Activation

Damping-offHigh

Spring Sowing - Preemergence Damping-off Risk

RustHigh

Aecial Stage (Alternate Host)

Cooley spruce gall adelgidHigh

Spring Feeding

+ 3 more — see full disease and pest lists below

Phenological Calendar

Stage	Typical Window	What to Look For
New growth flush BBCH 11	Feb 15-Mar 15	Lighter-colored new growth visible at branch tips; yellow-green needles on sterigmata (woody pegs)
Pollen release BBCH 61	Apr 1-Apr 30	Male strobili releasing pollen (yellow clouds visible on calm mornings); female cones enlarging
Pollen shed complete BBCH 69	Apr 15-May 15	Male strobili fading; female cones actively enlarging
Cone development BBCH 71	Jun 1-Aug 31	Pendulous cones enlarging, light brown to reddish-brown, small (3-5 cm)
Cone maturity and seed shed BBCH 85	Sep 1-Nov 30	Cones mature to reddish-brown (3-5 cm), fall intact to the ground; seeds dispersed by wind

Diseases: Regionally Documented (16)

Multiple genera (Melampsoridium, Thekopsora, Naohidemyces... Rust Rhizosphaera Needle Cast Oil Discoloration Of Foliage Botrytis Blight Abiotic or viral Bud Failure Cylindrocarpon spp. (now Ilyonectria spp.) Cylindrocarpon Root Rot Cytospora spp. (Valsa spp., Leucostoma spp.) Cytospora Canker Several soilborne Damping-off Drought Injury Heterobasidion occidentale Otrosina & Garbel Heterobasidion Root Disease Needle Distortion Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Phaeolus schweinitzii Schweinitzii root and butt rot Sparassis crispa (syn. S Sparassis Root Rot Fomitopsis officinalis, Porodaedalea pini, and other wood... Stem Decay Diaporthe vaccinii or Diplodia tip blight agents Tip Blight

Pests: Regionally Documented (15)

Elatobium abietinum Spruce aphid Pissodes strobi White pine weevil Oligonychus ununguis Spruce spider mite Coleotechnites piceaella Spruce needleminer Choristoneura fumiferana Spruce budworm Physokermes piceae Spruce bud scale Chionaspis pinifoliae Pine needle scale Orgyia pseudotsugata Douglas-fir tussock moth Adelges cooleyi Cooley spruce gall adelgid Dioryctria spp. Coneworm Cacoecimorpha pronubana Carnation tortrix Hemiberlesia ithacae Hemlock scale Lophocampa argentata Silverspotted tiger moth Cephalcia spp. Western webspinning sawfly Webworm

Data Maturity

Structured Multiple sources. Expert review underway.