I got a tiny dwarf Alberta spruce for Christmas, and it looked happy in January and February, and grew some new young branches. Recently, these new branches started to brown one after the other, while the soil seemed to be moist enough, and I did not change my care for the tree. As seen on the picture, drainage is secured.
The only thing that changed is more sunshine in my flat, that may raise the temperature with 1-2 degrees. I doubt that it is an insect, as I kept the tree inside all time. The temperature in my room is 22.5C (72.5F). It gets little direct sunlight though.
Although it is never freezing outside any more, I do not dare to transplant the tree or move it outside yet, until I get it back in shape. Should I aim for placing it outside (protected from UV) as soon as possible?
Please help, what could be the problem? I'm all in for saving it. Thanks a lot!
In winter Alberta spruce is not comfortable at home, there is little light, too warm and dry air. Alberta spruce tries to grow, but the conditions are not suitable for growth. For some time, growth takes place at the expense of the plant's reserves, then depletion sets in. It is advisable to restrain this growth with cool conditions.
You do not say what USDA zone you live in but the Dwarf Alberta Spruce zones are 3 - 8. If you are not in these zones your tree may not do well outside.
planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
You say that you got a 'tiny' Draft Alberta Spruce for Christmas but your tree looks like it is 3 to 4 feet tall (not including container. What measurement are you using for 'tiny'?
Also, your tree looks like it has much longer limbs than the dwarf tree generally has.
I'm only going by a couple of pictures so all of this could be 'how' I'm seeing the tree in the pictures.
I believe your place is too warm, probably does not have enough light and may need more air circulation. It is normal for a plant/tree to do okay during the first period of adjustment from one environment to another but then the new area 'hits' them and they may not be able to adjust.
Your plant needs to be slowly moved to the outside - by that I mean it needs to be exposed to the outside for several hours a day and then brought back inside and do this over a period of at least a week.
There seems to be some misconceptions about how much sun this particular tree needs as mine is in full sun (zone 8/9) most of the day and it is now about 5 years old.
"This tree performs best in full sun but will tolerate some shade."
"A Dwarf Alberta spruce tree grows best in full sun and well-drained acidic soil. It will tolerate some light shade but performs best in a spot with good air circulation, since it's dense foliage can trap moisture."
I have a link that has all of the information you need to know about growing your tree but please read it carefully so your tree will have a long healthy life.
www.thespruce.com/
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have an Alberta Spruce that has shed half of it's foliage. It looks like "pac-man" took a bite. Is there anything I can do to repair the missing area? Your help is much appreciated.
Hardiness Zone: 6a
By Mit from OH
I would take a picture and some sample foliage into a local nursery and ask them. Sounds like a fungus or other issue that needs treatment.
It could be winterkill, which means it was not watered deeply enough before the dry winter season. It could also be a disease. Either way, it most likely won't grow back so prune until you get to live wood.
All evergreen trees require nutrients, just like our lawns and flowers. You can often find fertilizer spikes specifically for evergreens at the garden centre (I like the Jobe's brand, WalMart here in Canada sells them). You put them under the drip line of the tree (where the furthest branches reach) and hammer them in to the ground. I believe that evergreens also need copper as a nutrient, not that you want to feed pennies to your trees (not very thrifty) but you might want to amend your soil with organic mulch or manure. I actually live in Alberta, which is zone 3 so maybe your climate is too mild (LOL!). A use for the dropped needles is to add them to your strawberries, it makes them taste more like wild strawberries. Good luck!
The top third of my alberta spruce is turning brown and losing needles. The bottom two thirds is green with new growth. The tree is about 4 years old and healthy until now. What can I do?
I treated my spruce for spider mites. How long after can I add water to the tree?
Thanks
I would wait at least 24 hours, as to not wash the pesticides away.
Water is important to keeping mites away as they feed on trees that are weak so keeping the tree strong is important. Unless the package for the treatment says otherwise, watering should resume quickly (if the package doesn't say, call the company who made the product and ask for their directions). Google the brand name + contact and a number or email should come right up.
Are you positive it was mites? We have had many issues with the spruce in our back and never saw insects, just the damage. This article is helpful to looking at the various causes of issues with these:
msue.anr.msu.edu/
Ours may be the cankers and we are trying the branch removal way first as I am adverse to pesticides (that is just me as we have a ton of wildlife in our back and we have a dog and small children as neighbors).
When we first thought it was bugs, we thought about introducing predictor bugs...but then changed our mind. To me that makes the most sense (survival of the fittest), but I couldn't find enough literature to make me comfortable that I wouldn't then open up a new can of worms so to speak.
This all said, if you have a college with an ag team or a home extension service, you may benefit from a call to them as treatment in your state may differ from treatment in PA where I am. They are very knowledgeable and usually the service is free and can be done with a call.
Good luck!!
We live in Alberta, zone 3-4. I have an Alberta spruce. Does this spruce need special treatment and covering for the winter?
By Bob
