Hello. I live Northwest of Houston, so the climate is normally humid and it rains every so often. I own a Dwarf Alberta Spruce Pine Tree and recently the plant has been losing alot of its needles and I'm afraid it is going to die. I just replanted it this last winter and I feed it with azailia food, which it should do fine with. What is going wrong? Regards, Mattus
It can't cope with the heat and humidity you get. Houston is just too hot for it. Bear in mind it comes from Alberta, Canada!
Ok then. Should I move it inside? Let me tell you this though: I have kept it outside for 2 years and only now it has begun to do that! Hmm...
warm weather creates good conditions for spider mites that eat it. Agree with michael that its too hot and sticky in houston. plants show signs of pests only after damage is done. So yours is probably done for. As a general rule spruces are poorly adapted to hot climates. I've killed a few myself. Some nice pines will grow well there. BTW, Having lived in Houston I can tell you "normally humid" is something of an understatement. "Swamp like", or "intolerably humid" is more accurate :) Good luck.
I agree on that! It's a two-year old puny tree in a 1.5 gallon container, so I can replant it or move it places; I don't consider it "done for". I will check to see if there are any spider mites there, though I doubt there are any, since I didn't see any before I took it inside. BTW, thank you for timely responses, people. Any advice is welcome. But I would like to know if there is anything I could do before it is too late!
hmm, well it's not a houseplant so I would keep it outside. summer isnt the best time to replant things. but in this case I'd find a spot in your garden for it and just plant it. at least that way the root temperatures wont fluctuate as much. spider mites are tiny and wouldnt necessarily be on the plant anymore, having already sucked the needles dry. spryaing with a high pressure hose removes them, or there are relatively benign soaps and oils that kill mites. Just read the label if you use some kind of insecticide. some poisons, imidacloprid being one, are not only ineffective against mites, but cause them to breed faster.
