I recently have purchase my 3rd Dwarf Alberta spruce due to the fact it's being eaten by something; can't see it. All needles eventually turn brown and fall off. I have it planted in a large pot outside and have already changed the soil and used Kelthane to kill the pests I can't see. Nothihng seems to be working! Any help would be greatly appreicated!
Alberta Spruce can be slow to respond to stress and / or insect damage, by the time you see symptoms the culprit or envireonment may have left or changed. monitor for spider mite and consider rethinking your watering regime?
Where are you getting your trees from? The reason I ask is because some nurseries fumigate confiers before they're shipped. I have seen this fumigation process kill hundreds of conifers. The plants arrive in prime condition but within several weeks they're dead. Rex
Rex, are these nurseries located on the East Coast and then shipping the fumigated trees into Texas? As odd as it may seem, Kelthane may not be the right insecticide to be using for mites. You may get a quick kill by contact but the mites are back in a week or two. A thorough showering of water will work better for you but do not do it midday in direct, hot sun for these Spruce. Alberta Spruce get chewed up rather easily by mites. The problem usually is that we see the damage long after the infestation has hurt us. I give my plants a shower of water once a week when the temps are in the mid 80's and higher. As a general rule I do the same thing for all of my Spruce. I've never had to spray for mites because of my doing that for cultural, better put for preventative control. Generally, if we have problems with Alberta Spruce in which the needles drop with no regeneration of new growth, all we have to do is look at the root system to better learn what went wrong. Alberta's take years to develop much of a root system. Even in Oregon 10-15 foot tall plants have rather shallow but spreading roots. Makes me think it is by design as Alberta Spruce do not like having their feet wet for any length of time. We kill off many of these by over watering them. Then there is the fertilizer issue in which a nitrate form of Nitrogen can harm the roots before we can expect the fertilizer to help us any. The time release fertilizers added in the potting mixes is just asking for trouble with many Conifers, unless the trees have some age on them and have a developed root system. I do not apply any Nitrogen to Spruce other than what is in my potting soil, mulch or humus amended soil. The amount of sunlight will depend on area to area as some Alberta Spruce will grow well once established in high shade but for us we will lose them growing them in high shade here. They do best here in filtered or indirect sun with some afternoon protection. Even in Oregon most of the better Alberta Spruce seem to be protected from the hot afternoon sun. Too much warm to hot sun and dryness on the needles will open the door for wind blown mites coming in from dust to settle in and invade. Jim
Pest-susceptible plant notorious for turning brown and shedding, a comparatively delicate variant of a northern Rocky Mountain species. Check local suitability before spending much more money on such plants, which may not do well in your area at all. TAMU Horticulture on www might be a useful source of information for you.
Jim, thanks for the additional information. The nursery I experienced disappointing results from was Messer, located in Indiana. How did you know it was an East shipping to the West fumigation problem? This year was the worst I've ever seen for mites, so I followed everyone's advice from this forum and continued to spray water--all my conifers have thrived while others in this area, that were over 40 years old, have died. Rex
How did you know it was an East shipping to the West fumigation problem? Rex, we do not fumigate our nursery stock here unless we have to. Nurseries East of the Rockies have to fumigate their plants at some time or another to maintain their certification status in order to ship them into California. Without a state issued certificate number to accompany the shipment the plants will either be fumigated by the county Ag commissioner's office at the senders expense or the plants will be destroyed on the spot. The fumigation is to prevent a certain quarantine insect from entering California. Some nurseries will fumigate for the Click Beetle also known as the Wireworm. Texas may also have an insect importation restriction of nursery stock coming in from certain states requiring the plants to be fumigated. Jim
I have about 6 dwarf albrta spruce trees that were planted about one year ago. They are just coming out of winter and I notice every one of them is browning on the sunny side only. Is this normal?
It is unfortunately, quite normal for dwarf Alberta spruce. If the browning isn't too severe, the new growth will quickly cover it up. Sometimes though, the browing is bad enough to toast the new buds as well and you lose the foliage on that side of the tree. If it happens again next spring (should be pretty established by then), consider wrapping with burlap to keep the winter sun off them. Simon
Thanks for the fast reply! Mother nature is playing a cruel joke this spring with a high temp inthe 80's a few weeks ago, now we are facing cold temps and more snow. The new growth appears to be browning on the sunny side too, so I'll take your advice for next year.
I have found two things that cause browning, dog pee and people handling the foliage. I have seen garden center staff moving these plants around by grabbing the trees instead of the pots they are growing in.
