I live in the suburbs of New York City, in the lower Hudson River Valley my Dwarf Alberta Spruce which was planted in May of 2009 is browning badly. How can I tell if it is from spider mites or too much sun exposure? It is quite hot and often humid here. I don't see any mites, are they visable? Should I spray for mites? Please help, I'm afraid I'll lose this beautiful tree. Will the brown sections recover?
Impossible to say without viewing situation, since you are there you are better able to discover what problem is than someone on internet.
Sometimes the spider mites are still present when the browning occurs. I usually take a sheet of white computer paper and hold it under the foliage, and tap the foliage. When I see "dust" walking and moving, that's my clue. The paper thing is something I do occassionally during hot weather before seeing browning.
