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| I have a dwarf alberta spruce tree in a pot on my terrace. The top 8 inches of the plant are brown, along with the back half of the entire tree. The rest is green, and relatively healthy - is there anything I can do to bring this tree back to life 100%? I water for a few minutes daily - and even when I stopped doing this, the tree looked the same. Any ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Brown...half dead...isn't that what Dwarf Albert Spruces are supposed to look like? Do you see tiny little red critters crawling on it? Any bagworms hanging on it? Do you check for proper soil moisture (down a few inches into the medium, not just on top) before you water? Are you planning on planting it in the ground? Where (city, or at least part of the country) do you live? |
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- Posted by tsugajunkie z5 SE WI (My Page) on Mon, Sep 26, 11 at 22:20
| What's brown is dead and will not come back. It will grow a new leader eventually(cut the dead one off), but the back side will take until the tree is big enough to cover it up (maybe), assuming there is no more dieback down the road. A pic would help for a better assessment. tj |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 26, 11 at 23:11
| We look forward to the day when the BigBox stops selling this plant. The questions on this board will go down by 7%. Dan |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 27, 11 at 8:05
| cut out the dead stuff.. it was suggested to me... that if it isnt spider mites ... then a borer attacked it.. if so.. the stem will be hollow ... you should water.. when the plant needs water.. insert finger.. let nearly dry in between ... for a conifer.. watering every day is probably too much .... if the plant has been in the same plant for a long time.. it is probably severely root bound ... it might be easier .. to start over .... they are not that expensive ... a picture might change my mind.. as well as knowing where you are ... any tree in a pot should be rotated every so often.. all these planted near a house .. on the house side.. are bare ... luckily.. a pot can be turned once a month or so ... watering should be deep and thorough.. and then allow to near dry ... rather than a few minutes a day ... that doesnt sound like you are getting water deep into the root mass ... what was the ambient weather this summer ... drought.. heat??? ken |
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| It is in a pot on my terrace in NYC. I do not see critters on it, and I water it (automatic drip irrigation) every day for about 15 minutes in the AM. The pot dries out quickly, so it seems like the every day watering was the right thing to do. Based on everything y'all have told me here, it sounds like I might need to just start again. |
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| Watering every day (especially in warm weather) may indeed be necessary. Factors like drainage and the size of the container make a big difference. Manually checking soil moisture is the only way to really know how frequently watering needs to be done. If neither aphids or bagworms are present, moisture/drainage issues would be my next guess, but there are a number of possibilities. Less than optimal conditions (moisture/drainage/temperatures/light exposure/etc) can be an invitation to other problems (pests and disease). As has been said, this particular tree seems somewhat more problem-prone than many other alternatives, so you might have more luck with another selection. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Oct 30, 11 at 18:58
| watering a pot every day.. indicates that the plant is probably severely pot bound.. how long has it been in this pot.. the whole point of potting media.. is to hold enough water.. for the plant to prosper.. in between waterings ... and when it is damaged with everyday watering... odds are... there is little or no media left ... get rid of it.. and start over lol.. trees.. which conifers are.. can live near forever in the ground.. aka mother earth ... trees in pots live until you screw it all up.. lol ... trust me.. been there.. done that ... ken |
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| "watering a pot every day.. indicates that the plant is probably severely pot bound.. " Actually, well draining potting medium just doesn't hold moisture for a long period of time, especially in a warm environment. If you go to a nursery in summer, you'll see that they water all their potted trees and shrubs daily. While it's true that a potbound plant is likely to quickly use up all the available moisture in a container, it doesn't follow that all or even most containers that need daily watering are potbound. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 31, 11 at 8:57
| well of course brandon.. but there has been no discussion as to what the roots look like in his pot.. and i want him to look.. before he throws it away ... if he has a roof full of potted plants ... and this is the only one that has this problem.. my gut suggests its a media/potting issue... not a watering issue ... heck.. if i had 100 pots .. and they all could go 3 days between waterings.. and one needs it every day ... i would simply get rid of that one.. as being a PITA .... i mean really.. stuff happens.. and sometimes you cant be there everyday to care for one foo foo plant ... the issue is determining WHY .. and then going from there ... regardless.. on my 5 acres.. i can have an ugly project tree.. to see if it cant rescue itself... but in these circs.. time to start over ... ken |
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