Dwarf Alberta Spruce - PlantingTree (2024)

FAQs

How do you care for a newly planted dwarf Alberta spruce? ›

Plant dwarf Alberta spruce in moist, well-draining soil. A neutral to acidic soil is best. Water your tree when the top three inches of soil are dry—but avoid overwatering and these plants don't do well in soggy soil. If growing dwarf Alberta spruce in containers, you will need to water a bit more often.

A dwarf Alberta spruce 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; its dense foliage can trap moisture.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce grows only 2 to 4 inches per year and reaches a mature height of 7 feet and width of 3 feet in 25 years. Because they are so slow growing, you can plant your trees closer than 3', but to allow good air circulation and good sunlight penetration, I'd keep them 3' apart.

Quick facts. Foliage color, lack of flowering or overall vigor can be signs of when fertilizer is needed. If growth rate and needle color are normal for a particular variety, fertilization is not necessary. It is not unusual for newly transplanted evergreens to exhibit slow growth until they're re-established.

Newly planted trees or shrubs require more frequent watering than established trees and shrubs. They should be watered at planting time and at these intervals: 1-2 weeks after planting, water daily. 3-12 weeks after planting, water every 2 to 3 days.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce is very sensitive to wet soil, so choose a potting soil that drains very well and doesn't retain too much moisture. A good soil will have lots of perlite or vermiculite for drainage and some organic matter for nutrition.

In another area of this garden, a backdrop planting of dwarf Alberta spruce draws attention from a hosta and astilbes in the foreground to create a pleasing sense of depth.

Do Alberta spruce have deep roots? Dwarf Alberta Spruce is a small plant, so its roots are not significant. Preferably, the depth does not exceed the height of the plant itself, although there may be exceptions. Also, the diameter of the root system is slightly larger than the width of the spruce crown.

If you can clearly see the roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, it's time to repot your bonsai. Generally, this means every 2-3 years for a deciduous tree and every 4-5 years for an evergreen. Repotting should be done in mid-summer, when the tree is at it's least fragile state.

What size planter for dwarf Alberta spruce? ›

I think plants look best when the container is about one third as tall as the entire plant. So if your plants are currently 3 feet tall, use a container that is at least 12-18 inches tall. If your plants are 5' tall, use a container that is 18-24 inches tall.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR DWARF ALBERTA SPRUCE SPIRAL PLANTS. New installation watering: After installation, all shrubs and evergreens should be watered daily for the first week. If your lawn sprinklers are reaching your shrubbery with water, then there is little or no need for watering.

Discover Dwarf Alberta Spruce

Bright green needles demand little care to look their best, and a slow growth rate makes this spruce a go-to evergreen for containers. Dwarf Alberta spruce grows just 2 to 4 inches a year. When shopping, buy a plant close to the size you want.

It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out.

If the whole tree has turned brown, remove it and clean up as much of the brown needles to minimize pests and diseases still in the leaf litter. Then start over with better planting and watering, in a different part of your garden, or with another kind of evergreen.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce is very sensitive to winter burn, drought stress as well as spider mites. All three of these conditions cause browning of the needles. If the spruce is in full sun, my guess would be spider mites. Dwarf Alberta Spruce prefer part shade/part sun conditions to grow in with a moist soil.

If you have brown evergreens, the most likely culprit is drought from late last summer compounded by drought stress from previous dry summers, say two plant specialists at Montana State University.