| I bought a Colorado Blue Spruce this spring. I have it planted in full sun. It was doing fantastic but lately it has stopped new growth. The growth at the top is turning brown and dying. Also alot of the needles are falling off. It is not dead it still has green left on it. The tree cost $105 and i hate to see it die. I know it is not from under watering. I water it alot. Am i watering it too much? Should i try fertilizing it? |
| Sometimes new trees and shrubs go through a stressful period of adjustment the first season it is planted so what you are seeing might be normal. While it is important to water regularly, new trees and shrubs need only about one inch of water per week during the growing season. If you're watering more than once a week, the soil may be soggy and the roots can suffocate in overly wet soils. The best way to water your spruce is to build a watering well or watering basin beneath it by mounding a few inches of soil up in a circle, about 12" from the trunk. Fill this basin with water, allow to drain, then fill it a second time. Do this once each week. Watering in this way will concentrate the moisture directly over the root system and allow it to trickle down, wetting the entire root mass. Don't fertilize your spruce - it is already under stress and feeding will just stress it more. Feed it in the spring when new growth begins. |
