How to grow Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Upright Christmas Tree Shaped Conifer) 

I have 8 in ground drawf Alberta sprouce’s growing in Tennessee 7b full sun, no problems. We have enjoyed them for over 7 years now.

Mine is now 14 feet tall, planted it in 1997. Finally is growing pinecones

I recently found some at Lowes for 75% off...originally they were $24.99 so it was a really good deal. I picked up 3 of them and planted them near my fence. I'll try to keep a close watch on them and hope they do well. I've been into gardening since the pandemic and it has been very therapeutic to me, also my garden looks amazing as well.

I've watched your channel since retiring 5 years ago and this just randomly popped up! Perfect because last Christmas I bought 2 to put in pots on my front porch. I'm in the East, zone 7a or b so this is very helpful! Now I know I need to move them to the back where they will get sun in the morning but shade after about 2. It had some brown spots from winter wind but that have filled in beautifully now. Thank you for all your hard work sharing great information and beautiful videos, it's been a joy and help to my gardening efforts! 😃👍💖

Oh boy. My wife and I bought 2 of these back in 2015 from Lowe's. Planted them in a terrace out in our front yard. They were no bigger than maybe a volleyball in diameter and height at that point. They're now about 4' tall each, and maybe a shade under 3' wide. They look amazing next to each other. The problem is, they're maybe 2-3 years away from growing into each other. The tags when we got them said they get 4-5' tall, and 3-4' wide at mature size. lol So yeah... I hope the width tapers off pretty quick. Don't want them to kill each other.

Ok live in Troutman NC(zone 7b I think) and I have 2 that I have had for 3 years and in the same planters for 2 years now time to go bigger or go in the ground. The were very small (18") when I saved them from being thrown away at the Troutman Lowe's Home Improvement and I purchased them for a $1.50(what a buy) each in June of 2015. They are now over 3 feet tall. I fertilize them every spring and In the summer when the temp is over 75 degrees may thru September I water them every day but the planters drain very well and they are in full sun. They are very lush and green through and through haven't seen a problem with spider mites or root rot yet although as much as I water them I have been concerned about root rot, and no browning at all. For the past years they have grown very fast more than 6" per year and are very fat and sassy from the bottom to the top. Late fall, early spring I cut back on water and during the winter almost no watering at all. I have since purchase 2 more from the same Lowe's and have saved both from the trash. One I purchased for a dollar early last fall it is in the ground doing very well with same feeding, watering, and sun it is Fat and Sassy. The other close to death I purchased this spring for .25 cents. It was not in a pot and hardly any dirt left on the roots with several dead limbs. I put it in a giant planter that I think it will grow in for 5 years or more. Within 2 weeks of planting it I had lots of new growth and same feeding, watering , and sun it is starting to be very FAT and SASSY. All 4 trees recovered very fast from a stressful start to life the last one even I am amazed it survived and I take pride that I saved these darling little Christmas Trees from what appeared to be certain death and for $4.25 plus tax the best plants I have ever bought. I did learn from you video although so far my experience has differed somewhat. Thanks for the info and I will watch more of Hort Tube!

I saw this little one in Lowe’s. I don’t know what they do with all the Christmas trees after the holiday. I figured I could save a few each year. Thank you for sharing this video.😊

My husband and I just bought one yesterday and plan to plant it today. We came across your video and it was very informative so we just wanted to say Thank you for making this video! We will be checking out your other one's as well. You did an awesome job!

I was looking for a tree to be my in my home and act as my xmas tree as well as be decorated for different seasons. I think this one is perfect. Thanks for sharing!

Great Video! I saved a very small Dwarf Alberta Spruce from Lowe's Clearance rack a few years ago. I have successfully kept it alive and have seen a good amount of new growth in the past couple years. Looking forward to keeping it in a container as long as I can.

have about 5 of these that are older and taller than 6 feet around the house they really add a nice green w light green color that looks amazing in front of the red brick, just went to Lowes and bought 2 more of them im gonna keep them in the house for the winter and create a new Gardern arrangement in the Summer w these great video, hoping indoor grow lights and being next do a sunny window help get these a bit taller by Spring

Just bought one yesterday and am putting it in a container on my porch here in Oslo, Norway. Surprised to hear you're able to grow them so far south. I'll have to tell my family in NC that they too can grow a little piece of the cold North in their garden :)

In early July, I bought two Dwarf Alberta Spruce that were on clearance for $1.00, and will use your tips for next year when I transfer from pot to the ground. Thanks for the helpful tips!

Thank you so much. This is so easy to understand I’m a new gardener so, this is best VDO so far.

I got a very small one this summer & put it in a container. So far so good.

this is our new Christmas tradition tree, so we can plant a tree every year instead of cutting one down

Thank you so much! I got two dwarf Alberta spruce for my pots by my front door

Just bought one 12/18/2021. I knew you would have a video for it! Gonna keep it in the container on my deck and plant in the spring!

Believe or not, I found Alberta Spruces for sale in Laredo, TX… I immediately bought two

I live in zone 8 and I think you can grow them here just make sure they are in a place that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. One of my neighbors has had the dwarf Alberta spruce for 11 years and it is really healthy and 10 feet tall.

Just got four myself!! Can’t wait

Gorgeous little 🎄 one

Bought one today (Jul. 30, 2018). Perfect conical shape & planted in a container after saturating the root with a starter fertilizer. I'm in zone 3 so I planted close to the house (ext. wall) & will have to take some precautions for the winter. Hopefully it will survive come spring...lol! Your video on Dwarf Alberta Spruce was very educating...thank you! 👍

Bought 10 for $1.89 each on clearance, and they are beautiful little trees

Thank you. I am going to plant one in my front yard.

Good Job explaining the tree, thanks for sharing.

Awesome

Thank you! Very helpful information! 🙏🏻❤️

Very informative video. Getting ready to plant two. Thank you.

Thank you. Your video is very informative.

Thank you for the wealth of information!!!

I have one in at least 8 hrs sun in raleigh. So far its been fine for this season. Looks great. Been checking it for spider mites and looks good so far.

Great review!

Just planted 3 today in my front yard. $14.00 each.

Alberta spruce are cool .so beautiful without trimming .keep spidermites off with dawn dish soap solution .thanx for vid

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I Googled this plant and it appears to be one of the more difficult conifers to grow. I saw quite a few pictures of spider mite infected specimen, and also plants with winter burn.

First time buying one of your trees from Walmart I needed to learn and I know that I'm going to be watching more and more of how to care for it cuz by night first time pine tree I wanted it for outside but right now we're in the winter time and I can't plan it outside so therefore I have to leave it into the bucket and then I'll transplant it into a bigger bucket but hopefully I can have some good luck but how much of the fertilizer will I need when I do plan it into the ground you said 2 to 3 years and just leave it you know into the buck until I get ready to transplant it but when I do how much fertilizer will I need

Rescued one from Christmas abandonment! :)

I live in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. I was planning on keeping my Alberta Dwarf indoors. Any tips?

Mine have been in the ground for several years and now the bases have got quite wide and they’re starting to encroach on my driveway. I didn’t think I or the trees would live that long 😂 trying to figure out what‘s the best way to prune them. Should I prune the lower branches all the way back to the trunk so that it looks uniform all the way around?

Very informative. Can they stay in the planter for its lifespan without changing the size even 2 years like you suggested? For example if I put it in 2ft ×2ft container can it stay in it without a need to move it around

Between Dwarf Alberta Spruce , Baby blue eye spruce and blue point juniper , who is fast growing? Thank you , Jim. We learn so much from you.

I just bought one of these from the clearance section of Lowe’s. The plants in this section are usually in bad shape but I like to try to bring them back to health. The dwarf Alberta spruce I bought has some brown leaves and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions to help it. Thank you!

Is this spruce any good for flavoring Spruce Beer?

Thank you for sharing I live in zone 8b Can I plant dwarf alberta spruce on the south side of the house Thanks

Any special requests from this little Spruce in zone 7a? My Mother has one she'd like planted, just trying to find the right spot.

Thank you for the video as it was very helpful. I have had several border Dwarf Alberta Spruce for over 20 years. Many of them have the trunk growing diagonal. Not sure if it is how they were planted of something I did during maintaining them. They are so severe that I have chosen to replace them. I had replaced one about 5 years ago and it seems to growing straight. I used four stakes and two pieces of cord to keep the tree straight. IT seems to be OK so I am not sure I should do for the others I am replacing. I concerned about waiting too late and the tree new trees having the same problem. Any on staking and bracing the new ones advice.? Gene

Can you eat the new tips?...make spruce jelly with the Alberta?...thanks

I bought one at Lowes in Durham, NC before I saw this video. I am in zone 7. The tag says it only gets 4 to 5 feet high. I was going to place in in the middle of a semi-large round garden. Maybe I will put it in a container so I can move it to a part-shade area of the yard on very hot days. Should I use potting soil in the container or garden soil? Thanks.

One of my dwarf alberta spruce died during the winter. Should I have watered it during the winter?

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Question: my spruce is turning light green in some parts. Does that mean it’s dying? I’m also using a soil a woman suggested it’s just flower and garden soil I think. I am not sure if that’s good. I’m growing in a whiskey barrel

We live in Las Cruces, New Mexico, we have 2 Alberta spruce plants, one on each side of the garage. One gets a little bit more sunlight than the other, we water 1 - 2 times a week. However, they both have lost their luster and are turning brown. So we swap them periodically to help them. Do you have any suggestions to help these beautiful trees survive? Thank you.

I just cut mine up about 8 inches off of the ground. They are about 3.5 to 4 foot tall and about 2.5 foot wide. Will this effect the growth? They were touching the ground before but im mulching tomorrow and didn't want to cover the bottom foliage or have to keep my mulch out that far from the tree.

What is a good alternative for zone 7b that is cone shaped for the corner of foundation?

Hi there, just wanted to know what kind of soil do you mix in with the ground that you have? Thanks

The spruce is losing needles by the touch, super fragile. Needles are green, getting water and sunlight. I don't see any pest signs either.

My dwarf Alberta Spruce turned partially brown. Will it revives to green next year Spring? It got hit by the hot blowing heat. It’s not dead. Thank you.

I have some small Alberta spruce. They have been planted for about two years. They are starting to grow in an odd shape. Not exactly a Christmas stree shape. They have the pointed tip, but then sort of bulge out in the center. Do you know what has caused this and should I try and prune (afraid to do this, though). I live in Southwest lower Michigan.

What is your opinion on growing one of these in Southeastern South Dakota? Zone 4 I believe. We have a lot of temperature fluctuations that can cause issues for all plants and trees.

My 3 year old botanist would like to know if there are male and female dwarf Alberta spruce and if so, how can you tell?

can I grow this in gulf shores Alabama

How do I trim the dwarf Alberta spruce. It's getting too tall

I’d like to no if I could plant in a container on my porch, I wanted something on each side of the door, it wouldn’t be in sun but a lot of light, do u think this would work? I wanted something that is slow growing and that maybe I could put Christmas lights on it during holidays, or is there something else u could recommend for me I have 2 large pots with holes also very pretty pots, I’m in zone 8a, thank you

Does the Dwarf Alberta Spruce make a mess by dropping needles and is it prickly to the touch??

Are the dwarf Alberta spruce trees good for planting behind my neighbor's privacy fence ? If so how close do I plant the trees from the fence ? Thank you for the video.

My alberta dwarf spruce tree is turning brown. What do I do?

Whats something with the same look and shape, but doesn't grow as much with low maintenance

Our Alberta Spruce is turning into Blue Spruce at the top. What causes that?

My Dwarf Alberta looks good but does have a few drought spots. Can I prune those off or will it go back to green? Also , what fertilizer do you recommend for them?

Can i grow this in Austin Texas ? Thank you

My 2 dwarf Alberta spruce are on each side of my front steps and are about 6 years old. Both trees are brown and dead looking on the back side near my pillars but the front and sides look great. I also had some up lighting on the back side to illuminate the pillars. Wondering if the lights caused this? I have since changed to cooler led lights hoping the trees will recover? Any suggestions are appreciated! Thank you in advance. Zone 5-6.

My tree has become brown and dropping needles. How can I save it?

How do you keep spider mites away from them?

Can u plant in fall

I read somewhere that these trees do best in containers with regard to disease and pests. Not sure if that is true.

I’m in southeast PA and I want to have some kind of slow growing evergreen trees in 2 urns and I want to keep them in there but to stay at around 5’ high. What are my choices? Is this one a good option?

I luv pines n spruce, but live in desert clime :'( can I referigerate em for wintering. Sounds stupid but maybe it cud work.....

I bought 3 Dwarf Alberta Spruces and 2 seem to be getting brownish, still mostly green. They are still in the pots I bought them in and I water them regularly. I'm in the Seattle, WA area. Is this a normal occurrence?

Hey Jim so recently my Dwarf Alberta has been dying in the center and browning. The needles are brown and are starting the bottom. Also this is mainly happening at the bottom but is slowly moving to the top. After I watched your video I thought maybe it was because of dehydration but I'm still not sure... At the bottom there is also this funky and suspicious looking fungus but I've been "investigating" it on the internet and so far I haven't found anything about it.

Does a dwarf Alberta spruce tree need to be staked? I'm in zone 5, and we get a lot of lake effect snow.

I have eight along my back fence and they are 10’-12’ tall and I wish to groom them to match and more Christmas tree symmetrical. What type of grooming shears do you recommend? It seems like my regular shears just push them in and do not shear.

How often I spray like a oil insecticide on it just to be safe ? Once a month ?

Can i plant this in Arizona summer temps go up to 120F? im new to tree planting

Hi Jim: Can I propagate dwarf Alberta spruce and how much can I take off without killing the whole tree?

Can I grow this in SC (Beaufort)

So they like acid ??

Please stop calling this a "christmas tree".