Alberta spruce tips

[Dylanbonsais]

So I just got this Alberta spruce about a month ago and the tree bark is starting to get this thick white coating around the bark. I’m not sure if that a sign of mold or a sign of it becoming unhealthy so that’s why I’m on here trying to find out. The tree is not in bonsai soil and it’s not kept in a small pot I’ve been keeping it out side and take it inside when it get below typical at night 40 and when it rains. I live in Oklahoma so one day it will be real hot the next day it could be pouring but the soil does drain pretty decently so I water it about every 3 days or sometimes longer any tips?

 

[0soyoung]

I'm not sure that I see the white stuff in the pix, but spruce do ooze resin like pines do in response to wounds, and it tends to look white when it dries. If so, not to worry (it will disappear in a few months).

The TIP I have for you is that Alberta spruce are extremely frustrating things to make into a bonsai. However, they are amenable to being forest or group plantings. Think about getting more in a variety of sizes and making one. Skinny, shorter ones in back will be perceived as far away whereas the thicker trunked taller ones will seem to be much closer.

 

[Dylanbonsais]

Thanks for the help man! I’m really new with the plants but that’s a amazing idea with the forest idea I definitely will try it out. I’m just trying to get more information for a better outcome with my plants it’s definitely a great learning experience!

 

[James W.]

That looks like maybe resin oozing from a wound, not to worry.
This looks like a Dwarf Alberta Spruce? Treatment is a little different from a standard Alberta or white spruce, mainly they grow slower and need more time to recover from work.
Either way, you are babying it too much. Just leave it outside in the rain and the cold and the heat. Especially the cold, they need the dormant period in the winter and can handle getting frozen solid. If you are worried about the heat move it into a spot that gets a little shade in the afternoons for the summer.
From what I can see that tree needs to sit and recover for a couple of years before you do anything else to it.

 

[Tieball]

That looks like maybe resin oozing from a wound, not to worry.
This looks like a Dwarf Alberta Spruce? Treatment is a little different from a standard Alberta or white spruce, mainly they grow slower and need more time to recover from work.
Either way, you are babying it too much. Just leave it outside in the rain and the cold and the heat. Especially the cold, they need the dormant period in the winter and can handle getting frozen solid. If you are worried about the heat move it into a spot that gets a little shade in the afternoons for the summer.
From what I can see that tree needs to sit and recover for a couple of years before you do anything else to it.

@James W. Totally agree with your observations. Especially the leave it outdoors all the time comment…wind, rain, heat and cold as it gets.

@Dylanbonsais Alberta Spruce….just like your tree…the first tree I owned and killed with to much pruning to quickly and by thinking I needed to shelter the tree from nature. Your tree has problems but don’t get discouraged. Right now, keeping it healthy is the goal. My spruce ended up as a single totally burned black tree in a box. By the time I was done babying the tree, and killing it in the process, it looked it’s best as a forest fire casualty.

@Dylanbonsais Where is your general location? I’d recommend that you add the information to your profile.