Is my Blue Spruce done for?

Scriabin

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Complete newbie here (Central Ohio). I bought this Blue Spruce from Lowe's in October 2021 not knowing anything about trees. I'm still keeping in its original pot. I did some wiring and very light pruning in October.

I kept the tree in shade during the winter and watered it once a week. Now, I noticed that the branch tips have started to turn brown and fall. They seem like burned. Also, the buds look dry (see pictures). Is my little tree dead? Thanks for the patience!
 

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Wires_Guy_wires

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It looks like it took a beating. But I would sit back and wait it out. If those buds flush out, it might be entirely green (or blue!) in the summer.
 

Shibui

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Hard to be certain with conifers because they don't show for certain until they are well dead.
The branches still look OK to me so I would continue care.
Pruning and wiring should not cause the needles to brown like that so I would guess either too little water or possibly too much but once a weeks sounds OK for most soils through winter. Florida is not known for cool so maybe once a week is not enough? Particularly if the pot is a bit root bound which makes it real difficult for water to soak into the root ball properly and now warmer weather is arriving it will need more water more often.
Definitely check that root ball is properly damp and maintain good care. Fingers crossed that new shoots will grow soon.
 

Flowerhouse

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Blue Spruce is hardy USDA zones 1 - 7, and Miami is zone 10b, 11. Also, blue spruce likes moist, well drained soil. It is listed as drought tolerant. Where I live blue spruce is generally growing on northern exposures where the snow piles up and stays on the ground longer, while the southern exposures will have ponderosas.
 

ShadyStump

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I think we're all a bit confused on where you are. Post says Ohio, but profile says Florida.
Dead if Florida dormant if Ohio!

Welcome to Crazy!

Reckon you get to to pick!

Sorce
👆 This.
In Ohio, it's probably still dormant, and even while dormant conifers will photosynthesize, burning up the chlorophyll in the foliage, leading to some browning and needle cast, especially if it's been windy.

In Florida, yeah it's dead, sorry. These need the cold dormancy or they burn themselves out and die by spring.
 

Scriabin

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Thank you so much everyone for these very informative replies. I'm glad to know there's still hope.

Also, I'm sorry for the confusion. I am currently living in Columbus but will move to Florida in 6 months (I have fixed this in my profile). I realize I won't be able to take my little friend here to Florida (that is, if it survives), but I want to take good care of it so I can give it as a gift to another caring bonsai enthusiast. I will keep you updated on its progress!
 

penumbra

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Plant it somewhere you can visit in the future as you get older. It is amazing to me how plants can change in ones lifetime. There is a 75 foot tall pin oak at my parents house I planted from a small transplant with my small shovel in my small wheelbarrow when I was a small person. Even where I live now I have been amazed how things have grown in 33 years. A one gallon bald cypress is now 40 feet tall.
My point is, if you pass it on in hopes of it being a future bonsai, it has a slim chance of achieving this. As a magnificent mature tree for all to share, it has a much great possibility.
 

rockm

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You sure that's a Blue Spruce (picea punges) and not a dwarf Alberta Spruce (picea glauca)?
 

Scriabin

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You sure that's a Blue Spruce (picea punges) and not a dwarf Alberta Spruce (picea glauca)?
To be honest, I have been wondering the same thing. I got it with the "Blue Spruce" tag on it but I quickly noticed that it is not precisely the bluest specimen. Maybe I got one of the not-so-blue cultivars.
 

penumbra

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You sure that's a Blue Spruce (picea punges) and not a dwarf Alberta Spruce (picea glauca)?
I am just curious, why do you think it may not be glauca? There must be some arrangement of needles or buds that don't seem right to you.
 

rockm

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I am just curious, why do you think it may not be glauca? There must be some arrangement of needles or buds that don't seem right to you.
I'm pretty sure it IS Glauca (dwarf Alberta spruce), from the needles color and buds. I DON'T think it's a blue spruce. Alberta spruce is much more common at big box stores, like Lowes and Home Depot than Blue Spruce, as well.
 
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