How to Care for a Coniferous Plant in a Container Pot

darg · Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:30 pm

Hello everyone. First, I apologize if I post this in the wrong place, I am new here.

Recently I was given as a present a coniferous plant in a container. However, I have no experience and knowledge what so ever about keeping plants, so I would appreciate if you can help me out: watering, soil, where to keep it (I keep it by the window for now) any other tips about keeping it healthy etc... Thank you in advance.

tomc · Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:13 pm

Welcome Darg!

If my old eyes have not fooled me, thats an Alberta spruce (picea abies). it is an outdoors tree.

I'll stop there and let the sharper eyed tell us what-for.

rainbowgardener · Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:46 pm

Where are you located? In general conifers do not do well as indoor trees, tom is right.

darg · Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:05 am

rainbowgardener wrote:Where are you located? In general conifers do not do well as indoor trees, tom is right.

I live in the south of Europe

darg · Wed Oct 22, 2014 5:29 pm

So what should I do with the plant? I don't want it to fail, so please give me advice how to take care for it. Should I plant it outside? Any and all advice is welcomed. I apologize if you find my persistence to be boring.

rainbowgardener · Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:19 pm

They need to be outside and will likely die if kept in the warm, dry environment of indoors. They could be planted in the ground or they could be maintained in containers if you want, if the containers are outdoors. If in containers, the containers should really be bigger, those are good sized trees already. I don't know what your climate or seasons are like. In cold winter areas, you don't want to plant in the ground too late in the year. If the ground will freeze soon, the trees need more time to root in to where they are before that happens. But maybe in southern Europe, you don't have to worry about that.

tomc · Thu Oct 23, 2014 1:42 pm

"Alberta" spruce home range is pretty north. Your mild winters will not overwhelm this tough tree. No winter at all might tho. So let it live out of doors.

Alberta spruce is not a good bonsai candidate, but they can live for quite a while in a pot outdoors if you monitor water needs and pot it in soil like it was bonsai.

Soil for bonsai; 1 part sand, 1 part crushed bark mulch.

Things your tree thinks are winter that you might not. Reduced hours of daylight, more rain, frosts.