"Natty_Dread" wrote in message
m...
Hi all -- I have two dwarf alberta spruces in full sun areas, one a spiral
topiary in a big container and the other a conical one planted in the
ground
in my front yard border bed. A couple of weeks ago, Adrian Higgins, the
gardening editor for the Washington Post, said in one of his columns that
alberta spruces planted in full sun run a high risk of infestation from
some
kind of mites (I can't remember what kind though). I'm wondering if
anyone
here has had that experience? I'm trying to figure out if I should move
my
albertas to a shadier spot to avoid damage to the trees.


I have three. One is a spiral topiary. One was an existing tree that I
pruned into a spiral. The third was an existing tree that I moved to a new
location when it got too big. All are in the ground. Two are in full sun
and one gets morning and filtered afternoon sun. They can get spider mites
and as has been suggested, you can hose them down to control the mites. If
you think yours are infested, hold a piece of white paper under the branches
and gently shake the tree. The mites will show up as tiny red specks on the
paper. I haven't had any problems yet. I believe that the issue of them
being in full sun probably is because full sun assures that they stay nice
and dry. The mites like a dry environment. Using the hose will fix that.