Browning Dwarf Alberta

I am on my 2nd dwarf alberta at my entry way. I bought a pair last year, one of the two died. I replaced it and the new one is browning again. This time we made sure to enrich the soil and remove alot of the clay from the area. We took all measures to ensure the soil was well drained and healthy. Someone suggested though that the browning was probably a spider mite problem. I just treated it with an Ortho product for mites and other insects. Will this insecticide stop the problem in its tracks? Will the brown and almost bald areas grow in? Should I dig it up and turn the brown spots to the back? Any other advice to help these poor little trees to thrive!?

Can we have a picture and a close up of the browned areas? how many hours of direct sun?

Hi Musicteach, I am like garden above, need a bit more info and pic would help, IF you do have a spider mite prob, then one treatment wont do, you have to keep at it, also, cant believe the mites only attacked one plant and the same thing happened again, if it's red spider, you will see the fine webs before you know you have these pests, but if it is, then you must also keep misting the plant, the underside of the leaves as well as that is where the mites are, they dont come to the uperside of the leaves, you would need a magnifying glass to find them, so be sure this is what you really have, because the plants that died were in the same spot, I would lean more towards a soil condition under the grownd rather than an insect problem above ground, but as I said before, a picture would set you onto the right answers, so Good luck, WeeNel.

Thanks for your initial comments. We have had some computer problems this week and have not been able to sign on. Regarding the sunlight question, neither tree gets any direct sunlight. Both are in complete shade. I will take some pictures when my husband gets home, he has the camera with him.

musicteacher i bought three and planted last fall. they look so beautiful in the nursery.
since, i have read many posts that tout them as being highly over-rated and they seem to be infamous for the browning. mine get green, then brown,green then brown. doesn't matter what you do. fertilization, water. doesn't matter. they do what they wanna do when they wanna do it. they say keep out of wind. mine get 40mph hr wind sometimes and stay green, then when it doesn't blow they turn brown.
i believe personally that they should be planted in a forest or dense strand of trees with a lot of leaf litter to look their best, at least if not they wouldn't look so prominate in the landscape. my guess is that they constantly try to adjust themselves for the wind, sun etc.
so when the wind blows they close their stomata to end transpiration, or whatever they do

oops i just read that yours were in the shade.hmm. mine get a lot of sun. try sticking them in pots and sitting them in foyer lol.
but i have notice them at the garden centers under a shade cloth in the little buildings along with the japanese maples

This is the time for red spider. Take a white pice of paper and shake the branches over the paper and look for the tiny red spider. They last for about a month or two and can devour your plant.


If you have it use orthene. It is a systemic. You can buy in Home Depot of Lowes or any hardware store or garden center.

Dave