Is There Any Hope Saving This Potted Tree?

[PGB1]

Hi All,
A neighbor threw away a Norway Spruce in a pot. I am now the (formerly proud) owner. All summer & fall, it lived outside and looked great with little attention from me.

For winter we brought it indoors because we did not want the roots to freeze in the pot. It was in front of a "sunny" garden window. (As rarely sunny as Michigan gets in winter...)

Thinking I was doing the right thing, I watered it from above. And, I put water in a tray under it so roots could draw up water. Suddenly (after a couple of months), needles started falling off. Some branches are needle free.

Reason?
The pot had a pot inside it. The inside pot did not reach the bottom of the outside pot, which was sitting water with the hope that the roots would draw up water. And, the dirt would go dry quickly. I believe it is because our house is dry in winter.
So, I think I starved the tree of water.

As of this time, the inner pot (which has some roots sticking out of the bottom hole) is sitting in a deeper tray with water and I water the dirt from above. Touching or moving the tree results in lots of needles falling.

Do you all think that there is hope for this little tree? Am I trying to save it the correct way?

Thanks For Your Appreciated Advice!
Paul
PS: Please pardon the messy room. It is a bathroom still being finished.

 

[Meadowlark]

There's always hope. If it were mine, I would transplant it into a larger pot. With roots sticking out currently, it is likely root bound...and no telling how long it has been in that inner pot.

 

[Sheal]

It's a 'Norway' Spruce which should give away its needs. It won't survive inside it's too warm, so I suggest you put it in a sheltered spot outside where it gets some sun for part of the day. It would be better planted in the ground where it wouldn't need any frost protection, but if that's not possible wrap the pot in something like garden fleece or bubble wrap.

Only a few of the needles have browned so hopefully it will survive.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

It may have dried up but if there were roots in the water, it should be okay. We've let Norway spruce dry up in the summer in Kentucky and they don't wilt, the whole tree turns brown and dies almost before you realize it. Yours looks okay from that perspective, but only time will tell

I don't know if they need winter but i suspect they do, they're not really house plants. Also, it shouldn't have any problem with your winter even in a pot outside.

 

[Sheal]

I don't know if they need winter but i suspect they do, they're not really house plants. Also, it shouldn't have any problem with your winter even in a pot outside.

I agree with them needing a colder climate and Michigan should suit it. Norway has a mostly cold climate and even the short summers, usually two months at most, are on the cooler side.

 

[PGB1]

Thanks All for helping and educating. Thanks Martin for sharing about yours when they dry.
Needles have stopped dropping, so I think that's encouraging.

For now, I'll provide a grow light for a few hours a day and move it either to the cool basement where it was 42 Degrees-F this afternoon or to the root cellar where it usually is a few degrees above ambient. (Today: 11 Degrees-F in there)

In spring, when the ground thaws- I'll plant it. Hopefully that species can survive in summer.

Thanks Again!
Paul

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

I wouldn't think spruce would be affected, but for people who have gas stoves/furnaces, the incomplete combustion of gas produces ethylene which is a plant hormone, and even the trace amounts are sufficient to defoliate a lot of houseplants

We would move a ficus benjamina inside when i was growing up and it would defoliate in the span of 2 weeks and not grow new leaves till we took it outside in spring