My Christmas tree is unhappy...

[Chimchar]

Have a small potted Christmas tree. It is growing slowly but surely and has LOADS of new bright green growth at the moment.

BUT, it lots of the spikes (pines? I'm a novice!!) are mottling brown. one branch too is looking quite dead.

Have fed it with bone meal a while ago...does it need more?

It lives at the front of the house against a sheltered wall on one side and has sun every day for just a few hours.

Any ideas as to what it needs or what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks

First of all do you know it has a proper root stock or was it just potted? If it doesn't have a rootball it will probably survive well for a few months but will eventually be unable to keep going because it doesn't have a root system to draw up water and nutrients. As the weather has got warmer it may be struggling.

Secondly, does it need watering? Last year I forgot to water mine in a dry spell and the new growth went brown. The tree is still going though, but wasn't looking good enough to bring inside for Christmas.

Thirdly it may be pot bound and you need to re-pot it. You need a larger pot and some John Innes No 1 or No 2 compost.

It could be a combination of lack of water and being pot bound.

Hopes that helps.

Forgot to mention - are the brown needles towards the bottom? It may just be old growth. Although they are evergreen, pine trees do lose and replace needles all the time.

Thanks for replying.

It's in its third year now. I repotted it last year Into a bigger pot and it was happy until a few weeks ago.

It might be the lack of water. I think that whilst we had LOADS of rain (understatement of the century!!!) the branches and pines create. A canopy that actually keeps the soil fairy dry.

It's brown all over. It's really mottled. Very odd.

I Appreciate your knowledge. I'm clueless!

You're welcome. I have three of them: one too big for the house now, one that I forgot to water which is recovering and the third one I intend to look after properly for this Christmas. My parents have had rooted Christmas trees for years so I owe my expertise in this field to my DF!