Serbian Spruce dryness on lower branches

15 years ago

Hi,

I planted 5 serbian spruce into my yard about a month ago ... these were little guys in 5 gallon pots from Forestfarm.

They started all green, but pre-flush.

In this first month, mother nature had been rought to them ... handing us LOTS of wind, pretty nearly every day. And we've had a few snowstorms and a lot of wind during those as well. And everything from 25 degrees to 70 degrees.

So the serbian spruces I have are looking extremely wind parched on the bottom branches but not too bad on the top 3/4. Some of the 5, maybe 4 of the 5 are actually flushing out now and the 5th one (the one that looked worst initially) still isn't, but looks about as good as it started, except for some dry-ish wind burned (??) branches.

Is there anything I can or should do for this lower branches? Or should I just let nature figure it all out on its own? Didn't know if the occasional misting would be helpful or a waste of time.

I figure by this weekend, we'll be out of the woods for snow-chances and the temps will be mostly 60's and 70's from here on out. Getting a lot of rain lately ... maybe every other day.

Thanks,

Scott

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
what.. no pic ...

i have some guesses ...

multiple shocks ... from shipping.. from your weather [actually ..not your weather per se .. but the change in weather prior to shipping to your yard]... from your planting... etc ...

misting... doubt it will do much of anything.. but if it makes you feel better ... knock yourself out ...

by the time these triple in size ... those branches will have long been removed or crushed.... all trees .. as they grow 10.. 20.. 30 feet ... lose bottom limbs ... normallly just getting shaded out from those above .. as the branches 3 to 5 feet up .. start getting 10 or 20 feet wide .. yes.. you planted HUGE trees in your tiny yard ... as they get wide.. they will start sagging... you will never see the trunk ... or you will start pruning your trees up .. so you still have a yard to walk around in ....

dont worry about it ... as long as they are alive.. pushing new buds.... time will fix the rest of it all ...

your only real problem.. and i love joshing you on this .. since i live it every day .. will be your wife ... and whether she will be patient enough about it all ... dont forget the sports theme.. lol ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: some images
bunkers
Original Author
15 years ago
Funny ... like your ideas about the sports theme.

Ironically, I've already exhausted some of my own tolerange credits (with the wife) doing such things as creating a computerized christmas light show at my house ... and she's pretty tolerant of all that.

Your right, my wife already made a comment about these dieing (because of the browning branches on the bottom) ... and I just brushed it off. She knows about as much about trees as I do about ladies apparel.

I know they can/will get big ... my minimum space to other trees is 10' per side ... but you should see how close they plant em' out here in CO. By local standards, I might be the only person I've met that actually measured before planting. Here, they plant bur oaks 2' from the house ... and blue spruce just as close. Thats my competition from the landscapers ... so I think my jungle will be better than average, but certainly -- mistakes are being make ... and my yard simply won't support the proper spacing in all cases. I'll cut them down someday if/when that happens. But things grow so slow here, I might be 70 before that happens.
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Embothrium
15 years ago
If not bugs or blight grow them well and they should look good later.

Serbian Spruce dryness on lower branches

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

bunkers
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Serbian Spruce dryness on lower branches

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

bunkersOriginal Author

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bunkers
Original Author