Spacing Colorado Blue Spruce Trees
mary_max
9 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agomary_max
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Colorado Blue Spruce Growth rate
Comments (24)Just a note about the trees you may find at the "big box" stores: Don't make any assumptions that they are bad--they may be a bit careless about what they buy and sell to the public, but they don't make any special efforts to always offer terrible trees. Before you pay a lot for some tree, check out your local Walmart, Home Depot, etc. This year here in Winchester, VA the local Walmart had really, really top quality green giants--better than any of the regular nurseries around here had for two to four times the price. I bought some and the root systems were beautiful. And the same Walmart had Colorado spruce that were just sold as seedlings. Some obviously were, but there were two mixed in that had color and form as good as any I have ever seen, including Hoopsi--2 1/2 footers for $24. I wonder if these were really seedlings, or if somehow some special blue cultivars got mixed in by mistake. I have loads of blue spruce, or I would have walked away with those beauties. As for the growth rate for blue spruce in good soil in the Northeast and central Atlantic states--18" per year would be a good average. Vigorous strains on very good soils can beat that. But they may not achieve that growth rate for several years after planting, if they are small and/or have some transplant shock. --Spruce...See MoreMoving a Colorado Blue Spruce and Ponderosa pine Tree
Comments (4)mary .... get serious ... first off... you will be bleeding from the picea pungens.. its one mean tree.. needle sharpness wise.... and how are you going to tie it up .... to get in there to dig ... you can buy VALUABLE NAMED VARIETIES in one gallon pots.. and have them planted.. for under 50 bucks total ... delivered to your door ... and plant them in one hour... or spend 10 hours per tree.. with below a 50 per cent success rate... where is the wisdom in that ... look for Picea pungens Hoopsi and a pine of your choice at the link below ... and look for something with an annual growth rate under 12 inches.. one foot a year is good enough ... that pine of yours is probably doing 2 feet ... and do it the easy way ... can either of them.. be harvested fro a unique xmas tree this season??? if so.. then plant in spring... those trees are simply not worth the effort ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link...See MoreColorado Blue Spruce advice for pre and post christmas
Comments (8)i find it hard to believe that you cant find someone in the neighborhood that doesn't have a hundred of them at the curb ... but maybe CO is different than here .... regardless... the idea is simply to cover the pot.. so sunshine cant warm it .... as far as i am concerned.. cold is not an issue ... the issue is repeated thawing during the day .. and re-freezing at night .... over and over again all winter long ... here in MI.. we are famous for 3 to 5 days of 60 degree weather in February .... a black pot in the sun during such time.. could hit 80 i bet ... and be back to 20 at night ... that sure doesn't sound good for roots to me ... the pot should never dry out ... but should never have enough water to turn into an ice cube .... i don't know what more to tell you ... here in MI.. with 40's the norm .. the pots just aren't drying out that fast ... insert finger and water if dry ... avoid over watering ... are the pots 12 inches??? .... if higher.. just mound some soil to hide the pot .... another alternative.. is to just put them on the north side of the house... to avoid all sun ... unless prevailing winds are howling on that side ... there are so many ways to avoid thawing of the pot.. i am sure you can figure out alternatives ... and that it will be there consistently all winter???? good luck ken PS: 2 feet of snow.. makes all protection issues just about moot ... but can we be sure you will get snow cover???? .. and that it will stay there all winter .... PPS: a few bails of straw .... bunch the plants together.. and put the straw around them ... bales intact ..... instant wind/sun break on the pots.. so many options .......See MoreBaby Blue Eyes Colorado Spruce
Comments (12)I would approach the question of which tree to plant as "which conifer can handle a reasonable amount of shade (but that a good number of hours of direct sun wont hurt), that also looks like an Xmas tree". Upon first look that does not appear like an ideal situation (it obviously isn't, that fence height is a good % of the final height you want your tree to be), but as mentioned earlier it appears to get full sun in the later afternoon which have the strongest rays. Having said that, I think it is more than workable to get something that you will be happy with. My experience has shown that norway spruce are a reasonable amount easier to grow that colorado blue spruce(handle shade better, etc). Now you are faced with the dilemna that 50% of the questions on here revolve around (I needed a (row of) tree(s) yesterday that is 20' tall, 9' wide already and wont grow anymore). If you are willing to wait 20+ years then go buy a small reasonably priced smaller (slower growing) conifer, be patient and wait (eventually it may/will grow bigger than you want, perhaps much bigger than you want) Or (if there is even a nursery around you that sells older (and larger) slower growing conifers, you could shell out big big big big bucks and get something bigger so you dont have to wait as long. What Im learning about this hobby is that it is a lot about being patient(or having deeeeep pockets, but even then still being very patient). Im not the best person to recommend specific trees, not much experience. Ive got a lot of basic conifers- norway, colorado, black hills, serbian, canadian hemlocks, etc but not so many fancier/slower growing ones (and Ive only been into conifers/trees for 3 years) Canadian Hemlocks like shade but growing them can be finicky in Ohio(and they may not have the Xmas tree look you are looking for). Actually that is way too much sun for a Canadian hemlock(at least in Ohio, up North not as much, but I would say still too much sun, even where you live). Im thinking some type of slower growing Norway spruce, but like I said, not an expert. Im sure others will offer specific suggestions. The Norway spruce is the most bullettproof conifer I have met. Ive got a bunch planted in shady areas. They dont fill out as much when in shade but they still look great to me and plenty "Christmas-tree like"....See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agomary_max
9 years agomary_max
9 years ago
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