Pruning Blue Spruce
danielj_2009
9 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agodanielj_2009
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Pruning blue spruces - when and how
Comments (3)They do not respond well to pruning except at the very tips to make them denser ... at best you can slow their growth down, but you are more likely to kill them. It's a huge species, growing easily 50-80 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide at the base. If it's getting too big for the spot, remove it and plant something smaller. There are dwarf and compact varieties of blue spruce that will not overgrown your yard. http://www.pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=253 Sester's Dwarf Spruce Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Spruce...See MoreIdeal Privacy Spacing for Norway Spruce and Blue Spruce in Zone 5A
Comments (4)Depending on your location Picea pungens may not be the option for a long and healthy screen due to the needle diseases they are subject to in humid climates. Replace with Picea omorika. My Picea abies screening is 18' on center. Picea omorika ranges from 13 to 15' on center....See MoreBlue & Norway Spruce - Pruning?
Comments (7)its hard to opine without any pix ... but imo .... leave them alone ... sooner or later.. they will assume their natural form .... which is genetic .... and even if you force some aesthetic on them ... sooner or later .... short of you buying a cherry picker.. you will not be able to inflict your personal opinion on them ... and then potentially.. they will look stupid ... again.. imo ... you didnt link us to the old post .. so i dont recall whats been said ... but you are living in our current instant gratification world ... and i think you need to start thinking in tree time ... crikey ... you just tore 10 foot trees from mother earth ... [i presume they werent grown their whole lives in pots] .... trucked them cross country ... and jammed them in foreign soil .. in a new area ... and now you are ready to start pruning on them ... presumably ... last fall.. they were dormant.. and went straight into winter ... you need to water them properly for 2 to 3 years ... and THEN think about whether they need training ... on huge 10 foot transplants .. i would be happy if they bud out ... and be barely concerned if they did NOT grow to annual growth rate ... or even fell behind that growth rate the next year ... as long as they are putting out new growth.. roots are growing.. and replacing what was cut off at harvest ... the last cliche is.. every leaf is a food making machine ... and when you are lacking a vast majority of the roots lost.. you dont go cutting off food machines .... ken https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cherry+picker&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images...See MoreTwo Leaders Blue Spruce Prune Double Leaders?
Comments (7)im not sure it hits the ground .. dark pic ... cut it flush with the trunk.. if its above the ground ... while you are under there.. why dont you see if you can find the root flare ... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tree+root+flare&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images pull back the soil.. if the trunk is underground .... i suspect its not i the full sun it would prefer ... and that is why it seems a bit sparse ... as does the lawn for the same reason .... i would probably take my hand pruners.. and clean up the first 8 to 12 inches of the trunk or so.. so i could see what i was doing under there ... and i would start at the top of the sacrificial part.. and take off one foot at a time ... rather than trying to do it all in one cut ... in other words.. get rid of the hanging weight .... imo .... timing is not important .. .just get it done before you leave ... if you are correct.. its Picea pungens ... which is green .. rather than blue .... sooooo.. i guess its not really a blue spruce.. eh???? ken...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agodanielj_2009
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agodanielj_2009
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9 years agodanielj_2009
9 years agoplantkiller_il_5
9 years agoduluthinbloomz4
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodanielj_2009
9 years agoMike McGarvey
9 years agowisconsitom
9 years agodanielj_2009
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5