What's up with my Norway Spruces?
I have 6 of them put in two seasons ago, so this is their second full season of growth. They are about 8' tall not including a long stem on some of the trees. Some of the spruces get more sunlight than others. The question I have is about the long growth on the primary stem/trunk (sorry I don't know the correct term for the main growth at the top). Two of the trees have very long, like 3 feet long shoots going straight up, and all from this year! Does this have anything to do with the amount of sunlight the tree gets, or something else? Of the two that have long top growth, one is in the shade and the other is pretty sunny. The one in the shade is a bit more spindly than the others. I have another in the shady area and it has no large top growth/stem.
Most of the trees do not have this excessive growth on top. I'm just
trying to understand better how these things grow so I'll know if there
are any problems.
Here's one of the two, which gets a little more sun than the second one in the other photo below:
Comments (9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
What is wrong with my Norway Spruce?
Comments (9)Nothing I see in the picture fits any disease of Norway spruce that I know of. That is the good news. The bad news is that I donÂt know what this is. There are three possibilities I can think of. First, some lawn treatment chemicals/pesticides. Anything that is supposed to get rid of weeds in a lawn can damage a tree. Two, sometimes some excess fertilizer, especially if applied during the fall/winter can cause a coniferÂs foliage to dry out too much if there is a stiff, dry, and very cold wind during the winter. The third and final possibility is that the tree is close enough to a road for some ice melting chemical to be blown onto the foliage. But if the adjacent tree is unaffected, this does not seem very likely. I think the odds are that your tree will be fine. You will know in just a few weeks--if the buds break normally and you get new growth, that will be a very good sign. I think the odds are heavily in fovor of this tree recovering and growing normally. --Spruce...See MoreMy Norway spruce screen--pics, finally
Comments (36)Hey Spruce, No problem! I love to share places that I know and love, especially with people who would very much appreciate such places, and may not know they are there. I was just up in WV this past weekend (again) and did not get a chance to visit Gaudineer this time. This time I went to Blackwater Falls, and then on to Dolly Sods. Blackwater Falls is nice and all, but a bit too touristy for me. I can almost never go into that area and NOT go up to DS. I just simply love it up there. I did pay extra attention on this trip to what people have planted around their properties, and sure enough, there are a TON of Norway Spruce. I even saw some areas where it looked like they have naturalized a bit. That said, I also did see quite a lot of properties that had Red Spruce planted as well. Granted, they were probably more elevated than you, and also much closer (and some were on) the Allegheny Front, so they probably were not as affected by the rain/ snow shadow. None the less I was still surprised at the number of places I saw that had Red Spruce planted, even at lower elevations. I would LOVE to visit your Timberland. I did see and read your other threads in the trees forum, and it looks FANTASTIC! It also looks like you are a wonderful steward of the forests on your land as well. I would definitely love to see it, and am really not that far away. How far up into Western MD is it? I have 2 brothers and sister in laws up in Martinsburg, WV, and could always combine a trip to see them with a day trip or stop on the way up/ back. I would almost kill to own even just a half acre of land that looked like some of yours in your photos. Not to build on, hunt, or anything like that, but just to go to and get away. Pitch a tent, and stay for a couple days. I love the open meadows surrounded by forests and the high altitude wetlands / bogs / beaver dams...etc. Not sure I will ever be able to afford even a small parcel of undeveloped land in this life tho, but if I could it would remain untouched as long as I had it and I would do my best to make sure it stayed untouched long after I was gone. Having a place like that to go to would make living where I do more more bearable. I don't dislike it where I am, but Ive been here for 40 years (my whole life) and well, its just gotten kind of old. I'm always up for a trip to Gaudineer or anywhere else around the MNF for that matter. =o) Also, glad to see (at least from what you posted in your other threads) that your Hemlocks seem to not be suffering from the woolly adelgid. Just this weekend at Blackwater Falls State park I saw many many hemlocks which were infested, and way too many snags that once were beautiful hemlocks. Just sad. Anyway, Thanks for sharing that with me! Hope to get to see it some day! KJ...See Moremy Norway Spruce trees look like they are dying - please help me
Comments (11)Spruceman only checks in with us here very occasionally, but yes, his Norway spruce experience and advice is unparalleled. One thing that jumped out in OPs old original post is the paucity of sunlight-only 3 hrs. per day-falling on his trees. Combine that with close competition from larger and more well-established pines nearby, and it seems there would be some struggle here. Neverthelss, these tree species are very compatible, both having roughly the same requirements as well as growth rates (fast). I'd look to carefully trim some branches if any are especially inhibiting the newer trees. I'd pay attention to water needs as the older, more established plants are going to hog it up. And please, do not buy "fertilizer spikes". They are a bad idea whose time has come.......and gone. +oM...See MorePlz help save my Norway Spruce!
Comments (23)the OP clearly states his having an appreciation for the tree All other landscape design considerations fall outside of this question Yet the opening statement I see is I have a Norway (pretty sure) spruce that a maniac tree guy recently mutilated thereby establishing a clear belief that there is an undesirable aesthetic situation present right at the start. you can plant other stuff around it. And the trunk is good for some vine to climb now Area beneath tree is going to be full of roots and subject to dripping from high crown. So it may turn out to not be a prime planting site - as is often the case beneath evergreen conifers....See Moredanielj_2009
8 years agoThis is one instance where I don't mind them getting big. Our neighbor has one about 50' high right next to our property (not in photo). We have room for them, though they will grow together at some point. I just wanted to be sure they weren't getting shaded out and damaged. I'm not in love with the maples, crab apple, etc. trees that are shading them right now. I'd cut those down if need be. I guess what I'm really asking is whether these trees need full sun all day in order to be healthy, or if they are OK with half shade and half day of sun.
Here is a look toward the east from the balcony at the 3 Norways that are shaded until early/mid afternoon:
And here is a look to the left of that (now facing north/west). You can just make out the huge Norway spruce just off the right edge of the photo behind the sickly blue spruce:
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agono conifer dies in too much shade.. it just MIGHT affect vigor ... grow a little slower than norm ... or a little leggier ...
they will be touching inside 2 years ...
if you have a spot for the middle one.. i would move it out ...
they will look like the pic below in 10 years or so ... maybe 15 ... you can age a larger tree by counting whorls of branches ...
ken
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agodanielj_2009
8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agodanielj_2009
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agowisconsitom
8 years ago
gardener365