What kind of soil do blue spruce trees like?
The Blue spruce likes a well-drained and loose soil with some nutrients. To get such a substrate, mix the native soil with 2-3 buckets of soil conditioner in the planting hole before planting.
Do spruce trees need water to grow?
However, it does need water to grow properly and needs well-drained soil. The needles are about one inch long which are dark green or blue-green. When they’re young the branches are white/grey that becomes brown as the winter approaches. 7. Norway Spruce
What are the different types of blue spruce trees?
Varieties of this conifer include dwarf trees that only reach 5 feet tall, trees with weeping branches and those with silvery needles. Whichever variety you choose, planting your Colorado blue spruce in the proper soil will help it thrive.
What are some interesting facts about spruce trees?
The Wright brothers constructed the first aircraft, called Wright Flyer, using spruce wood. Captain Cook prepared an alcoholic sugar-based beer from branches, needles, and buds of spruce trees during his voyages and gave it to his crew for preventing scurvy. A Norway spruce named Old Tjikko is the oldest clonal tree, having an age of 9,550 years.
What do spruce trees need to grow?
To thrive, this tree needs a well-draining soil that is fertile and slightly acidic. Soil should also be kept evenly moist. When grown in infertile soil, the tree will have much slower growth. White Spruce trees have a good tolerance of drought, but again, when grown in dry soils, they will grow much more slowly.
What is the best fertilizer for spruce trees?
The best spruce tree fertilizer is a high nitrogen fertilizer with a formula of 12-4-6. This formula is particularly good for spruce trees as it's more acidic. Higher nitrogen levels in your spruce tree can aid in faster growth and a more vibrant color overall.
Do spruce like acidic soil?
The first problem is acidic soil. Spruce and pine needles have a pH of about 4.5-5, over a full point lower than the optimum 6-6.5 range of most plants. To us 1-2 pH points may not seem like much, but to flora it's a deal-breaker.
Where should I plant my spruce tree?
Colorado blue spruce grows best in a sunny location with moist, well-drained, fertile soil. It tolerates dry wind and can adapt to dry soil. The tree is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 7. Plant Colorado blue spruce in a hole that is as deep as the root ball and two or three times as wide.
Is Miracle Grow good for spruce trees?
Answer: Yes, according to the manufacturer, Miracle-Gro Miracid Plant Food can be used on blue spruce.
Is Miracle Grow good for evergreen trees?
Miracle-Gro® also has tree spikes specially formulated for evergreens and fruit and citrus trees. With all of these plant foods, you'll find the directions on the package label—so be sure to follow them!
Do spruce trees have deep roots?
Even in mature trees, the root system of blue spruce is relatively shallow, compared to that of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine, adapting it to the moist site on which it usually grows. In spite of the shallow root system, blue spruce is decidedly windfirm. (36).
How can I make my spruce tree grow faster?
Make sure your blue spruce tree is planted in a location with lots of sunlight for at least half a day. You can also fertilize the soil around the plant with triple phosphate and potassium to help it grow faster.
Are spruce trees hard to grow?
Growing white spruce trees in the landscape is very easy and forgiving, as long as your climate is right. The trees are hardy in USDA zones 2 through 6 and are very tough against cold winter weather and wind.
How much water do spruce trees need?
A deep watering once per week is much better than a shallow watering four to five times per week. Apply water from the base and out to the drip line and use the shower setting on your hose rather than the jet-spray setting to avoid creating harmful air pockets.
How quickly do spruce trees grow?
Growth Rate This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24" per year.
When should you plant spruce trees?
Evergreens, or conifers like pine, spruce, and fir are best planted in early to late spring or early to mid autumn.
When should spruce trees be fertilized?
Plan to fertilize in the early spring or late fall. Purchase a high-nitrogen fertilizer (12-6-3 or 16-6-6) from a local nursery. There is no need to purchase an acidic fertilizer.
How often should spruce trees be fertilized?
For instance a spruce that measures 5 feet across would cover 25 square feet. A common "maintenance rate" of fertilizer is two to four pounds actual nitrogen per thousand square feet of soil surface, applied every two to four years. For mature, slower growing trees, one pound of actual nitrogen is probably enough.
How do you keep a spruce tree healthy?
Water recently planted spruce trees regularly. ... Spread organic mulch around the spruce. ... Fertilize spruce trees in late autumn or early spring. ... Watch for signs of pests or disease. ... Cut back the main leader stem, if it is damaged.More items...
What is the best fertilizer for blue spruce trees?
Sprinkle 10-10-10 slow-release granulated fertilizer over the soil in the root zone. Then, water with about 2 inches of water to prevent fertilizer burn. Better yet, use a natural and pet-friendly option like compost, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal, or alfalfa meal, to avoid burn altogether.
What type of soil does a blue spruce tree need?
A wide range of soil types can support blue spruce, including clay, loam or sandy soil. These trees grow wild in forests, especially at higher elevations, where they often have to contend with rocky soil and other adverse conditions. The ideal soil is a loose loam or sandy loam.
How tall does a blue spruce tree grow?
Named for its foliage, which varies in color from blue-green to pale blue-gray, blue spruce can reach heights in excess of 60 feet, though it is often smaller in a landscape setting. This tree can adapt to a wide range of conditions, but grows best if you can provide it ...
What is the pH of a blue spruce tree?
The ideal pH for blue spruce is between 6.0 and 7.5, but this tree can tolerate soil ranging from highly acidic to highly alkaline, making it a viable landscape choice in ...
Where is the Blue Spruce tree native to?
Blue spruce (Picea pungens "Glauca"), also known as Colorado blue spruce or simply Colorado spruce, is a large evergreen tree that is native to the United States and Canada.
Is blue spruce good for trees?
It is also often used for screens and hedges, and its pyramidal formation makes it an ideal Christmas tree . It is cold tolerant, and also tolerates heat up to a certain point.
Is blue spruce drought tolerant?
Moisture and Drainage. Blue spruce is highly drought tolerant, and can withstand periods of low water better than most other spruces. It prefers moderate water levels, however, and does best in soil that is moist but well drained.
Is blue spruce good for a Christmas tree?
Blue spruce can tolerate wind, salty soil, pollution and urban conditions, making it a common landscape choice for parks and back yards. It is also often used for screens and hedges, and its pyramidal formation makes it an ideal Christmas tree. It is cold tolerant, and also tolerates heat up to a certain point. Blue spruce tends not to fare well in extremely hot, humid conditions.
What kind of soil does a blue spruce tree need?
They also need soil rich in organic matter, so sandy soils won't suffice. The best soil for your blue spruce is a loose and fertile loam.
What type of soil does a Colorado blue spruce grow in?
Colorado blue spruces grow best in acidic soil. With its slow growth and attractive color, Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) works well as an ornamental tree in many yards. Varieties of this conifer include dwarf trees that only reach 5 feet tall, trees with weeping branches and those with silvery needles.
How to lower the pH of a Colorado blue spruce?
To lower your soil pH to a range better suited for the Colorado blue spruce, you can either amend the soil prior to planting or mulch the soil around an already established tree. Peat moss, conifer needles or conifer bark chips will all make your soil more acidic. If you happen to have soil that's too acidic for your tree, raise the pH with a liming agent or wood ashes.
Where are spruce trees found?
Spruce is any of the large, coniferous tree species belonging to the genus Picea of the family Pinaceae, distributed across the temperate and boreal regions in the Northern Hemisphere. These trees can be identified by the four-sided needles and the cones that hang downwards after pollination.
What is the source of vitamin C in spruce?
As pulpwood for making paper, building wood, tonewood for mandolins, guitars, violins, pianos, and cellos, ornamental Christmas trees; shoots are the source of vitamin C, for making spruce beer from branches and leaves. IUCN Conservation Status.
When do spruce needles fall off?
Spruce needles fall off when the tree is 4-10 years old. However, the peg-like structures (called sterigmata or pulvini) on the branches are retained, making them rough.
How many species are there in the Picea genus?
The Picea genus includes thirty-five extant species, out of which the Brewer’s spruce has a basal position, after that come the Sitka spruce, and then the other species. All these species are classified into three clades, as given below.
What is the best spruce for small gardens?from leafyplace.com
If you’re looking for a weeping spruce tree for small to large gardens, the weeping Colorado spruce cultivar ‘The Blues’ is an excellent choice.
Where do white spruce trees grow?from leafyplace.com
White spruce trees are native to North America and thrive in the freezing conditions of Alaskan and Canadian winters. Also called the Alberta White spruce, this coniferous species is an essential part of the timber industry, and its wood is used extensively in construction.
How tall is a dwarf Alberta spruce?from leafyplace.com
The dwarf Alberta spruce (also called dwarf white spruce) is an evergreen conifer tree that is slow growing. It reaches 10-12 ft. (3-4 m ) and has conical shape with time. The foliage is dense with green needles and looks great as a privacy tree, hedging plant or specimen tree. It is very hardy evergreen tree that grows well in areas with cold winters with cool summers.
How to identify a Sitka spruce tree?from leafyplace.com
Apart from their enormous height, you can identify Sitka spruce trees by their sharp needle-like leaves that are about 1” (2.5 cm) long . The foliage has a blue-green appearance. Slender cones about 4” (10 cm) long dangling from the branches also help identify the spruce. The bark on the long, straight trunk is scaly and flakes off easily.
What is the tallest conifer tree?from leafyplace.com
Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is one of the tallest types of conifer trees. The Sitka spruce is the largest spruce tree among the other 35 species in the genus Picea. This spruce species is also the fifth-largest species of conifer.
What is the shape of a spruce needle?from leafyplace.com
Picture of spruce needles. Spruce needles grow singularly on the branch (unlike pine needles which grow in clusters) and are round (unlike fir needles which are flat)
How to tell if a fir tree is a spruce or a fir?from conifersociety.org
The easiest ways to distinguish spruces from firs is the way mature seed cones are held in the tree. In spruces ( Picea species) mature seed cones hang from the branches and will fall intact from tree while in firs ( Abies species), mature cones are held upright on the branches and will disintegrate rather than falling intact.
What is the most common spruce tree?
Norway Spruce. Another very common spruce is the Norway spruce, or Picea abies. In nature, these trees are very large, with very dark green needles on gracefully weeping branches. But cultivars for the garden abound; this may be the most prolific spruce there is!
How tall is a spruce tree?
Albert gets to be about 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5m) tall after 10 years in the landscape, and true to its name, is wide at the base.
What is the name of the spruce that has a red needle?
It originated as a witch's broom (bud mutation) on Picea abies 'Acrocona', another lovely spruce. Some Norway spruce cultivars even have red needles! The new growth on Picea abies 'Rubra Spicata' is rosy and then matures to green: Picea abies 'Rubra Spicata'. There are also many weeping Norway spruces.
How to tell if a fir tree is a spruce or a fir?
The easiest ways to distinguish spruces from firs is the way mature seed cones are held in the tree. In spruces ( Picea species) mature seed cones hang from the branches and will fall intact from tree while in firs ( Abies species), mature cones are held upright on the branches and will disintegrate rather than falling intact.
What is the name of the spruce tree that grows in the summer?
Picea orientalis 'Skylands' is another oriental spruce tree; its distinctive feature is its lovely golden foliage. 'Skylands' should be protected from hot afternoon sun on summer's longest days or it will burn. If 'Skylands' gets too big for your garden, there is a select "Skylands seedling" called 'Firefly' that displays the same golden foliage, but grows more slowly and stays smaller.
How many needles are there in a pine tree?
Needles are also a distinguishing factor. Pine ( Pinus species) needles grow in bundles (fascicles) of 1 to 5 needles, while spruces and firs are attached singly. Those with sharp eyesight will also notice that spruce needles are attached to a branch by a tiny peg (pulvinus), while fir needles are attached directly to the stem with what appears to be some sort of suction cup.
How tall is Picea orientalis?
The Picea orientalis 'Early Gold' pictured above, for example, is about 6 feet (2 m) tall after 10 years, has orderly, delicate needles and attractive, slightly weeping branches. And those seed cones!
How much sun does a white spruce tree need?
The trees are hardy in USDA zones 2 through 6, and are very tough against cold winter weather and wind. They prefer full sun and do best with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, but they are also very tolerant of shade.
What kind of soil do sage trees like?
They like soil that is slightly acidic and moist but well draining. These trees grow best in loam but will do well in sand and even well-drained clay.
What is a white spruce tree used for?
The most common of white spruce tree uses is Christmas tree farming. Because of their short, stiff needles and evenly spaced branches, they are perfect for ornament hanging. Beyond that, white spruce trees in landscapes are great as natural windbreaks, or in stands of mixed trees.
How tall are Christmas trees?
If not cut down for Christmas, the trees will naturally reach a height of 40 to 60 feet (12-18 m.) with a spread of 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m.). The trees are very attractive, keeping their needles all year long and naturally forming a pyramidal shape all the way down to the ground.
