Blue Spruce

[Escopeton]

I picked up this tree last spring in our local mountains. It came out with a nice root ball and all I did was plant it in this temporary pot. I haven't done anything to it, just wanted it to get use to being in a pot. Any suggestion on what to do next will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I picked up this tree last spring in our local mountains. It came out with a nice root ball and all I did was plant it in this temporary pot. I haven't done anything to it, just wanted it to get use to being in a pot. Any suggestion on what to do next will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I believe that you have a Douglas Fir and not a spruce. Still a good subject for Bonsai

 

[aml1014]

Definitely douglas fir, I've got a few and they are Pretty fun to pay with.

 

[Cypress187]

I think conifers don't like root work and/or pruning, do everything very carefully. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Adair M]

Does appear to be a fir.

What to do with it? It depends on your goal for the tree. If you want to keep it small, you could cut back on the branches to prevent them from getting too long and leggy.

If you want to grow it out, you need to think about putting it in the ground or a growing box to build girth in the trunk. You still need to make sure to keep interior growth healthy that's close to the trunk.

There's lot s of branches, all are still easily bendable, even the trunk. You could make this tree into anything you want, style wise.

Of course, the first thing is to look after it's health. It does look pretty healthy, but a little leggy. Make sure it gets plenty of sun. If you are going to keep it in pot rather than ground growing, consider doing a half bare root repot next spring to begin the transition into bonsai soil.

Good luck, and have fun with it!

 

[Adair M]

I think conifers don't like root work and/or pruning, do everything very carefully. Welcome to the forum.

Conifers don't mind root work and they respond well to pruning if the work is done at the right time, in the right way.

You are correct that they will respond poorly to improperly timed and poorly done rootwork and/or pruning.

 

[Cypress187]

Conifers don't mind root work and they respond well to pruning if the work is done at the right time, in the right way.
You are correct that they will respond poorly to improperly timed and poorly done rootwork and/or pruning.

Oh, that's what went wrong

 

[Escopeton]

First, I noticed that I put this in the wrong forum - darn. Most importantly, thank you all for advice and encouragement. I look forward to working on this tree and will post up my progression.