Truce. That $5 Alberta.

[sorce]

As purchased.


Initial Gofer.


After it start showing real life, I cleaned the old needles...removed the branch on the inside of the bigguns curve, and eliminated everything that may cause problems.


Real life.


I want to get it here eventually.
Some of the lower mass will go too.

With no bar branches, and good placement of current branches....
I hope to keep this in check with bud selection, and attention.

Plan is to slowly remove the sacrifice tops and bottoms, while maintaining health of what will be used.

I Probly won't repot it till next year.
Anyone ever repot these successfully?
Thanks!

Sorce

 

[base797]

I repotted one last year. My buddy and I were buying hoop house parts from a Craigslist ad and turns out the guy was divorcing, moving and selling all kinds of crap. He had some plants and one was a decent sized Alberta that I got for $20. Seeing as I didn't care much about the investment, I actually bare rooted it by washing clean with a hose. It went into good substrate and into a hanging basket pot one third the original pot. I did not reduce foliage however because I thought I read they are foliage driven plants and rely on it sort of like juniper. It has been a few years now and it been worked on a bit. I'll post a pic if I can dig it out of the foot of snow I have outside. Good luck.

Patrik

 

[GGB]

I just pulled mine from its box store red pot and threw it in the ground. I'm gonna use you as my control specimen in this experiment. haha thanks

 

[M. Frary]

What time of year do these get pinched?

 

[GrimLore]

What time of year do these get pinched?

Spruce are a bit of a timing challenge, slow growers like Alberta and Birds nest don't tolerate it well - they can handle a branch removal or cut back to a side branch or side bud but expect some browning. That is normally best to do in Late Winter or very early Spring or you will have a fountain of sap flow - serious use a heavy sealer.

Grimmy

 

[aml1014]

My alberta from the flat top spruce thread is coming alive with a vengeance, I'll post pics to the thread later. All I can say is, its not dead like most said It would be.

Aaron

 

[sorce]

@base797 thanks! That's awesome!

Thanks All!

I had a lot of sap flowing when I first cut it in December.
Not so much when I rubbed these buds off and cut a branch this time, about 2 days ago, but today there is sap where I removed stuff. Not bad though.

I'm gonna leave the tops grow out for that foliage need....
And do some bud counting/cutting to keep the bottoms in order.

This might just work!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

This might just work!

It will but with this crazy weather going up and down sap flow on Spruce in general is important. They normally toss all of it to the upper most parts to grow tall. When you chop, cut, prune you have to stop the flow not just slow it down. The reason is it will redirect if the plant is healthy to whatever is left giving you good results over time. They are a bit different but worth the time IMHO.

Grimmy

 

[base797]

Here ya go Sorce. I guess I actually repotted it about 3 years ago. Made the scar and did some branch selection the year before that. It has some flare at the base, but obscured by the snow currently. It has never seen any wire. It's not one that I pay much attention to.

Patrik

 

[Underdog]

I Probly won't repot it till next year.
Anyone ever repot these successfully?

Nope... it is pushing some new green tho...

 

[CWTurner]

When you chop, cut, prune you have to stop the flow not just slow it down

Maybe put a tourniquet on the branch before/after pruning? I have a couple, but haven't done much pruning. Thanks for the tip.
CW

 

[sorce]

Beautiful this new growth is.

@Cadillactaste the Amur is in a time capsule....but I can't help if it peeks out some! Still trying to open leaves!
Just trying!

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

Love multi trunk conifers... The time capsule I missed the window of opportunity for that one.

 

[YukiShiro]

post it to me!!!

sexy curves in the main trunk bro!

best regards
herman

 

[Underdog]

Beautiful this new growth is.

I got a little bit of life showing amazingly As Grim said about the sap. Once I stopped the bleeding it started this. Hard to stop as today I re-sealed a leak.
It's a sad looking thing after all the sins I've committed this winter. Charlie Brown Christmas next year.

 

[GrimLore]

Once I stopped the bleeding it started this.

Sap flow is important for growth, health, and acts like an antifreeze. It is pretty cool how many different things it does for the plant indeed

Grimmy

 

[sorce]

This one is crazy top strong.....


But alive!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

It just makes me want to rejoice!

Sorce

 

[Underdog]

It just makes me want to rejoice!

Looking good. Mine is improving as well. It's alive at least.

 

[sorce]

Sorce