Bacheri blue spruce

aml1014

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Hey everybody, this is a spruce I picked up from home Depot after Christmas time for 35USD. It was about 5ft tall when purchased and was chopped to about 2ft. Today I decided to do its first rough styling. It has about a 2.5in trunk at soil level, I'll repot next year since it has plenty of space to grow in its current 7gl pot and start reducing it's roots.
This will never be a show stopper, but I think it was some good cheap fun and it didn't turn out half bad imo. Comments and suggestions welcome.

Aaron
20160221_081755.jpg 20160224_094938.jpg
 
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sorce

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I thought this was a bbq thread!

Oddly.....it may turn into one!

I killed 3 spruces like that already!
Going for 2 more this year!

It looks like a nice start!

Sorce
 

GrimLore

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Comments and suggestions welcome.

Fun project and looks good honest. Keeping it in that pot is a good idea for now. Picea pungens glauca'Bakeri' is a slow grower and if anything like other Spruce it will really enjoy a lot of sun. Next year if you do choose to do root work - go slooooooooooooooooooooow and you will be happy.

Grimmy
 

aml1014

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It looks like a nice start!

Sorce
Fun project and looks good honest.

Grimmy
Thanks for the comments guys, this is actually the largest conifer I've worked on so far so I'm pretty proud of it. I'm glad it came out nice for a first styling, so it can only get better from here. :)

Aaron
 

october

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Very nice start. One important thing to know when working with spruce is that they survive off the middle and top growth. In general, when chopping a spruce, there is a good chance the tree will not survive. You can remove a lot of low growth and some middle becasue the tree will be putting most of the energy towards the top. Severing the top, can cause problems. I hope this one does well becasue it has potential.

Rob
 

aml1014

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This thing had some intense vigour when it broke dormancy so I went ahead and pinched back the new growth extensions depending on their place on the tree, and I'm already getting back budding on old wood.
Man I love that blue!20160507_081744.jpg

Aaron
 

aml1014

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Some wire was removed a bit to soon so branches did move back but I did remove the wire holding the trunk a few days ago and that sucker is staying in place! The wire did cut in a fair amount but that's alright, just gives it more charter for the future lol20160720_074939.jpg20160720_075040.jpg
I plan on rewiring all of the branches this fall and leaving them until spring 2018 that way I know they will stay! Also I plan on doing a repot this next spring into a grow box so that I can start reducing this things HEAVY rootball and prepare it for a real pot.

Aaron
 

Giga

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I had wire on my blue spruce for a year and when I took it off some branch bounced back a bit - spruce need a lot of wire
 

Guy Vitale

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I've only recently started working with Blue Spruce, one thing I've noticed is when you pinch the new growth back sometimes it buds at the point where it was pinched and other times it would bud at the base of the new shoot. What I haven't been able to figure out is why this happens. It would be great to be able to control this, anyone else figue this puzzle out or noticed this as well?
 

aml1014

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I've only recently started working with Blue Spruce, one thing I've noticed is when you pinch the new growth back sometimes it buds at the point where it was pinched and other times it would bud at the base of the new shoot. What I haven't been able to figure out is why this happens. It would be great to be able to control this, anyone else figue this puzzle out or noticed this as well?
Usually when I pinch my spruce shoots back by 2/3s or more I get budding at the base of the shoot, if I only pinch about half it sets new buds at the tip of the branch. Maby somebody else will chime in.

Aaron
 

Guy Vitale

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Usually when I pinch my spruce shoots back by 2/3s or more I get budding at the base of the shoot, if I only pinch about half it sets new buds at the tip of the branch. Maby somebody else will chime in.
Interesting, I'll have to keep this in mind in the spring, like I said I've only recently started working with these and have not had a chance to observe this happen. One day I'm pinching back the shoots, next thing you know I have buds in mixed locations. Looking for further tips on working with Blue Spruce in general.
 
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