Bird’s nest spruce timeline needed

[drhughes]

I found a Bird’s Nest Spruce in the Lowes bargain bin, and decided to give it a try. It was very root bound, so I lightly loosened the roots and put it in a larger pot while I researched what to do with it. I’ve not been able to find a timetable for what to do when. I’d sure like to prune some foliage to see what I’ve got, but not if it’s going to weaken the tree to do it now. Can anyone share a timetable for pruning foliage, pruning roots, etc? It’s about 18” across and came in a 2 gallon pot.

 

[p_anova]

Birds Nest/Colorado Blue Spruce

Mancozeb for fungus
FULL SUN
FERTILIZE EVERY WEEK
Styling late summer or fall
Wire LATE summer or early spring.
Repot in Spring as buds swell.

These are my notes on the species. If I were you, I would go in and clean out all of the small dead bits on the inside now. You can also slowly remove the top soil to reveal the trunk and stop when you reach the nebari to see what you got. Take your time and cut the top of the pot to an inch above the nebari to make watering easier. No other root work should be done at this time. Next Spring, do a repot into good soil but only do a HBR and let it recover. Look at the the thread "Anyone With Birds Nest Spruce".

 

[drhughes]

Birds Nest/Colorado Blue Spruce

Mancozeb for fungus
FULL SUN
FERTILIZE EVERY WEEK
Styling late summer or fall
Wire LATE summer or early spring.
Repot in Spring as buds swell.

These are my notes on the species. If I were you, I would go in and clean out all of the small dead bits on the inside now. You can also slowly remove the top soil to reveal the trunk and stop when you reach the nebari to see what you got. Take your time and cut the top of the pot to an inch above the nebari to make watering easier. No other root work should be done at this time. Next Spring, do a repot into good soil but only do a HBR and let it recover. Look at the the thread "Anyone With Birds Nest Spruce".

Thanks! New guy here — what’s HBR stand for??

 

[p_anova]

Half bare root. You always want to leave some portion of the root system untouched. The following repot, you work the other side and eventually you will get rid of the nursery soil. Take your time with spruce. They are fussy! You can't do too much at one time or they will surely die, like my first one R.I.P. Also check out "Spruce Bonsai Growth Management" by Bonsai Mirai on YouTube. Lots of useful info there.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

They are fun trees! Check it this thread for others' experience:

Anyone With Birds Nest Spruce?

I suppose repot early spring next year but I could do some light styling in the fall? I would pick one or the other. Either style in the fall OR repot in the spring. These two got no work in the fall of 2021, and a big repot in the spring of 2022. The browning needles were from being shaded out...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[sorce]

I reckon anything nonrovia, nonmon, a black pot regularis from home Depot or Walmart is always a better bonsai deal than anything at Lowes, especially Monrovia, even in the bargain bin!

Welcome to Crazy!

That may total a couple bucks more actually, but the value of a busted black pot regularis is best for bonsai.
Busted Monrovia plants are akin to regular black pot plants and those are one in a thousand.

There's some good updates on a bunch of bird's nests' here....

Anyone With Birds Nest Spruce?

I picked up these two pieces of birds nest spruce stock to train as shohin. Last year during summer dormancy, I gave them both their first stylings. They were healthy going into the fall, and still looked green and healthy coming out of winter storage. Once I put them out on the benches to...

www.bonsainut.com

I think these are slightly more difficult because of the growth habit. You have to account for removing about 30% more to actually leave it with a good branch structure.

You can and I reckon should identify the most useless parts of it and remove them now for a good view to ponder. As long as you don't remove more than half you'll be fine.

Useless parts are straight, thick, high stuff with the most vigour. It's good to remove the most vigour now to make it change it's mind.

What's the trunk like? Trunks?
Them Cornrovia plants tend to have multiple thin stems, gives em some of that meh quality.

That'll tell what can safely come off.

Sorce