Colorado Blue Spruce - need to find info

Jas

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Maybe my internet skills need work but I can't seem to find a good resource for working on blue spruce. I just got this tree and I need to know when to do what with it. Anyone know a good resource to read up? My pictures keep failing or I would add one.
 

Hartinez

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@vanc
Maybe my internet skills need work but I can't seem to find a good resource for working on blue spruce. I just got this tree and I need to know when to do what with it. Anyone know a good resource to read up? My pictures keep failing or I would add one.
@Vance Wood is known for his mastery at Mugo Pine, but he’s also got a pretty exceptional blue spruce. He may be able to help. Then again, he’s asked for help often, so don’t be offended by a late response or none at all!
 

0soyoung

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Maybe my internet skills need work but I can't seem to find a good resource for working on blue spruce. I just got this tree and I need to know when to do what with it. Anyone know a good resource to read up? My pictures keep failing or I would add one.

The routine with foliage is let it grow until about August (or, more universally, about 6 weeks after the summer solstice), then cut back to a bud. Any branchlet without a bud is as good as dead even though it may not loose its needles for another year or two. So, back to a bud or to a node (where a branch jumps off the stem or from which this stem originates). This will induce back budding, even on the old trunk.

Some individuals recommend that you pinch emerging shoots - that is, tug off the top third/half of the emerging shoot about the time you can first identify needles. I suggest that you do NOT PINCH. It is a technique for limiting the length of new shoots that may be applicable to maintenance of a 'finished' bonsai, but does nothing productive in developmental phases. In my experience the technique does not reliably induce a second flush. In fact, second flushing seems to happen, regardless, with a healthy, vigorously growing tree. Obviously, you can try it yourself on your tree over the coming years.

They can be bare rooted, but instead I suggest that you only remove the soil from one side of the trunk (known as 'half bare rooting' or 'HBR') in a season. This can be done in spring as you see the buds swell. I prefer to repot around August. When I do. I postpone cutting back to a bud until October or the following spring. as the new foliage will power regrowing roots to recover from the damage of repotting.
 

Adair M

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The routine with foliage is let it grow until about August (or, more universally, about 6 weeks after the summer solstice), then cut back to a bud. Any branchlet without a bud is as good as dead even though it may not loose its needles for another year or two. So, back to a bud or to a node (where a branch jumps off the stem or from which this stem originates). This will induce back budding, even on the old trunk.

Some individuals recommend that you pinch emerging shoots - that is, tug off the top third/half of the emerging shoot about the time you can first identify needles. I suggest that you do NOT PINCH. It is a technique for limiting the length of new shoots that may be applicable to maintenance of a 'finished' bonsai, but does nothing productive in developmental phases. In my experience the technique does not reliably induce a second flush. In fact, second flushing seems to happen, regardless, with a healthy, vigorously growing tree. Obviously, you can try it yourself on your tree over the coming years.

They can be bare rooted, but instead I suggest that you only remove the soil from one side of the trunk (known as 'half bare rooting' or 'HBR') in a season. This can be done in spring as you see the buds swell. I prefer to repot around August. When I do. I postpone cutting back to a bud until October or the following spring. as the new foliage will power regrowing roots to recover from the damage of repotting.
I agree with everything 0so wrote, except I prefer to repot in spring only.

Otherwise, everything he wrote is spot on! ESPECIALLY, the “no pinching” advice!
 

augustine

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Follow this good advice. Pump 'em up and prune in August. The response is excellent.

I also did the opposite in years past and pinched new shoots, won't do it anymore. Trees do not become vigorous and backbudding is very limited.

Thanks Guys,
 

WNC Bonsai

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I thinned the foliage on my Norway spruce a lot last August 6 and wired the branches and with this treatment it put out lots of back buds? I treated it the way Oso described and it responded with an amazing amount of new shoots this spring. I also have a CBS on which I removed the lower half of the rootball this spring and plan to start styling this fall the same ways as the Norway. Harry Harrington has some really good info on developing spruce on his bonsai4me website.
 

augustine

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Here’s another question, please. So when do you guys wire? I prune in August but wire in the fall.

Thanks again
 
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wireme

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Here’s my little spruce. Developed since collection 2011 with no pinching just cut backs. It’s been a bit of a tester because although I believe that pinching probably does have its place given the right circumstances and stages I wanted to see if I could keep this within the design with cutbacks only.

Seems to be working, pic with lighter for scale is 2015. You can see it’s a very small thing and it’s not a dwarf variety just standard englemann. I’ve had my doubts but rather than outgrowing the design it just seems to improve a little every year with cutbacks and I’m confident now that will continue. I think that the only difference from what Oso says is that I cutback in early spring. Not suggesting others do, it’s probably a climate thing, zone 3 here.
Pics are collection, 2015 for scale and this spring before and after cutback (last week).669D8A64-55DC-4EC4-9F2C-944018E2E7C7.jpegBF4594D2-E238-4D3E-8201-050C114F5569.jpeg586749A2-ACF3-4748-B271-EA5E0FA72B6B.jpeg610BB240-7A1F-4BA4-BC68-0F0304004873.jpeg
 

WNC Bonsai

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I went by Harry Harrington’s website and did all my pruning and wiring at the same time in August. Didn’t skip a beat and put out a bunch of new buds on old wood, which then popped this spring with new growth all over the tree. Now I am just letting them grow and generate strength for the tree for more work this fall. The tree needs a lot of pruning to get all this new growth under control and also more wiring to develop the branches more. I’ll take a couple photos tomorrow.
 
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Jas

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Wow thanks! That's just what I needed. I feel like I have a plan now, great info. It makes total sense not to pinch in development. I'm super new and these pretty blue trees might just be one of my favorites, but they are tricky! I'll start the 6 week countdown on the solstice, and get to work. Thanks again, I sincerely appreciate it.
 

Jas

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Here’s my little spruce. Developed since collection 2011 with no pinching just cut backs. It’s been a bit of a tester because although I believe that pinching probably does have its place given the right circumstances and stages I wanted to see if I could keep this within the design with cutbacks only.

Seems to be working, pic with lighter for scale is 2015. You can see it’s a very small thing and it’s not a dwarf variety just standard englemann. I’ve had my doubts but rather than outgrowing the design it just seems to improve a little every year with cutbacks and I’m confident now that will continue. I think that the only difference from what Oso says is that I cutback in early spring. Not suggesting others do, it’s probably a climate thing, zone 3 here.
Pics are collection, 2015 for scale and this spring before and after cutback (last week).View attachment 242359View attachment 242360View attachment 242361View attachment 242362
That tree looks awesome...it makes me think of a cliff somewhere with a tree clinging to it.
 

Ali Raza

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Here’s my little spruce. Developed since collection 2011 with no pinching just cut backs. It’s been a bit of a tester because although I believe that pinching probably does have its place given the right circumstances and stages I wanted to see if I could keep this within the design with cutbacks only.

Seems to be working, pic with lighter for scale is 2015. You can see it’s a very small thing and it’s not a dwarf variety just standard englemann. I’ve had my doubts but rather than outgrowing the design it just seems to improve a little every year with cutbacks and I’m confident now that will continue. I think that the only difference from what Oso says is that I cutback in early spring. Not suggesting others do, it’s probably a climate thing, zone 3 here.
Pics are collection, 2015 for scale and this spring before and after cutback (last week).View attachment 242359View attachment 242360View attachment 242361View attachment 242362
Nice pot.
 
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