Colorado blue spruce questions

[Johma]

Hello I have a Colorado blue spruce I’ve acquired last summer and haven’t done much with. I think it should be repotted into better soil. It’s still in the nursery pot with regular old dirt.

I’ve read that spruce can be bare rooted and put into better draining soil in the spring? I know you shouldn’t bareroot pines.is fall better for repotting? I’m not sure. I have everything needed if it’s time.

My other question is I want to make a new leader from a lower side branch ( kind of like typerion farms does) remove side branches from the old leader and let it grow wild and remove it later when the trunk thickens. Should I wire the new leader up and wire the old leader off to the side?

The lower branch on the left will be the new leader with the rest eventually removed

Is it safe to do both at the same time as there won’t be much growth removed this year?
Thanks for any advice

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I would do either, but not both the cutting and repotting. You can off course wire the new leader, but I wouldn't cut off the old one yet if you've repotted as well.
I prefer spring repots and winter chops. Which is a possibility for you to do within the same year. The tree looks healthy (which is also why I thinkit isn't in terrible soil).

I've bare rooted spruces but not CBS, and not all of them like it. So a half bare root might be safer.

 

[Johma]

I would do either, but not both the cutting and repotting. You can off course wire the new leader, but I wouldn't cut off the old one yet if you've repotted as well.
I prefer spring repots and winter chops. Which is a possibility for you to do within the same year. The tree looks healthy (which is also why I thinkit isn't in terrible soil).

I've bare rooted spruces but not CBS, and not all of them like it. So a half bare root might be safer.

Thanks for the info. What’s your thoughts on removing some of the smaller groth from the old leader and wiring it out of the way. Will a side branch think it’s the new leader if I wire it up? I’m hesitant about removing the old leader to let the trunk thicken