First Colorado Blue.

sorce

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I finally found a Colorado Blue that is more than a brown skin bunch of whorls.

I'm dropping some pics of this Spruce process for them New Cats been hacking on old Alberta....and @KiwiPlantGuy I reckon too...

Right physched on this one....

She's sexy.

Just a fully.
20171124_134654.jpg

Just the base.20171124_134708.jpg

The "remove heavy straight ups to see in".
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Close up of the unquestionably cut off.
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Find the Apex transition.
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Cleaned up. Everything up and left will be cut in the future.
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:rolleyes:
That is one of those things I call golden.
A new lead with a branch already dropped for the transition.
Since I don't have to wire it, I can keep it clipped short more safely, to keep it small since it is in the top.

20171124_155649.jpg

The barked up portion of the trunk has some decent taper.

The 3 segments of taper are well proportioned.

Pretty sure all the branches are healthy enough to hold that size next year with pruning. They are mostly the same size, so I will be bud counting, bud knocking and pruning accordingly to even out taper and build properly sized branching.

That mid section where the wire is needs a lot of growth. It has the branches to fill all the spaces necessary which is killer....
But holding the top back and catching those up, while keeping it healthy is going to be the task to focus on.

Note...
Everything in that "bottom third" has been dewhorled.
But will be kept for energy for X years.

The Apex Apex was cut to show it who's boss, but the next whorl down and everything above my new leader will remain for health purposes.

The entire tree has been dewhorled.
No 2 branches from the trunk in the same place.
And filling every space necessary in the future is possible.

If a nursery spruce can not give you that. It's not worth buying IMO.

I got a few more pics.

Sorce
 

sorce

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That skinny branch...
More mindless cut off as it is smaller than my keepers.

20171124_154239.jpg


Peep the uncut T-bar.
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The right branch is bare for about 2 inches.
The left branch forks at inch and a quarter.
If I really needed that right space filled, I'd keep the right.
Obviously there are other branches on the left.

Go up and down and think 3 or four steps ahead.

I decided the right had enough branching so I kept the left branch with a close fork.



Sacrifice low stuff, properly dewhorled.20171124_154442.jpg

Dewhorled and spaces filled.20171124_154449.jpg

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Kept on for health.20171124_155703.jpg

Sorce
 

Velodog2

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Powerful base, good taper and movement, and a plan. Will enjoy watching this develop! You stuck your fingers down in its nebari yet?
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Nice.
I haven't figured out how to style mine, haven't got a good vision for spruces, so I can't offer styling advice. I would have taken less off, but you will probably be okay. Mine has needed 3 years with no work to recover from the root work needed to get from the nursery can to the Anderson flat.
 

KiwiPlantGuy

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Lil bit, but it's pretty well froze.

The branching is such that a couple good fronts would work, so as long as it ain't ghastly....hell....even if it is ghastly! Gotta make it work!

Sorce

Hi Sorce,
Nice start to your blue Spruce. I can definitely see where you are going with this, and thank you for all the photos of its pruning progression. I am very keen on seeing how it grows out over the next year or two, as it will give me some valuable insights etc.
Also you be interested to know that out of my 4 blue Spruce trees dug, 3 have done the new growth while the other is either “on a very slow boat to death” or may shoot away next Spring. I should update my thread lol.
Charles
 

defra

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Nice sorce looks like the same path my blue spruce is on!

I bought another spruce victim thuesday to train a picea omorika i will be following the same way of branch selecting thnx for sharing!
 

Underdog

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I'm 0-3 against them. I got the Colorado Blues...
 

Soldano666

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I repotted one august 15th. Still bluish green, and buds finished setting for next year. I think summer repots is a go. Ive placed it in the cold frame for extra protects. Ive also been able to prune about anytime of year with no ill results. Pruning before growth hardens off and new buds form allows for better placement of new terminal buds. Based off what I've read about Walter pall pruning and thinning spruce from his blog. I put 2 and 2 together and saw the new buds set right where I wanted em.
 

Hannahmm

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@sorce pardon the noob questions I am just not sure I understand the terminology of de whorling??? Looks great by the way! Quite a few people have frowned on me for getting a CBS for use as Bonsai but so far I love mine! (I think that's all that matters anyhow)
 

sorce

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de whorlin

Pretty sure I made that up...

Un knucklin...
Trident killin....
Reverse taper prevention...
Unfucking the branching...

A lot of people use 2 from a spot...
Or more....

Eeew....

Just Cuz you Can hide it...
Don't mean you should.

Like eating pine cones.
You can.....but..

Sorce
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I have repotted my blue spruces middle late summer too. Late in August.

It works out well for me, in my climate. Those in hot summer areas, zone 7 and warmer should do their own assessment whether it would work or not. Every climate has their own local ideal times for repotting
 

GailC

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Are ground grown trees tougher than nursery grown?

I yanked a roughly 7 yr old blue spruce out of a bone dry garden in May, packed it home bare root, chopped off the tap and planted in a big pot of Napa dry.

Thing didn't even skip a beat, put on plenty of growth and blued up really well.
It's sitting out in the open in fuck it's cold weather with no snow and is happy as can be.
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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Are ground grown trees tougher than nursery grown?

I yanked a roughly 7 yr old blue spruce out of a bone dry garden in May, packed it home bare root, chopped off the tap and planted in a big pot of Napa dry.

Thing didn't even skip a beat, put on plenty of growth and blued up really well.
It's sitting out in the open in fuck it's cold weather with no snow and is happy as can be.

6.74 Yes

7 iffin you had a pic!

Lol!

Sorce
 
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