New spruce coming

b3bowen

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I have 4 young spruces comng. Oriental,Blue,norway, black hills.The first three will grow in this area, the Black Hills Spruce may be a stretch. I’m in zone seven. My understanding, is that spruce do not like drastic root work. So, My thought, was to grow these out in a pond basket so that air pruning could maintain a tight root ball. I know these work well for pine, but I also know that spruce prefer more moist soil than pine.

So, what do you all recommend. Put in the ground, grow in a standard wooden grow box, or is the pond basket a good idea?
 

b3bowen

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Would get from lowes.
 

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Adair M

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Wooden grow box.

Why would you put something that you know prefers to be kept moist in a container that’s designed to dry out quickly?
 

b3bowen

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Thank you @Adair M. My thought process was that a wooden grow box will allow for more circling of the roots allowing for thicker woody roots compaired to the basket. If grown in a basket I would need a more moisture retentive medium than boons mix for pines to account for the increased drying. Glad I asked. Thanks again for your input.
 

Adair M

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I’m not a fan of the pond baskets. They don’t use them in Japan. There is the case of making Shohin JBP using them, but the hype/hysteria of them being the best containers to grow stuff is misguided.

If they were so great, they would be used universally in Japan. They’re not.
 
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