Rivka
Shohin
Had the opportunity to collect a large densely mounding Colorado Blue Spruce, so went for it even though it is fall.
I’m in PNW and it is still pretty nice here.
•Since the tree was in round raised bed that I could dismantle before removing the tree, there was not much holding the tree in.
•Honestly the tree is so dense that the ground below it was powdery dry though also showed a history of mushroom growth, so I assume it has gotten little to no water from our first fall rains but when it does get wet eventually it likely stayed that way all winters past.
•Roots were shockingly small for such a massive dome of branches, and I saw a bit too late that it had send a few far reaching roots out thru the tight spaces between the wall blocks and into the yard soil. •Sadly 2 of these got cut before we realized how important they might have been. We did maintain the other two and coiled them up safely.
•Soil was so light and loamy it wanted to just fall away and it took everything I could do to keep some of it near a close in wad of small roots. I did collect the soil closest to the healthy roots to try to bring any good fungal friends.
•Potted up in a deep anderson flat that i built wood extensions around to both stabilize and allow lifting and moving such a large tree. (Think Egyptian litter)
•Probably would have been better in a 20”x20” grow box, but I had zero notice i was getting this, and I didn’t want to have it wait overnight unpotted for me to build something.
•Media is 75% pumice %native loamy/sandy soil with a small central rootball undisturbed.
•For now i have it sitting on an elevated surface to allow me to clean and trim it easier from below. The broad huge mass of foliage, specially from the lower branches had to get supported on stools set around it, the lower most branches are pretty floppy and had been resting on the planter bed.
•The more central branches are much stouter and really dense.
Ok, So The Questions…
•So now I got this, I’m wondering what all I can do beyond my normal post yard score care (i do a lot of urbandori) to help it forgive me for the fall timing and possibly cutting off half of it’s long root extensions?
•Also wondering, with spruce particularly, what I can or should do with the over abundance of branches?
For whatever reason that is beyond me, this tree is crazy healthy, its needle mass is so dense and vibrant and even still its back budding all the way down its trunk in complete darkness (i love Colorado spruces for their vigorous backbudding)
•While i normally would not think i should cut back much of anything. This is HUGE and many branches are do dense there are layers that likely get very little sun.
Not to mention its so top heavy and dense, I dont think rainwater will even get to its pot this winter.
Where do Picea store their energy?
Should I maybe trim back major overlaps and structural issues to open things up to air and sun?
Can I do much root promoting fertilizer in the fall? I am just tapering off most of my fertilizers about now on trees in general.
All trees of mind that got repotted this year will be on low consistent heat mats thru winter. My whole collection is placed in a otherwise unheated leanto on the south side of my home. My aim is usually to keep it between 30f-40f, which the sun and the heat mats do a good job of. A cold fogger and fan do the rest.
Another reason i want so badly to trim it back, this is going to hog up soooo much space in my winter shelter!
I’m in PNW and it is still pretty nice here.
•Since the tree was in round raised bed that I could dismantle before removing the tree, there was not much holding the tree in.
•Honestly the tree is so dense that the ground below it was powdery dry though also showed a history of mushroom growth, so I assume it has gotten little to no water from our first fall rains but when it does get wet eventually it likely stayed that way all winters past.
•Roots were shockingly small for such a massive dome of branches, and I saw a bit too late that it had send a few far reaching roots out thru the tight spaces between the wall blocks and into the yard soil. •Sadly 2 of these got cut before we realized how important they might have been. We did maintain the other two and coiled them up safely.
•Soil was so light and loamy it wanted to just fall away and it took everything I could do to keep some of it near a close in wad of small roots. I did collect the soil closest to the healthy roots to try to bring any good fungal friends.
•Potted up in a deep anderson flat that i built wood extensions around to both stabilize and allow lifting and moving such a large tree. (Think Egyptian litter)
•Probably would have been better in a 20”x20” grow box, but I had zero notice i was getting this, and I didn’t want to have it wait overnight unpotted for me to build something.
•Media is 75% pumice %native loamy/sandy soil with a small central rootball undisturbed.
•For now i have it sitting on an elevated surface to allow me to clean and trim it easier from below. The broad huge mass of foliage, specially from the lower branches had to get supported on stools set around it, the lower most branches are pretty floppy and had been resting on the planter bed.
•The more central branches are much stouter and really dense.
Ok, So The Questions…
•So now I got this, I’m wondering what all I can do beyond my normal post yard score care (i do a lot of urbandori) to help it forgive me for the fall timing and possibly cutting off half of it’s long root extensions?
•Also wondering, with spruce particularly, what I can or should do with the over abundance of branches?
For whatever reason that is beyond me, this tree is crazy healthy, its needle mass is so dense and vibrant and even still its back budding all the way down its trunk in complete darkness (i love Colorado spruces for their vigorous backbudding)
•While i normally would not think i should cut back much of anything. This is HUGE and many branches are do dense there are layers that likely get very little sun.
Not to mention its so top heavy and dense, I dont think rainwater will even get to its pot this winter.
Where do Picea store their energy?
Should I maybe trim back major overlaps and structural issues to open things up to air and sun?
Can I do much root promoting fertilizer in the fall? I am just tapering off most of my fertilizers about now on trees in general.
All trees of mind that got repotted this year will be on low consistent heat mats thru winter. My whole collection is placed in a otherwise unheated leanto on the south side of my home. My aim is usually to keep it between 30f-40f, which the sun and the heat mats do a good job of. A cold fogger and fan do the rest.
Another reason i want so badly to trim it back, this is going to hog up soooo much space in my winter shelter!
