relocating colorado blue spruce seedlings

[mr.j.j.stauf]

Hi all, first post on the forums here. I recently received about 15 Colorado blue spruce seedlings, and they're now about 2 inches tall. I was wondering when would be a good time to relocate them to individual pots, or maybe i should wait until spring and plant them outside?

 

[mrchips1952]

From all I have heard it is best to wait until Spring to repot or plant any pines. Leave them as is for the time being as they should be in a dormant stage at this time of year. Where are you located?

 

[jk_lewis]

What are they growing in now? Are they seperated from each other or in a clump with the roots all tangled?

Two inches is too small to transplant, and as Mr. Chips says, now isn't the time, anyway.

If there is a inch or two between the seedlings, I'd let them grow for another year before you do anything to them.

 

[mr.j.j.stauf]

They're all bunched up in a small pot 2" deep and 3" in diameter, and they're in normal soil from what I can tell.
I'm located in lower New York, by the way.

 

[jk_lewis]

OUCH! 15 seedlings in a 3-inch pot??!!

This is absolutely the wrong time of year to transplant them (especially in NY), but it's likely to be impossible in the spring.

I don't know what to advise.

Down here, I'd carefully wash all soil from the roots and replant immediately, each into its own 3-inch pot with 50% Turface 50% composted bark. Up there ????????????

 

[Bill S]

keep them cold, and transplant in the spring. You would be better off to plant them in the ground and let them grow out, until they are of the size you want for styling, these will take many years to grow of any size in small pots.

 

[jk_lewis]

these will take many years to grow of any size in small pots.

Yeah, but at 2 inches, they're pretty small to go into the ground. I'd grow each in its 3-inch pot for a year. By next fall they shld be 6 inches or more, and hey can go into the ground them, or in the next spring.