Spruce Trees

[JBMasterAngler]

The Arbor Day Foundation just sent me 10 little spruce trees...as I was going over the planting instructions, it said to plant trees in a garden area/sanctuary area, then 2 years later, dig them out and re plant them in the desired area. Is that necessary? Just seems like a risk to kill the tree. Would it be fine if I just planted them in my desired location, and fenced them off? Of course it's supposed to rain tomorrow, making things more fun. Just looking for some advice.

[swamptiger]

Get them planted ahead of the rain in your chosen spots, and they should be fine.  I would put some mulch around them to keep the grass down, and keep the soil moist.

 

 

[JBMasterAngler]

Got some information from someone that raises trees. I ended up planting the trees in pots, and will keep them there until at least this fall. Apparently it's safer for the tree (evergreens anyway) to plant them in late fall. 

 

With all this rainy weather, it was nice to plant these trees in the comfort of my garage, while the rain was pouring down outside 

[swamptiger]

14 minutes ago, JBMasterAngler said:

Got some information from someone that raises trees. I ended up planting the trees in pots, and will keep them there until at least this fall. Apparently it's safer for the tree (evergreens anyway) to plant them in late fall. 

 

With all this rainy weather, it was nice to plant these trees in the comfort of my garage, while the rain was pouring down outside 

 

That will work too.  The forestry departments usually plant in the spring, but typically before the trees start growing.  Spruce is a pretty hardy species, so they'll probably make it regardless if you water them.

 

I planted 40 red pine and 10 white pine (transplants) this spring, and some of the white pine have already put on over an inch of growth.

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2017 by swamptiger

[smurfy]

I got trees from arbor day foundation. None made it.after a little research, so e of those trees came from down south and likely won't survive up here. Planted some here in Stearns county and up in Itasca county. 

 

My wife bought a blue spruce from Menards 4 years later it was dead to. 

 

Just a heads up.

[swamptiger]

Doesn't sound good.  What variety of spruce does the Arbor Day Foundation distribute?

 

I get my trees from the local Soil & Water Conservation District, and they come from a local nursery.

 

 

[smurfy]

i'm not sure............that was 5-8 years ago. and if i needed more trees thats how i would recommend doing it........locally. i've taken pines and small other type of trees off our property up in itasca county and replanted them with no issues!!

 

this is just my experience. i had a friend that bought a bunch of some kind of spruce trees from a place like menards also, they all died, they replaced them but most of those died. when he did more research thats also what he found out. they didnt come fom anywhere around here! 

Edited May 18, 2017 by smurfy

[Hoey]

From my experience, the primary killer of spruce trees is constantly wet ground.  They need to be in well drained soil.  Amend the soil if necessary or even plant into a hill to keep their feet dry.  

[PurpleFloyd]

5 hours ago, swamptiger said:

Doesn't sound good.  What variety of spruce does the Arbor Day Foundation distribute?

 

 

 

'Murican.

[rundrave]

51 minutes ago, Hoey said:

From my experience, the primary killer of spruce trees is constantly wet ground.  They need to be in well drained soil.  Amend the soil if necessary or even plant into a hill to keep their feet dry.  

I had planted a bunch of potted spruce trees from my conservation district a few years ago  in 2012. I didnt have very good success and I think the multiple 100yr  flood events probably were the culprit in the wet summers we have had last few years.

 

Last fall I had a bunch of dirt (multiple side dumps) brought in and built a berm in the lower areas and then had some 6ft trees spaded in to fill in and match the rest of my trees.Hoping for some better success this time.

[swamptiger]

Too much shade isn't good for spruce either,  I planted some on my property under a hardwood canopy about 15 years ago, and some of them are only a couple of feet tall.  Survival rate is fine - just a very poor growth rate.  I've seen them grow a couple of feet per year in the right conditions.

 

 

[pikestabber]

You could always just toss out some catnip in your desired area and after 3-4 nights of strays being around, you'll get that authentic cat urine smell I associate with spruce.

 

#TeamBalsam

[delcecchi]

I have found that the littler the tree the poorer the survival odds.   I have planted various spruces, and even a couple balsam firs, in my yard and most make it if they start at a decent size (and I protect them from predators like rabbits).   The small bare root jobs are less likely to make it.   

 

I don't need so many that I can only afford the bare root things from the swcd.  

 

I really like norway spruce.   I saw Lowes had something called a Siberian spruce that I had never heard of.  Anyone know about them? 

[smurfy]

3 hours ago, swamptiger said:

Too much shade isn't good for spruce either,  I planted some on my property under a hardwood canopy about 15 years ago, and some of them are only a couple of feet tall.  Survival rate is fine - just a very poor growth rate.  I've seen them grow a couple of feet per year in the right conditions.

 

 

i second them thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!

[swamptiger]

1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

I have found that the littler the tree the poorer the survival odds.   I have planted various spruces, and even a couple balsam firs, in my yard and most make it if they start at a decent size (and I protect them from predators like rabbits).   The small bare root jobs are less likely to make it.   

 

I don't need so many that I can only afford the bare root things from the swcd. 

 

10-4 on that.  And the larger transplants take off and grow a lot faster than seedlings.

 

No need to plant balsam fir around my place - they volunteer almost like weeds.  

 

 

 

[swamptiger]

1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

I really like norway spruce.   I saw Lowes had something called a Siberian spruce that I had never heard of.  Anyone know about them? 

 

According to Wikipedia, it's a close relative to Norway spruce.

 

Siberian spruce and Norway spruce (Picea abies) have turned out to be extremely similar genetically and might be considered two closely related subspecies of P. abies.[3]

Siberian spruce hybridises extensively with Norway spruce where the two species (or subspecies) meet in northeastern Europe; trees over a broad area from extreme northeast Norway and northern Finland east to the Ural Mountains are classified as the hybrid Picea × fennica (Regel) Komarov (or P. abies subsp. ×fennica, if the two taxa are considered subspecies); they differ from typical P. obovata from east of the Urals in having cones with less smoothly rounded, often triangular-pointed, scales.

 

There's also a Serbian spruce.

[delcecchi]

Thanks.  For this year sticking with norway... uff da.

[JBMasterAngler]

They sent me Colorado blue spruce, but not sure where they were raised. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. I'm hoping to transplant some white pines later this year as well.

[Hoey]

Black Hills Spruce are doing very well with the clay and other competing trees in our yard.  The Colorado Blues are doing OK with the soil, but they sure like space, air, and non-compete areas of full day sun.