When should I prune my blue spruce? The Best Time to Trim a Blue Spruce
Should you trim bottom branches of blue spruce?
Eliminate branches growing in an undesirable direction by cutting them close to the trunk. Trimming bottom branches of blue spruce creates a neater appearance, and makes it easier to reach underneath the tree to rake or apply mulch.
How do you trim a blue spruce tree?
Go to the other side of the tree and cut straight through the other side of the face cut, about two inches higher than the face cut's vertex, however, do not cut all the way through. Leave one to two inches to give the tree a hinge, at which point you should turn off the chainsaw immediately.
What time of year do you trim spruce trees?
Evergreen Trees
An excellent time to prune spruce and fir is late winter when they are still dormant. Spruce and fir possess side or lateral buds. The pruning cut should be just above a side bud or branch. Pines are pruned in early June to early July when the new growth is in the "candle" stage.
How do I make my blue spruce more blue?
Apply a chelated iron-rich fertilizer if a blue spruce develops a yellow or yellow-green color. A shortage of iron will cause the needles of a blue spruce to lose their blue coloration. The fertilizer will replace the depleted iron and help the needles regain their blue color.
Related guide for When Should I Prune My Blue Spruce?
Will blue spruce needles grow back?
Generally, spruce trees will regrow as long as buds are available, but pine trees pruned past the last set of needles on a branch will not.
Why are the lower branches of my blue spruce dying?
When entire lower branches on a spruce have died, the problem is more likely to be cytospora canker, Yiesla said. This fungus lives under the bark and destroys the vessels that carry water and nutrients, so the whole branch dries out and dies.
How do you treat blue spruce cytospora canker?
Management: There is no known cure for cytospora canker. Fungicide treatments are not recommended. The Davey Institute recommends maintaining the health and vitality of susceptible trees to manage the disease; healthy trees are less susceptible to cytospora canker.
How do you take care of a blue spruce tree?
Light and Water Needs. Colorado blue spruce thrives in full sun but also grows in partial shade. Once established, the tree needs a medium amount of water, with a deep soaking every two or three weeks. Even though the tree likes the soil to remain moist, especially while it's still young, it's also tolerant of drought.
Should you trim spruce trees?
Although spruces need very little pruning, bottom branches may die with age and can be removed. For a formal shape, prune new growth in the spring. Shear in late spring, after new growth has expanded. To reduce the size of a branch, cut back to a lateral branch or a visible dormant bud.
How do you trim a spruce tree?
Can you top a spruce tree?
While many plants can be pruned to keep their size in check, this is hard to do with evergreens because most grow from a central leader. Practices such as topping a tree by cutting off the uppermost part of the trunk should be avoided.
What kills the tops of spruce trees?
Tip weevil, or white pine weevil, are insects that live their life cycle around pines, spruce, and firs.
When should yews be pruned?
It is safest to start cutting back yews when they are dormant. Late winter is perhaps the ideal time to start pruning a yew shrub. The types of pruning cuts to use depend on the outcome you desire. To make a yew tree bushier and fuller, just clip off the outer growth.
How do you know when a blue spruce is dying?
What is the difference between a blue spruce and a Colorado blue spruce?
Blue spruce belongs to the species Picea pungens and is common in North America. It is also called Colorado spruce. Norway spruce belongs to the species Picea abies. It is native to Northern Europe and can also be found in the central and eastern parts of the continent.
What should I feed my blue spruce?
I suggest feeding spruce trees with a slow-release shrub & tree type fertilizer or a natural, organic plant food. After planting, lightly sprinkle a slow-release shrub & tree type fertilizer beneath and just beyond the canopy of your spruce tree. Keep the granules well away from the plant's trunk area.
How much is a 6 foot blue spruce?
| Colorado Blue Spruce - Installed | ||
|---|---|---|
| Height in feet | Price each | Minimum order |
| 5 - 6 | $159.95 each | 10 trees |
| 6 - 7 | $179.95 each | 10 trees |
| 7 - 8 | $199.95 each | 10 trees |
What is the lifespan of a blue spruce?
Growth and Yield- Blue spruce is apparently a long-lived tree, surviving up to 600 years or more. Diameter growth is slow; trees 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 in) in d.b.h. may be 125 to 135 years old; at 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in), they may be 275 to 350 years of age (84).
How do you treat a needle cast on a blue spruce?
Should you trim lower branches on trees?
Low Tree Branches Need to Be Trimmed or Removed
This is lovely for shade, dramatic in fall, and perhaps great for children to play on. Still, the majority of the time, you do NOT want to cut away your lower branches! This is because they're there for an important reason: they serve as a tree's structural reinforcement.
Why are the needles on my blue spruce turning brown?
Browning of the inner needles on the tree is an early symptom. Blue spruce trees are also susceptible to Rhizosphaera needle cast, caused by the fungus Rhizosphaera. The disease begins on the tree's lower branches and works its way upward. Needles turn purple or brown in color and eventually fall off.
Why is my blue spruce turning brown at the top?
The tops of tall pine and spruce trees are especially vulnerable, way up high where the wind is even stronger and colder. Evergreens like spruce lose precious moisture through their needles. Damaged needles turn brown and the tree starts to die at the top.
How do you prevent Blue Spruce disease?
Heavily infected trees may require several years of fungicide applications but should be sprayed, soil drenches are not effective. Also, clean-up of any infected needles and branches will help reduce the spread of the disease.
What does Cytospora canker look like?
What does Cytospora canker look like? Cytospora canker usually first appears on lower branches and progresses up the tree. Individual upper branches may show symptoms as well. Needles on infected branches turn purple, then brown and die.
What does a canker look like on a tree?
Cankers are usually oval to elongate, but can vary considerably in size and shape. Typically, they appear as localized, sunken, slightly discolored, brown-to-reddish lesions on the bark of trunks and branches, or as injured areas on smaller twigs.
How do you save a dying blue spruce?
How do you make a healthy blue spruce?
How do you care for a new Blue Spruce plant?
Spring and fall are the best times to plant the Baby Blue Spruce. This blue spruce grows in full sun to part shade. It adapts well to any well-drained soil. Water your newly planted evergreen tree thoroughly a couple times per week for the first two to three months.
What is blue spruce wood good for?
Uses: The Colorado blue spruce is most commonly used for windbreaks throughout the country. The thickness of the trees reduces wind velocities and can reduce soil erosion greatly. The Colorado blue spruce is not used to make lumber because of its knotty wood and weakness compared to other trees used for lumber.
How do you trim evergreens?
Should I trim the bottom of my pine tree?
Another rule you want to consider is don't over trim the bottom of a pine tree. Branches do not re-grow. Pines only grow up and never from the trunks bottom or base. Branches do sprout new stems and will thicken up but as for new branches sprouting from the trunk, this doesn't happen.
How do you stop a spruce tree from growing taller?
What happens if you cut off the top of a spruce tree?
A good trim refreshes trees. Once they get a healthy cut, they can spring into a new growing season with gusto. Though there is one infamous pruning shortcut that holds trees back from a healthy start—tree topping. When you cut the top of a tree off, you leave behind a weak tree that's unstable and at risk of decline.
What happens if you cut the top off a pine tree?
Never cut the top portion off a pine. A pine tree that has its top portion removed will grow in a very ragged manner and be extremely susceptible to disease and insect infestation. The tree will not produce a new top “cone.” Instead, branches may curve upwards and deform. Do not remove the top portion of a pine tree.
How do you keep a spruce tree small?
If you just want to shape your dwarf spruce, or if your tree is young and you want to trim it to keep it small, then you can prune with a good amount of success. Taking care not to cut into the dead zone, cut back any branches that extend beyond the tree's conical shape. Remove ½ to 1 inch (up to 2.5 cm.)
How deep are the roots on a blue spruce?
According to the U.S. Forest Service, blue spruce trees develop shallow roots after seed germinate, perhaps only 2 to 3 inches deep. This reveals that this tree species grows with a spreading, shallow root system.
Will spruce trees regrow needles?
These voracious eaters strip needles from spruce, and those needles will NEVER grow back. In three years, they can kill a tree. Look for them carefully though, waiting until you see them can result in significant damage to your trees.