Hi everyone, this is my first post here in this Forum.

I bought this spruce one year ago in a nursery for very little money, because i wanted to gain some experience with this species without speding too much.
The tree was very healthy when i bought it so i styled it a few days after i got it home in my garden. That was a little bit more than one year ago. It was just the first styling. This spring i made the first wiring and the wire is still on. The tree is healthy and will be repottet spring 2017 when the buds start to swell.

I just wantet to hear some opinions on the tree, of course its early to judge if a tree is just one year in development but give it a go. And i'm thinking of putting this tree in a rock-pot instead of a traditional bonsai-pot, because the tree looks a little bit wild. what do you think about that?

The first picture is frome June 2015 and the second picture from today (19.07.2016)

''Care must be taken as major manipulation of a Spruce branch in the late Spring and Summer will cause it to dieback very quickly. This is why Spruce should be styled from August onwards. After this time I have found that Spruce are very tolerate of all wiring and styling.''

''Once the bar branches have been removed, the enthusiast often finds that he is left with a small number of thin, ill-spaced branches that only have foliage growing on the tips. removed, the enthusiast often finds that he is left with a small number of thin, ill-spaced branches that only have foliage growing on the tips.
When considering which branches to keep and those to remove, always value and retain those that have foliage closest to the trunk. Though backbudding can be promoted on Spruce, this will always be limited. Do not rely on any backbudding on the trunk or old branches unless the tree has been very heavily pruned back.''

www.bonsai4me.co.uk/AdvTech/ATPiceaPruningstylingandwiring.htm


Not bad for a first try, but I wouldn't choose spruce in future. If going for garden centre trees, Potentilla fruticosa, Lonicera nitida, and cotoneaster horizontalis (my personal favourites) would be better.

Ed

Thank you for your advices.

I know spruce is a very difficult species for bonsai and as soon as you do something it will probably die, but my spruce is doing surprisingly well. I heard also Walter Pall saying something like that spruces are very difficult.
But i live in the middle of the alps, in South Tyrol to be exact, and i want to work with native species, so spruce is a part of it.
But as i said befor this is my first spruce and i'm learning everyday.

Normally i don't buy trees from a gardencenter, because they normally don't have the quality i search for but hey, i defenetly saw something in this tree.

And what do you say ablut my idea of a stone pot ?

Best regards

In my opinion spruces look best on stone slabs, Walter uses them often too.
Good luck with your tree.

It would look great in a stone pot. I think it would suit the tree.

I love spruce and you live in a place where spruce will do well. They are however difficult to style. Plenty of inspiration can be found on Walter Pall's 2 websites, he creates wonderful spruce bonsai. Follow the advice about styling in the fall.