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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27452

  • tubaboy
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So I found this little spruce at one of the places where I work... I know the boss pretty well... what do you think of it as starter material... I'm thinking of asking what they want for it. the stem at the bottom is about 5 cm thick... as you can see it isn't only growing up for some reason.

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27471

  • doddsy
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Go for it, I say.

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27480

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Would not want it for free. This species is not really suited due to poor fixation of branches, and the tendency to kill off inner foliage.

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27506

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picea glauca conica
bought one myself, spent 5 hours pruning and wiring
tips of the branches will always turn upwards and it looks rather funny
not a good candidate, mine became a garden tree after I realized it would be an endless battle
pic after wiring:

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27507

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and some year later planted in the garden


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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27510

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The tree looks like a dwarf alberta spruce, and I agree with the others, they're kind of a pain. I worked on some years ago thinking I could go against the grain. By the time they get to this size (about the same I worked on), most foliage is way out on the tips, not the interior where it needs to be (as leatherback noted). Hard to get consistent back budding. Not saying they can't be turned into bonsai, but your efforts may be better spent with better material.

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27512

  • sel64@sbcglobal.net
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You can always use leggy branches to you advantage, to give the tree a high alpine look

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27513

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You can always use the leggy branches to your advantage, and give the tree a high alpine look, in the end though, id rather have a black his spruce than a Colorado

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27514

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whoops posted the same thing twice

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spruce 7 years 4 months ago #27515

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I've looked at it a few times in the last week.. there is little foliage in the middle, you are correct.... I like the way this tree looks, and thought about it for a while... but... I know that spruces are a difficult tree to work on. That's why I asked.

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