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Dumb Question - When To Put Potted Alberta Spruce In The Ground?

Started by lxskllr, February 02, 2019, 09:20:41 AM

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lxskllr

I got a little Alberta spruce from the grocery store this year, and I want to put it in front of my fallen oak trunk, which I'm keeping on the ground. If it lasts, I bought some solar jul lights I'm gonna decorate it with next year, and I'll be able to see it from my house  :^D


When's a good time to put it in the ground? This is Maryland. Currently the ground is frozen, and has snow on it. Is waiting for the ground to soften enough to dig sufficient, or should the tree have sustained warmth after transplanting? The place I've chosen is sub optimal, but it's where I want it. If it doesn't live, oh well. I can decorate my dawn redwoods while they're still little.

Clark

I'm guessing the "Alberta" spruce is a hybrid between white and Englemen spruce...but who knows?

The western conifers don't tend to do well in the east. Soils are a bit too acidic here, if I understand it correctly. I don't recall or know of any Englemen spruce planted here. Blue spruce is common but I wouldn't expect any blue spruce genes to be part of an "Alberta" spruce.

White spruce may do well for you but I wouldn't recommend it as a yard tree. The form of white spruce is highly variable and occasionally produces a nice looking tree. 

To answer your question, keep the tree cool and plant it as soon as the ground is thawed. Transplanting the tree while it is dormant is best. 

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

lxskllr

Thanks. This is that little spruce you see as a garden decoration. It has the "fuzzy" coat of needles, and max out at about 12' tall, taking forever to get there. I did a little reading reading on it, and it said it liked acidic well drained soil. The well drained will be a bit of a problem, but I can do acidic. I have a ton of coffee grinds in my compost pile, and I was gonna mix them in generously with the clayish native soil when I planted it. It might not do well. but it was only a $10 tree I bought on a whim. I'll wait til the threat of hard freeze is done, then stick it in the ground.

RPF2509

Most conifers like the soil to be above 40 degrees before they will start to grow roots.  Since it will be in your yard planting a little later would be ok

firefighter ontheside

  This is a dwarf Alberta spruce.  It is a dwarf variataion of white spruce that was discovered in Alberta.
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bitternut

The dwarf Alberta Spruce is a common tree sold in local nurseries in Western NY. We planted one on each side of the large family tombstone marker at the cemetary. They are nice for that application as they grow slow, have nice form and require little care to look nice. The needles are very prickly though. I get stuck with them every spring when planting flowers around the stone. >:( That must be why the deer don't seem to touch them. :)

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