Native only to the Rocky Mountain states, the blue spruce (Picea pungens) is one of our most beautiful evergreens and has been planted widely throughout Iowa for ornamental use. It is a hardy tree with compact, dense foliage and a slow growth rate.

How do I identify a blue spruce tree?

Identifying features of Blue Spruce They are stiff and sharp. The needles are so stiff and sharp it can be painful to grasp a twig of needles firmly. Like all spruce needles they are single and square in cross-section (four-sided); you can roll them between thumb and forefinger, unlike flat fir needles.

How large do blue spruce trees grow?

Mature Size The Colorado blue spruce grows to a height of 50–75′ and a spread of 10–20′ at maturity.

Is a blue spruce a fast growing tree?

Blue Spruce Growth Rate Its growth rate is moderate to quick, so some trees may grow a scant 12 inches a year while others may grow upward of 24 inches in a single growing season.

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.

How can I tell what kind of spruce tree I have?

Spruce trees can be identified by their needles which have four sides. Each needle is individually attached to the branch and can be rolled easily between your fingers. Another way to identify spruce trees is by their cones that are covered with smooth thin scales. It is quite easy to bend the cones of spruce trees.

How much is a 6 foot blue spruce?

Colorado Blue Spruce – InstalledHeight in feetPrice eachMinimum order5 – 6$159.95 each10 trees6 – 7$179.95 each10 trees7 – 8$199.95 each10 trees

How can you tell if a tree is spruce?

Spruce trees have individual needles that are stiff and pointy with sharp edges. The needles easily roll between your finger tips. Spruce needles are spiny and sharp (think SSS). Cones hang down from the branches.

Are there different types of blue spruce?

Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) The Colorado blue spruce has blue needles in a range of shades. The Glauca variety is a light blue, and Glauca Pendula is a weeping cultivar. If you want a shorter one, available varieties include Fat Albert, Glauca Globosa, and Glauca Jean’s Dilly.

How far apart do you plant blue spruce?

Colorado blue spruce is hardy in our region. Purchase trees from a local nursery or garden center. Plant trees in full sun from spring to summer in well-drained, slightly acidic, humus-rich, moist ground. Space specimen trees 20 to 30 feet apart.

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How many years does a blue spruce live?

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 much sun does a blue spruce need?

Light. Plant Colorado blue spruce trees in full sun, ensuring they get at least 6 hours of unfiltered sun per day.

Can I grow a blue spruce from a pine cone?

You can’t plant a pine cone and expect it to grow. There are several reasons why this won’t work. The cone serves as a woody container for the seeds, which are released from the cone only when environmental conditions are exactly right.

How deep are the roots of 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.

What is blue spruce wood good for?

Spruce lumber suitability depends on specific job requirements. Its lightweight properties and even texture makes spruce wood suitable for light construction and framing work. Its strength makes it quite suitable for low-stress situations. … Cutting of Norway Spruce is common for use as lumber in dimensional framing.

How do you tell the difference between a white spruce and a blue spruce?

White spruce trees achieve a height of up to 140 feet with a diameter of nearly 3 feet or more. They can be efficiently grown in drained and acidic soils and usually survive for nearly 250 to 350 years. The blue-green needles are nearly two centimeters long with a whitish powdery and waxy layer.

Where do blue spruce trees grow best?

Colorado blue spruce grows best in a sunny location with moist, well-drained, fertile soil. It tolerates dry wind and can adapt to dry soil. The tree is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 7. Plant Colorado blue spruce in a hole that is as deep as the root ball and two or three times as wide.

What does a Colorado spruce tree look like?

Blue spruce, also known as Colorado spruce, is a conical-shaped evergreen tree with stiff horizontal branches and short stiff needles. It is a commonly used tree in Midwest landscapes. In nature the needles are often green, but many specimens produce blue-green needles.

What is the fastest-growing blue spruce?

The fastest-growing spruce tree, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, is the triangular-shaped Norway spruce (Picea abies), which is part of many suburban home and rural farm landscapes throughout Europe, the United States and Canada.

How fast does spruce trees grow?

While the majority of these coniferous tree species have a fairly unremarkable average growth rate (between 6 inches and 11 inches per year), the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens glauca) are renowned for their extraordinarily fast rates of growth.

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.

Is there a dwarf blue spruce?

One of the most common cultivars is the dwarf blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘Globosa’). This attractive, slow-growing conifer has many attributes that make it an outstanding addition to any landscape or garden.

How do I know what kind of tree I have?

The starting point for most people when identifying trees species is the leaves. There are three basic leaf types: needles, scales and broadleaf. Most evergreens have needles or scales, while most broadleaf trees are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves when dormant.

What is the difference between a pine tree and a spruce tree?

This is an easy tip to remember: on pine trees, needles are attached and attached to the branches in clusters; on spruce trees, needles are attached individually. A longleaf pine – which you can tell is a pine because its needles are attached in bundles. … Not all conifers that produce cones are pines.

What is special about spruce trees?

Spruces are excellent for individual planting or as windbreaks and shelterbelts. In the landscape, spruce trees usually require minimal pruning and grow in a variety of colors, including yellow and silvery blue. The fresh shoots of many spruces are a natural source of vitamin C.

Are there male and female spruce trees?

Each spruce tree carries male and female cones. The larger female cones contain ovules, which develop into egg cells, or female gametophytes. To reproduce, the smaller male cones let loose grains of pollen, which are the male gametophytes.

Is Blue Spruce a juniper?

Botanical NameJuniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’Plant TypeNeedled evergreen shrubMature Size1 to 3 feet tall, 1.5 to 3 feet wideSun ExposureFull sunSoil TypeSandy

What does spruce wood look like?

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is reddish brown, sapwood is yellowish white. Grain/Texture: Straight grained with a fine to medium texture. Workability: Overall, Spruce Pine works fairly well with most tools, though the resin can gum up tools and clog sandpaper. …

What is the difference between blue spruce and black spruce?

Black Spruce is a medium-sized coniferous tree that tolerates wet ground better than most–if not all–spruces. It has a characteristic straight trunk and a narrow crown. … But Blue Spruce really stands out because it is tough, long lived, and adapted to a wide range of growing conditions.

What does the bark of a spruce tree look like?

Look at the bark color. The Colorado Spruce has thin bark that forms in small scales. The bark turns from pale grey to brown as the tree ages. The Black Spruce has thin, scaly bark that is dark green-brown in color. The Red Spruce has bark with a reddish hue which is especially visible between the scales of the bark.

Should you trim the bottom of a blue spruce?

Trimming bottom branches of blue spruce creates a neater appearance, and makes it easier to reach underneath the tree to rake or apply mulch. Create even spacing among branches by eliminating branches in thick sections of the tree to match the spacing in thinner sections.