Happy Groundhog Day

[opp2]

I haven't watched the news yet. Did he see his shadow?? I suspect yes??

Atleast here in Southern Ontario.

On a side note, How long until the spruce tree looses it's cones? My 25 foot tree still has tons on it and the branches are drooping terribly. I don't really like this tree anymore as it droops at the bottom too. It is a nice blue in the spring, but as you can see, it turns grey/purple in winter.

https://ca.geocities.com/niknik@rogers.com/dec28-jan25.07_001.jpg
https://ca.geocities.com/niknik@rogers.com/dec28-jan25.07_002.jpg

[Newt]

Hi Opp2,

The groundhog didn't see his shadow, so spring should be early this year. Not sure if that's a good thing.

Is your spruce a Norway spruce? They do tend to have droopy branches, but they also can suffer from something called Tip Curl or Branch Tip Curl.
https://www.eco-systems.org/N_spruce_tip_curl.htm

Norway spruce - Picea abies:
https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/PICABIA.pdf

White spruce - Picea glauca
https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/PICGLAA.pdf

As to the cones, the info I found for white spruce says heavy cone set seems to occur at about 15 to 20 years of age and is variable in different years. It can take 1 to 2 years for the cones to drop after seed dispersal occurs. Here are portions from this site where the last pacture at the top of the page shows very heavy cone production:
https://stri.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Picea+glauca

Seed Production and Dissemination-
Production "in quantity" on 10- to 15-year-old trees has been reported, but it is usually low in younger trees and depends on site and season. Seed production in quantity begins at age 30 or older for most natural stands (44,117). The interval between good to excellent cone and seed crops varies with site and geographic location. On good sites, good to excellent years can occur at 2- to 6-year intervals but may be as many as 10 to 12 years apart (88,167,184,192). Excellent seed years may be related to hot, dry summers at the time of bud differentiation (112). They are always followed by poor ones; the alternation can result from carbohydrate and nutrient deficiencies or the lack of sites in the crown able to produce reproductive buds (117).

Both the initiation and pattern of seed dispersal depend on the weather. Cool, wet, or snowy weather delays the onset of dispersal and causes cones to close after dispersal has begun. Cones reopen during dry weather. A small number of seeds are usually dispersed in August, but most of the seeds fall in September (30,167,186,192,193). Early- and late-falling seeds have a lower viability than seeds falling during the peak period (167). Cones can remain on the tree from 1 to 2 years after the majority of seeds are dispersed. Cone opening and seed dispersal pattern can vary among trees in the same stand (186).

Hope that helps,
Newt

[opp2]

Nah, it is supposed to be a Colorado Blue. I believe the guy who sold it to us. This is the 4th winter for the tree here. We put it in the fall of our first year here. It was 15ft then. It grew really well, then when we put the pool in. I think it was pretty stressful for the tree. I can see in pictures how it's declined. Course there was a industrial grade shovel digging all the dirt around it so what could I expect?

Anyway, I hope it gets better. We've already discussed what to do if it dies. That of course, involves removing the rear fence, a tree spade and lots of patience. I'd probably plant some English Oaks in the back then, closer to the fence and put some smaller shrubs infront to fill in by the diving board.

[Newt]

I know this will sound confusing, but a blue spruce is a white spruce - Picea glauca, just a different variety.

I don't know why you would need a tree spade to remove it if you aren't going to transplant it anywhere. Why not just have it cut down and either dig out the stump or grind it down?

This site has info on what to do after construction damage. It may be too late, but hopefully some of this will be helpful.
https://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/treatment_construction.aspx

Newt

[opp2]

I know this will sound confusing, but a blue spruce is a white spruce - Picea glauca, just a different variety.

I don't know why you would need a tree spade to remove it if you aren't going to transplant it anywhere. Why not just have it cut down and either dig out the stump or grind it down?

This site has info on what to do after construction damage. It may be too late, but hopefully some of this will be helpful.
https://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/treatment_construction.aspx

Newt

Thanks Newt. We'll have to see how it goes this summer. The spade would be because I'm a stickler for doing the whole job. If I plant another tree up there, I want all the evidence from the dead/sick one gone....call me weird but...I also don't have the time to dig or drill it out. The ground is thick clay in our yard.

[Newt]

I understand. We removed 5 trees we inherited. We had to because of overplanting on a small lot and we dug out the stumps. Of course we had a mini-backhoe and a couple of nice young men with muscles!

Newt