Blue Spruce Thoughts?

[Kodama]

Hello there. Picked up this Blue Spruce from a side of the road nursery as I thought it might have some potential.
Seems to want to want be a leaning style or wire to informal upright? Dug down into the base and seen this interesting trunk.
Any thoughts on that? Was thinking I should style/wire in the late winter and then repot the year after in spring if all goes well.
Open to thoughts and suggestions.

 

[0soyoung]

What I you need to know is to not cut a shoot back beyond a bud (i.e., to the point that a bud is at the tip). Otherwise, the shoot will eventually and inevitably die back to the next lower bud/node (closest to the trunk). Of course, you can remove a branch however you like. In my experience, you can get budding on 'old wood' that has no needles and even on the trunk, if you cut back in August.

IMHO, the nebari sucks and may be difficult to correct. The alternatives would be to make an exposed root or root over rock image. I see this as your #1 issue and I would plan to repot it next month to figure this out - of course make preparations for any/all of these possibilities between now and then. Do NOT remove any foliage! Foliage powers root regrowth to recover from the damage done in the process. Your tree has lots of foliage, so cutting back to a bud could be delayed until next spring 'as buds swell' - you just won't get as much back budding. Of course, you'll have a second opportunity later, in the summer.

I prefer to repot conifers in the summer (around August), but you don't have to. Like pretty much everything else, you can repot in spring 'as buds swell'. I just strongly encourage you to not repot and cut back at the same time.

 

[sorce]

Keep "as the buds swell" in them quotes.

Honking load of Bullshit.....and I reckon NWI will find this true.

I don't know about "interesting trunk", seems closer to the beginning of a "fucked up" nebari, but that wouldn't put me out the game yet.

If you could swear to keep your hands off it for a couple seasons I would Repot it NOW.

As an apology for the drunkard cussing you can come over and borrow a basket if you like.

Sorce

 

[Kodama]

Thank you for the helpful advice and basket offering. I may need a casket for it instead if this goes south.
I'll meditate on plans to repot first in the next few weeks and take a look at them roots. I've been reading it's best to remove only 1/2 or 1/3 the soil on conifers is that correct?
Also appreciate the advice on branch / shoot trimming! Sounds like I should wait on that till next year.
Yeah not sure what's up with the trunk...i like the raised root / over rock idea. I'll be looking up how to train those roots and see if I can do anything with it.

 

[0soyoung]

That advice is for yamadori. I've not had trouble doing a full bare root of nursery stock of this species. I've only found half bare rooting necessary with p. thunbergii and tsuga (which means that I've killed a number of JBP and hemlocks).

Regardless, HBR is safer. You should be able to HBR in Aug and again next spring to finish the job, if you don't remove foliage for the next 12 mo. This allows you to hedge your bets, meaning postponing the last HBR if it seems a bit weak next spring.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Pigeon-toed nebari.

 

[sorce]

I don't know why this thread has turned into me hating everything my friend 0so says....

But screw HBR!

You may not get it to take a rock....but damn, this has me thinking about pouring cement or something similar up into the roots and carving it to look rockish.
That's a dumb idea too but it has more potential for a good outcome. And it has little potential.

It won't go south. But if it does ..... I'll lend you a match.

Sorce

 

[Kodama]

Lol... all good stuff to think about. I appreciate the helpful advice! I guess this will be a good practice tree as a black swan. In the meantime I'll be hunting for more nursery trash to kill a thousand different ways.

 

[Kodama]

So....decided to throw the tree above into a landscape tree because I just found this beauty with what looks like good nebari.