How do you back bud a blue spruce?

[Serloco]

I could use some help from experienced growers here and would appreciate your imput... How do I bck bud my Blue Spruces?

 

[aml1014]

I cut back the current years growth by at least half. This stops the tree from wasting energy on setting new buds at the end of the branches, and causes new buds further back to develop. If you do this before the growth hardens off, you'll get a second flush of growth. If you wait until it hardens off then it will only set new buds for the following year.

Aaron

 

[Serloco]

Thanks man, that's pretty straight forward. I have juts over a thousand of these lil babies started and so now
I have an idea on how to proceed.

 

[0soyoung]

If you do this before the growth hardens off, you'll get a second flush of growth.

In my experience, this needs to be said as

If you do this before the growth hardens off, you may get a second flush of growth.

Further (again, in my experience), if one does wait until sometime is August/September, one may get back budding as far back as new buds on the trunk.

I have juts over a thousand of these lil babies started

With this many trees you should lay out a designed experiment and exercise techniques/timing to see/discover the effects for yourself. Check what Christmas tree growers do and add that to your experiment plans. Yah, its boring and unexciting until you realize the insight you've gained - or do you require spoon feeding?

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Thanks man, that's pretty straight forward. I have juts over a thousand of these lil babies started and so now
I have an idea on how to proceed.

Just be aware that if they're small, they're going to need to grow out quite a bit before they're ready to begin training.

 

[Serloco]

Yes, I want to wait before training to get some larger trunk girth. But education needs not wait. I want to know everything there is to know about every genus i plant. Thanks everyone!

 

[Eric Schrader]

I cut back the current years growth by at least half. This stops the tree from wasting energy on setting new buds at the end of the branches, and causes new buds further back to develop. If you do this before the growth hardens off, you'll get a second flush of growth. If you wait until it hardens off then it will only set new buds for the following year.

That sounds a bit like what most people call "pinching"? I'd say that the caveats are that you need to have a vigorously growing tree to be removing a lot of the fresh growth. I wrote two posts on my blog relating to one spruce and what Matt Reel advised I do with it. He said basically to pinch just the outer tips in spring, then let it grow all summer and do thinning and cutback in fall. The spruce I've worked with will back bud pretty well as long as the tree is in good health.

http://www.phutu.com/matt-reel-spruce/
http://www.phutu.com/minor-spring-tasks/

Good Luck!

 

[aml1014]

That sounds a bit like what most people call "pinching"? I'd say that the caveats are that you need to have a vigorously growing tree to be removing a lot of the fresh growth. I wrote two posts on my blog relating to one spruce and what Matt Reel advised I do with it. He said basically to pinch just the outer tips in spring, then let it grow all summer and do thinning and cutback in fall. The spruce I've worked with will back bud pretty well as long as the tree is in good health.

http://www.phutu.com/matt-reel-spruce/
http://www.phutu.com/minor-spring-tasks/

Good Luck!

Well I would hope a tree is healthy before anyone attempts a technique for back budding. I use my shears to cut the new growth, it's far more accurate and you don't run the chance of pinching the entire candle off.

Aaron

P.S. thanks for the link, very nice trees.

 

[Serloco]

Well that's much more encouraging then some of the articles i have read stating that back budding is extremely difficult in Blue Spruces.. Does anyone have a hard time wiring these beauties? I have heard that the stiff branches often snap and takee long to reset in the new position?

 

[Stickroot]

Thanks man, that's pretty straight forward. I have juts over a thousand of these lil babies started and so now
I have an idea on how to proceed.

I wanna see pics man.
I can show and have shown pics of hundreds maybe thousands of trees at all stages, where are yours?

 

[Serloco]

In my experience, this needs to be said as

Further (again, in my experience), if one does wait until sometime is August/September, one may get back budding as far back as new buds on the trunk.

With this many trees you should lay out a designed experiment and exercise techniques/timing to see/discover the effects for yourself. Check what Christmas tree growers do and add that to your experiment plans. Yah, its boring and unexciting until you realize the insight you've gained - or do you require spoon feeding?

Well yes of course I will try different methods with my trees and experience will be gained over time, but you have to start somewhere and the advice of experienced growers is where I am to start.

 

[Giga]

My larger blue spruce back buds no matter what I do. Just ferteralize the crap out of it with organics( C what I did there) - getting a second flush is different, but has the added benifit of activating dormant buds. This can be done on healthy strong growers and as the new shoots extend break them in half while there still soft to the touch and with everything balance is key

http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/my-instant-bonsai.17762/page-3

 

[aml1014]

Well that's much more encouraging then some of the articles i have read stating that back budding is extremely difficult in Blue Spruces.. Does anyone have a hard time wiring these beauties? I have heard that the stiff branches often snap and takee long to reset in the new position?

I've never had an issue with pliability of the branch, but they do take a while for larger branches to set.
I also would like to see all these fellas.
Aaron

 

[Serloco]

I just came home from my planting the last coupe of weeks. So they are all in the ground, over an hour drive from where I am currently living. My free land is in the country. I will be going back probably next month to check on them and so maybe I will take some pics then.

 

[Stickroot]

 

[PiñonJ]

Well that's much more encouraging then some of the articles i have read stating that back budding is extremely difficult in Blue Spruces.. Does anyone have a hard time wiring these beauties? I have heard that the stiff branches often snap and takee long to reset in the new position?

The branches aren't stiff, they're very pliable, which is what makes them hard to set. Back budding is easy in young trees.

 

[Serloco]

Coool.. you guys are the best! You tell me the goods that i want to hear..

 

[sorce]

If you are serious....

I know people with as many loose screws.

Paint your Van yet?

Sorce

 

[Serloco]

What are you talking about dude? Are you insulting me?

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Nah man. Sorce is the house nut. He (almost) never insults. By the way, everyone has a hard time deciphering his stuff, so let us know when you figured out what he says.
It has something to do with selling bonsai from a white van I think.