Picea question

[knighted95]

Hi all just made an account and have been reading up was just looking for some tips and maybe some ideas on what to do with this Picea I have recently bought I have taken it from its rootball leaving it intact and planted it into a training pot( now realised I think I would like the lean of the trunk to lean to the right most likely) haven't done any pruning yet other than a little at what is currently the front just to open up and see the trunk a little more

Any help or tips would be much appreciated, Thanks

 

[RODERLO]

Hi and welcome!

Would you be so kind to give us your location and climate (USDA) zone? You can also put this info into your profile, as you can see when you look underneath my avatar.

Nice tree you've got there.
I think you were wise to not attempt a full repot. I am assuming it's still in its field soil?
Don't fuss about getting it into bonsai substrate right away, it can handle organic soil for now.
Repot next year in early spring.

Also, don't attempt any styling right now. Summer is really not the time to be pruning and especially wiring Picea.
Do this in September/October.

In terms of the design itself, your tree looks a lot like what I started out with on this tree, two years ago.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/picea-glauca-conica-1-progression-thread.63947/
It might give you an idea of how to use its potential.

Good luck!

 

[knighted95]

Hi thanks so much for the reply! I will update my profile shortly but I am in the UK(East Anglia) and the USDA zone is 8

I just wanted to get it into a training pot mainly I did add a small bit of stones for drainage and a small amount of peat compost but it's mostly in the field soil it was surrounded in as it was bought football so the material it's in is incredibly full of clay! So hopefully next spring I can get it out and remove alot of the clay so it can drain better

I was mainly thinking of just pruning it a small amount in September time to just allow so light inside the tree as all the growth is right at the ends of the needles

I'll try get some more pictures when I get home today

With the design do you think leaving it at the height it is now is appropriate? Sorry lots of questions just hoping I can get the tree to look good with time and patience

Thanks again

 

[knighted95]

Sorry for a follow up I have taken a few more pictures and as you can see once past the outer of the tree it is incredibly bare in the middle, how much would you say am I able to prune off of the tree in September time?

 

[RODERLO]

I was mainly thinking of just pruning it a small amount in September time to just allow so light inside the tree as all the growth is right at the ends of the needles

Pruning:

Picea have a tendency to throw out whorls of branches, causing swelling and inverse taper.
Therefore you must bring every intersection back to two.
This means:
Trunk + 1 primary branch
Primary branch + 1 secondary branch

You’re going to be stunned about how many branches will need to come off. Don’t be conservative. Now is your only chance to set the tree up for ultimate success. Sacrifice today’s beauty for a greater quality tree down the line.

In your selection of which branches to keep, favour the slim and vigorous branches over:
-slim and weak branches
-thick and vigorous branches
-thick and weak branches

Why?
1) Picea branches take a long time to set with wire. The thinner, the faster they set.
2) Better scale and proportion.

And here’s the kick: Picea backbud wonderfully, but you must prune responsibly.
This means:
- On vigorous branches you can prune back to any visible bud. Always leave a bud on picea branches, or else they will die back,
- On weaker branches do not prune back. Let them elongate. It’s the elongation process which builds the strength for backbudding to occur later on, when you do prune.

Styling:

Ancient Spruce in nature can have long drooping branches, from years of snowload pushing them down. If you like this esthetic you can consider wiring your branches all the way downwards and create multiple pads from the secondary branches that occur along your primary branches.

Wiring should only be done in fall and early spring. Wiring in summer, I have found, can cause branches to die back because it’s too easy to slip the plump bark off.
Let the wire bite in before removing. This is necessary for it to succesfully set the branch.
Even then, each branch will need a second wiring and often a third wiring to hold position.

Hope that helps!

 

[knighted95]

@RODERLO
Thank you so much that has helped alot and given me lots to think about I will wait until end of August beginning of September to give it a prune then! Do I need to do this pruning in stages or if I completely prune to what I want in one go is this going to be too much for the tree?

Sorry I just have read conflicting advise some say to only remove a Third or a quarter of the foliage at one go and others say it will be fine to give it a harsh prune straight away and obviously after pruning I will wait till spring to take it out of the pot and get it into the same pot but with a bonsai substrate

Thanks and again sorry for lots of questions I really appreciate the help!

 

[RODERLO]

@RODERLO
Thank you so much that has helped alot and given me lots to think about I will wait until end of August beginning of September to give it a prune then! Do I need to do this pruning in stages or if I completely prune to what I want in one go is this going to be too much for the tree?

Sorry I just have read conflicting advise some say to only remove a Third or a quarter of the foliage at one go and others say it will be fine to give it a harsh prune straight away and obviously after pruning I will wait till spring to take it out of the pot and get it into the same pot but with a bonsai substrate

Thanks and again sorry for lots of questions I really appreciate the help!

Look at how much new growth it has pushed out this year.
If there is a new shoot on almost all of the branch tips your tree is healthy and ready to be worked on.
You can do all the pruning I described in one session, no need to spread it out.

Spruce store energy in both their roots and their foliage. If you only work one of each at a time, the other will support the healing process.
Depending on the severity of your styling in fall you may need to hold off on repotting until spring of 2026.
It's up to you if you think the tree will be able to stay in it's current soil for that long.
If not, do not style this fall and instead prioritize repotting in early spring 2025. Then, depending on the growth you get after that, you can style it either in fall 2025 or early spring 2026.

 

[knighted95]

Look at how much new growth it has pushed out this year.
If there is a new shoot on almost all of the branch tips your tree is healthy and ready to be worked on.
You can do all the pruning I described in one session, no need to spread it out.

Spruce store energy in both their roots and their foliage. If you only work one of each at a time, the other will support the healing process.
Depending on the severity of your styling in fall you may need to hold off on repotting until spring of 2026.
It's up to you if you think the tree will be able to stay in it's current soil for that long.
If not, do not style this fall and instead prioritize repotting in early spring 2025. Then, depending on the growth you get after that, you can style it either in fall 2025 or early spring 2026.

Thanks ever so much from what I can see there is alot of buds on the tree so I believe doing the pruning will be absolutely fine I shall do this in fall and see how it recovers going into next spring, I'm hoping it will be fine in the soil that it is in as it is mostly in what it has been growing in from when I bought it I'll just maybe have too add in some stone to help slightly with drainage and will look at them repotting into better substrate in 2026

I'll post updates when I have pruned it later in the year, again thank you for your insights and help!