Ryan Neil Prunes Spruce In Mid Summer?

[mrcasey]

I was watching Ryan Neil's latest free live stream and he advised pruning Douglas Fir back to new buds
some time between foliar growth ending and vascular growth beginning. He says that he does this so that
the new buds will open the following spring. Given that Ryan's lecture was generally about "elongating" species, does that mean that one can also prune back spruce to new buds at the same time? Except for pinching, it was my impression that spruce pruning was done from early fall through the winter. Does it
matter?

Casey

 

[0soyoung]

Yes.

I will also add that I have more than 16 young Douglas firs and I've not seen the one year delay Ryan talks about.

 

[Wilson]

I have always pruned in the dormant period for spruce, but this year I am comparing two young spruce. One I have cut back this summer, and the other I will treat like I normally do.

 

[Soldano666]

http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2017/06/european-spruce-75.html?m=1
if you read down thru the comments walter prunes spruce thru the spring and summer by the sounds of it. I too have been waiting til fall thru winter but I've conducted some strategic pruning this summer. It just might speed up back buds, or reapond more timely. My winter pruning doesnt seem to make backbuds til after the spring growth has hardened off anyways.

 

[0soyoung]

I have always pruned in the dormant period for spruce, but this year I am comparing two young spruce. One I have cut back this summer, and the other I will treat like I normally do.

I think it is better to cut back later. I prefer August. You are/were maximizing the time with new foliage which should be making your tree stronger. Vitality of the tree will not increase as much when doing this earlier (as Ryan did in the video). New foliage is the photosynthetically productive; productivity of the needles declines with age.

The good thing to know is that cut back to a bud can be done over a range of time starting with when the bud can first be seen. The exact timing then comes down to managing the tree's vitality and convenience in doing the work. Cool stuff to know

 

[chansen]

I was watching Ryan Neil's latest free live stream and he advised pruning Douglas Fir back to new buds
some time between foliar growth ending and vascular growth beginning. He says that he does this so that
the new buds will open the following spring. Given that Ryan's lecture was generally about "elongating" species, does that mean that one can also prune back spruce to new buds at the same time? Except for pinching, it was my impression that spruce pruning was done from early fall through the winter. Does it
matter?

Casey

He was speaking specifically about Douglas Fir with the timing. Go back to the video, listen around minute 38. He goes on about his frustrations w/the species, and other Douglas Fir development issues he's seen over time.

 

[sorce]

Yes that info was Doug Fir specific.

Only Pseudotsuga...not tsuga.

Highly specific to doug only and highly important.

Frary says prune spruce in around now.

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

I pruned one of my birdsnest spruce in spring, got tons of interior buds to pop out.
I pruned my other birdsnest later in the spring, near summer, and got the same result. That growth is still elongating now.

 

[CWTurner]

I will also add that I have more than 16 young Douglas firs

I like Douglas Fir but don't see any posts of yours. Care to share some pics?
CW

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Yes. Perhaps @Walter Pall the spruce master will comment, but he said the same thing on this thread:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/b...ucoids-please-advise.28412/page-2#post-472089

 

[Wilson]

Here's a side by side pic and close ups of the two young red spruce. I only happened to notice the one I pruned has set new buds further back. The tree I didn't prune looks healthier, but trees always look funny after pruning.

 

[Driver170]

Can we pinch spruce at anytime after spring?