Dwarf Alberta spruces ( Picea glauca " Conica " ) mature to a 10- to 12 - foot height and 3- to 5 - infantry basal circumference . The tough , graceful conifers cover temperature approaching minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit . Their narrow , conical form and dense , okay light - light-green needles make the Tree idealistic candidates for spiraling pruning . Spiral - cut Conica trees provide a striking entryway or stately garden accent . Their liabilities let in an intolerance of urban pollutants , saline or super wet soil and hot , humid clime .
Step 1
Plant Conica in moist , well - drain , acidic dirt and in orbit with full sun to partial shade . If your winter bring frigid roadstead , locate the tree out of ambit of splashing route salt .
Step 2
Position the tree diagram a few feet from nearby plants and body structure . Its dense , wet - connect foliage needs air and sunlight to advertize straightaway drying .
Step 3
works between bounce and other fall so the tree ’s roots give before entering winter dormancy . Use the shovel to moil a hole a invertebrate foot late and at least a foundation all-encompassing than the tree diagram ’s root testis .
Step 4
absent Conica from its container . Untangle the root ball and use stem clippers to shave back roots encircling it .
Step 5
Step 6
Center the tree with the top of its ascendent ball level with the hole ’s sass . Replace enough soil to cover the root lump . Tamp hard to remove air air pocket . Shape the remaining soil into a agglomerate , encircling the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree a few inches from its base .
Step 7
aim a stream of water system from the garden hosepipe into the washbasin between the ground mound and tree . water system good .
Post-Planting Care
Water frequently during the first class . In dry periods , water weekly . A late - declination soaking minify danger of winter - burned leafage .
Maintain a 2- to 4 - inch layer of organic mulch around your Alberta spruce . Leave a percipient area between the mulch and body to prevent wet buildup . Mulch choice admit peat moss , straw , chopped barque or pine needles .
Feed with a late - spring or declination mulch of manure or software of gamey - nitrogen fertiliser . Spread fertilizer according to label specifications and dig it into the soil ’s Earth’s surface . Keep juiceless fertiliser away from the spruce or its tooth root . irrigate the plant food into the soil .
Prune Conica ’s broken or dead ramification with the saw . defend the helical cut ’s corkscrew shape with the pruning shears . Clip back two - thirds of the new development in midsummer , when the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is partially dormant , recommends the University of Wisconsin Extension .
move out infest summer insects from your spruce with a inviolable blast from the garden hose . Saturate the full Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Step 8
Check for mite infestation through the growing time of year . dab each branch while holding a piece of clean paper beneath it . Mites appear as cherry specks on the composition . Treat overrun spruce with a miticide apply according to the manufacturer ’s education .
