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Post by honker on Dec 31, 2018 20:27:49 GMT -6
I planted a 150 bare root white spruce in April of 2016. I've had a survival rate of about 80% so far and they are about 2-2.5x the height at the time of planting at this point. As you can see Cooper enjoys his role as a measuring stick. April 2016  December 2018   I planted 500 size 6 plugs of white and black spruce this past spring. Several of them in nearby locations to the bare root. It will be interesting to see the survival rate comparison. It was good year for them moisture wise, so far it seems like the majority of them made it. In the meantime I need to consider caging off some of the native ones I do have on the property that are reaching the 5'+ stage, otherwise they end up looking like this. I'm kicking myself for losing a handful of them this year that I had been watching grow up the past few years. 
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Post by sd51555 on Dec 31, 2018 22:18:00 GMT -6
You got too many sumda' bichin deer.
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Post by sd51555 on Dec 31, 2018 22:20:24 GMT -6
Can you stack brush up around them instead? Seems like a job that could pay pretty well vs buying cages.
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Post by Sandbur on Dec 31, 2018 22:23:05 GMT -6
Those spruce are about ready to take off in growth. When I plant them, they stand still for few years and then it is hard to believe.
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Post by honker on Dec 31, 2018 22:30:49 GMT -6
Can you stack brush up around them instead? Seems like a job that could pay pretty well vs buying cages. That’s certainly worth a try. Much cheaper alternative. |
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Post by honker on Dec 31, 2018 22:44:19 GMT -6
Those spruce are about ready to take off in growth. When I plant them, they stand still for few years and then it is hard to believe. They didn’t do much the first two years but really shot up this year. Looking forward to seeing them a couple Coopers tall. |
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Post by honker on Dec 31, 2018 22:48:18 GMT -6
I’ve read if they can make it past 3.5” in diameter they have less likelihood of getting targeted for rubs. What have you seen for amount of damage they can handle without losing the tree?  |
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Post by Tooln on Jan 1, 2019 0:12:49 GMT -6
When I planted my Norway Spruce I saw about a foot of growth each year.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Jan 3, 2019 8:24:58 GMT -6
You should get a foot each year off the spruce.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 3, 2019 11:57:21 GMT -6
You should get a foot each year off the spruce. When spruce are 6 feet or so tall and a wet year, you can get tremendous growth. Maybe 2-3 foot leaders. |
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Post by benmnwi on Jan 3, 2019 12:18:37 GMT -6
It seems like both spruce and pines hit 6' tall they can put on some impressive gains as Art said. I'm assuming that's because when they start blocking sun around the trunk which kills competing weeds and grass. I think my average annual growth on my 12 year old spruce and pines is over 2' and that's on less than perfect soil in NW WI. Good years with plenty of rain can push 3' occasionally.
I cut down a Christmas tree every year from my visual screen and the last few years they have had terminal leaders that were 30".
I've planted a few hundred white spruce around my house in 2013 and the bucks were rubbing the fastest growers. This summer I bought a couple rolls of rebar wire to put cages around the biggest trees for a couple years until they are too large to rub. Then my plan is to cage the runts and those trees that were previously rubbed and hopefully they catch up.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 3, 2019 18:49:10 GMT -6
I have some volunteer spruce coming up under my red pine plantation.
As soon as the frost is out, I hope to just pull a bunch and plant them with a spade, maybe even the plug planting bar.
30 years ago I gave a neighbor a bucket of these and he has a nice grove on a hillside that was too steep to farm.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Jan 3, 2019 19:29:30 GMT -6
15-16 year Spruce in W MN  |
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Post by strungoutoutdoors on Jan 6, 2019 22:15:04 GMT -6
Ill be doing this sooner or later. What exactly are you plans for these plantings? Cover, screening, or just decoration? Thanks for sharing
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 7, 2019 5:12:18 GMT -6
Ill be doing this sooner or later. What exactly are you plans for these plantings? Cover, screening, or just decoration? Thanks for sharing I am not sure which of us you are asking, but I use spruce for all of the above. |
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