$3.24 Picea Abies

freakwent

Here is my other find at Home Depot.
I think the common name is Norway Spruce.
There is a nice flush of new growth at the top, but underneath the smaller branches are limp and patchy brown. I might get to air layer the top since the current leaders are alot more healthy and could be nice Shohin on their own.

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freakwent

Here is a close up of the trunk and some of the undergrowth. I didn't find any insects of any harm -- just one juicy centipede that I left alone. I figure that that will eat any other bugs I cant see. Toward the bottom of the root mass I found an abundance of nice fat, white root buds creeping out in search for food.

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DavidN

Again you look like you got some great material to work on at a very cheap price.
Great job.

David

ROBOKU

Bargin Bonsai!!

like to know how the air layer turns out...

zeb

Whoa! I've never seen such a Picea Abies before, although they're native to my area. Well, maybe that's just the problem.
They might just grow too well here! And, as they are very common here, they aren't sold anywhere. It's a shame, judging by your find.

Does it get chilly there in the winter? Doesn't matter. You see, when you put most of your trees in the garage, the spruce hasn't even noticed the autumn coming.
The spruces live in all places in Finland, in Lapland too, where the temps may drop down to -30 dergees centigrade (-22F). Even then the only thing they may be suffering from is the weight of snow on the branches (natural bending ).

What part are you going to air layer? I realise it's somewhere up, but where exactly?


Good growing,
Zeb

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freakwent

Zeb,
The full name of the tree is Picea Abies 'Nimbiformus?' I think it is the slower-growing more compact cousin of the ones that grow in your area. Probably made so for landscaping. Yes, it gets pretty cold here in Chicago usually around 10-20° -- we are known as the windy city though and windchill brings us down below zero. Not as cold as our friends up in Minnesota have it though
I just kept it in the garage for a day or so to get it through the shock it may have gotten from repotting.
As for the air layering, I have two possibilities: one is off of the branch shooting left of the box of cigarettes. The other is the branch going up 75° toward the right. Maybe both, depending on what i have in that mass of needles in the center. I'll find out in spring (5 or 6 long months), when I can start cutting.
Thanks guys, i'll post an update next year.

Rene_Voortwist

I think your bottom branches are dying because of lack of light. If you want to prevent this you should thin the foliage.
I think you made a good deal for only $3.24 !

good luck, René

freakwent

thanks René,
That's what I figured, but I am a little apprehensive about trimming this late in the season. If I make any cuts, the wood won't be able to heal over and I (err, the branches) will get dieback. Is this something cutpaste can prevent? More inner growth will wilt if I don't thin out the foliage, right?

pdbbonsai

Are your temps so cold that it will prevent the tree to naturally sap? If you are still in somewhat warmer temps, once you prune some branching your P. abies should sap a little to seal up the cuts. It doesnt look like it should take much.

Just my opinion. There are loads of Norway Spruce in my yard, I just pruned some branches back and they oozed sap. Temps here have been in the 30's and 40's


Paul

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