Norway Spruce Planting Conditions
The Norway spruce, Picea avies, is a fast-growing conifer tree. The tree is often planted as a single ornamental, or as part of a windbreak. The Norway spruce is native to central and northern Europe and accepts cooler climates. This spruce is in the pine family. Does this Spark an idea?
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Soil and planting
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The Norway spruce prefers a moist, not wet, well-drained acidic soil. It is best planted when dormant and when there is water in the soil. This helps spread the roots into a more porous soil. The success of the plant is linked to "root egress," or the roots leaving the root ball and extending into the soil. Prune the roots in a burlap root ball to start the spread in the ground.
Location
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The Norway spruce grows in USDA zones 2 through 7, and does well in partial to full sun. It is a medium- to rapid-growth tree. A Norway spruce may be 80 feet tall and 40 feet wide at maturity, and will attract wildlife. These characteristics suggest planning a location that has space for the mature tree.
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Strengths
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The Norway spruce is adaptable to harsh conditions, and is drought-tolerant once it is well established. This spruce is both cold-hardy and disease-resistant. One strength of the Norway spruce is versatility in landscape planting. The tree shows well in a cluster or alone, and if planted in a row, will spread into a privacy barrier as well.
Weakness
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Spider mites can cause needle damage to the Norway spruce. The cooley spruce gall aphids can attack the tree, leaving deformities that are cone-shaped. Resin that drips down the tree leaves a scaly mature bark with blisters.
Special Features
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A mature Norway spruce will have branches that hang down in the dense upper canopy called "skirts." When siting your tree, remember that these branches will drop cones after pollination.
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References
- Photo Credit a spruce cone image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
