The spruce plant species is not only a popular source of wood, various species can also be found in the garden. With the right cut, you can even grow a bonsai out of it. However, the spruce tree takes radical cutting measures very seriously.
How can I cut a spruce tree correctly?
Spruce trees should only be pruned carefully by removing one of two tips, never shortening the main shoot, not cutting into old wood and, if necessary, removing lower branches in late winter. Make sure to disturb the natural growth of the spruce as little as possible.
Does the spruce need to be pruned regularly?
A spruce tree does not need to be pruned regularly; too much pruning can actually damage it significantly and permanently affect its growth and shape. Nevertheless, individual cuts may be useful and necessary under certain circumstances.
Sometimes young spruce trees form two tips instead of one. Then you should cut off one of them at the base. The sooner you do this, the greater the chance that the cut will no longer be noticeable later. You decide which of the two tips you remove based on the look. Leave the prettier, stronger or straighter one of the two standing.
How can I prune the spruce?
Never cut into the old wood of a spruce for no reason. New buds only form on the needled shoots. Never cut the leading drive. Even if side shoots grow upright, there is always a gap and the spruce is disfigured.
If you want to branch the spruce (remove the lower branches and twigs), then late winter is the best time for this. Limping is necessary in the timber industry, but not in your own garden. However, a spruce tree becomes quite wide in the lower area as it gets older, so pruning may be necessary for reasons of space.
Can I prune my sugarloaf spruce?
In contrast to the common spruce (red spruce, bot. Picea abies), a sugarloaf spruce grows only slowly, but in a beautifully conical shape. Pruning is more harmful than beneficial. If it is trimmed, the cut often leaves unsightly bald spots. However, if wild shoots form at the base, cut them off.
The most important things in brief:
- when forming two peaks, remove one
- never cut the main shoot
- don't cut into old wood
- prune or remove lower branches in late winter if necessary
Tip
A spruce tree should be pruned carefully at best, but ideally not at all.
