dwarf albert spruce

order: pinales
family: pinaceae
genus: picea
species: glauca
cultivar: 'conica'

First Story

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6 november 2012

Dwarf Albert spruce is very often used as small indoor Christmas tree and is also seen quite often on graveyards. The dwarf variety has a much slower growth habit than the natural species and its growth is so compact that you can't even see through the conical structure. When new growth emerges needles are fresh green. At this time, you will be able to hug or pet the tree. But once the needles harden, they become prickly.

This spruce and a dwarf hinoki cypress are the first conifers in my collection. My experience with this plant is a somewhat uneasy one, in that I could not estimate the amount of water that it needs and the right frequency of watering. Sometimes I would let it go almost completely dry and other times I would keep it rather soggy. It has never complaint or shown any apparent sign of declining. It's just that you cannot judge the health of such a conifer before the tree has died for some time. There were times I was almost convinced that the plant was already dead, and yet it wasn't. I know this, because the last time the birds disturbed its rootball, some living white feeder roots were uncovered. My guess is, the spruce is not finicky about watering.

At this time of year, rather unusual for my location, there have already been some night frosts. I'm beginning to move my plants in the garden to their respective winter shelter. Since my small spruce is growing in a small pot, I'll need to think of a way to protect its rooball from freezing completely. Last year, it survived the winter in a windshield, with mulch around its rootball. So I should do the same this year. Though I can't be completely at rest if the winter gets harsh. I wish I had a greenhouse so that I could store my temperate plants just above freezing point.

This plant is a very young plant propagated from cutting. The trunk base comes with a sleeve and lopsided root structure. As I repotted it, the major roots were tilting upwards and gave me a tough time redirecting them downwards. In order to achieve this, I bound the major roots to a piece of flat wooden skewer with jute threads. My original plan was to style this plant into a father-and-son tree. I have given up this because the lowest branch turned out to be a lot higher than I thought. Though I won't remove the branch right away because I think there might still be a chance to use it to style into something different, something less conventional for a bonsai. As for now I'm not worried about putting down a final design. The plant still needs to grow a great deal first. Pruning and shaping will be kept to a minimum.

Update

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8 september 2014

fuller looking tree in 2014.

The fuller looking image of the tree makes its old image look ridiculous. Two years ago, I bought this plant and selected branches right away. At that point, I was forseeing a vague silhouette like the one I have right in front of me now. A lot has to change still. The stem and branches have to thicken. Ramification has to improve. Movements of branches will have to be put in place with the help of wiring. Until this time, I think I have to see another 2 growth seasons go by. I wonder if the comparison of its new look with its current one will come as equally shocking next year.