Norway Spruce Screen Decisions

[Wind Gypsy]

I was planning on 12'ish spacing. Am I crazy for thinking it would take a long time to actually be a screen at 15'+ spacing?

Would be nice if it was perfect in 30+ years but I'm concerned with having a good screen before I'm an old man too. I suppose 3 rows would help allow a guy to keep the spacing and have a good screen rather than the 2 rows I planned.

 

[H20fwler]

I was planning on 12'ish spacing. Am I crazy for thinking it would take a long time to actually be a screen at 15'+ spacing?

Would be nice if it was perfect in 30+ years but I'm concerned with having a good screen before I'm an old man too. I suppose 3 rows would help allow a guy to keep the spacing and have a good screen rather than the 2 rows I planned.

Three rows staggered sounds good if you have the room and time to plant them.
You can always thin them out later as they get big.
I planted two rows of 2’-3’ tall ones close together about 10’ apart staggered for road screen five years ago. They are just now starting to be thick enough and tall enough to start screening some, the next few years they should be filled in good.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Here are a couple of spruce planted in my neighbors yard. I am unsure if these trees are white spruce or black hills spruce or a combination. I almost feel like the two trees on the left are BHS and the one on the right is white spruce. They get good sun, plenty of water, and copious amounts of fertilizer. The trees are about 15 years old. The one on the right is easily 25 feet tall. The other 2 on the left about 20 feet tall.


The two trees on the left are about 12 feet apart and just starting to lose some limbs from where they touch. The tree on the right and the other one you cant see along side it have lost a few limbs and starting to pull apart now.... That's why I am kinda thinking white spruce. That tree is about 15 feet from its closest neighbor and it just seems a little tight after 15 years. I thought two years ago was maximum ground screen and now they are opening up a little. Wish I knew what they were for sure. Neighbor is now wishing they were spaced a little further apart. They already cut one down.


Give me a third row of screen and a wider spacing all day in a perfect world.

 

[BuckSutherland]

In my other neighbor's back yard I planted some norway spruce plugs from Itasca Greenhouse in April, 2018 (ABP plugs= big). The property got sold shortly after I planted them and I just left them go. No care has really been given to them. Most of the two row screen died. These scrubs are all that remain. My best trees planted 200 miles north 2 days earlier from the same batch are 5x-10x as big as these. Proof that tree maintenance pays off BIGTIME....


The other neighbor has Pondersa pine in the background. They are 12 years old and were put in as 5 gallon pots. They have good mulch and excellent weed control and have grown good. These norways have absolutely been choked out by the grass. I'm gonna see if the new owner will let me breathe a little life into them.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Proof that tree maintenance pays off BIGTIME....

Our best spruce are the ones we caged to avoid browsing and rubbing. Like you, I think early protection and care gives us better spruce trees ...... bigger and thicker.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I was planning on 12'ish spacing. Am I crazy for thinking it would take a long time to actually be a screen at 15'+ spacing?

Would be nice if it was perfect in 30+ years but I'm concerned with having a good screen before I'm an old man too. I suppose 3 rows would help allow a guy to keep the spacing and have a good screen rather than the 2 rows I planned.

Im doing 3 staggered rows with 2 more rows of smaller shrubs closer to the border with the neighbors' property....and I did 12-18' spacing between trees and 15' between rows..I want this to be thick sooner than later..I coulda spread them out a little more but this is going in a hayfield and will get plenty of sun.

 

[bwoods11]

A five row screen or more rows … is the best in my opinion !

 

[H20fwler]

Some of my road screen over at the big woods, most were ugly trees when planted but some ave come out of it fine, two row staggered mix of blue spruce Norway spruce and BHS. 4’-9’ now.

Other pic is neighbor around the corner from farm , their pond road screen about thirty plus years. Mix of Norways blue spruce and some other maybe hemlock? Trees are thick grown together at least 30’ tall, blue spruce are the shortest.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Those norways in that bottom picture are so distinct with those long swooping branches.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Do BHS limbs droop, or do they stay pretty thick & straight out from the trunks??

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Looking like the frost might not be out at my place by the SWCD pickup dates. Compound that with the fact its a lower lying area and I'm worried about drowning them prior to things drying out. Glad I got mostly potted trees coming - any tips to keep em healthy in pots for a couple weeks if I cant plant em?

Also, since i'm new to the SWCD tree sale deal - if a guy were to pickup near the end of their pickup window is he getting bottom of the barrel trees or are they allocated before hand? I have some work gatherings that weekend I should attend if possible.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I am in the same boat, I have a crap ton of trees coming the week of the 25-29th, but before we got this last inch of snow the past couple days, half my woods still had snow. I went and tried to jam a piece of rebar in the ground next to the snow, and got down about an inch or three. I am not sure it will be thawed by then. I had planned that weekend of the 30th to have my son come up and help me plant, but unless we can get some warm temps, I dont think we will be planting much. I am sure there is a few areas that I can get some trees in, but I doubt the majority of the areas will be thawed yet. But if they are still dormant, they can wait a couple weeks.

On the positive side, my apple trees havent even started to bud yet, so each week from now helps with the chance of frost damage. If they can make it another month before budding would be best.

 

[homerj1]

is he getting bottom of the barrel trees or are they allocated before hand?

My SWCD have always been packaged with my name tag/order attached before hand.

 

[sandbur]

Looking like the frost might not be out at my place by the SWCD pickup dates. Compound that with the fact its a lower lying area and I'm worried about drowning them prior to things drying out. Glad I got mostly potted trees coming - any tips to keep em healthy in pots for a couple weeks if I cant plant em?

Also, since i'm new to the SWCD tree sale deal - if a guy were to pickup near the end of their pickup window is he getting bottom of the barrel trees or are they allocated before hand? I have some work gatherings that weekend I should attend if possible.

Store those potted trees on the north side of a building in the coolest conditions you have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tlzkaasen]

I tried to delay a few orders as well and I missed one (^&%$*) ....First batch of 12 trees from WHITETAIL CRABS just arrived yesterday. Looks like 6-10" of snow still on the ground where these need to go. I'm thinking I'm going to leave them on the cool concrete garage floor for 2-3 weeks? maybe mist some water on the roots. Anyone have a better idea how to store for several weeks?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I tried to delay a few orders as well and I missed one (^&%$*) ....First batch of 12 trees from WHITETAIL CRABS just arrived yesterday. Looks like 6-10" of snow still on the ground where these need to go. I'm thinking I'm going to leave them on the cool concrete garage floor for 2-3 weeks? maybe mist some water on the roots. Anyone have a better idea how to store for several weeks?

Dark, cool as possible, and keep the roots damp.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Store those potted trees on the north side of a building in the coolest conditions you have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is there any reason for concern if temps are below freezing?

 

[PatinPA]

Man I was actually thinking I might have to mow my yard this weekend. A couple of my neighbors already have. And here you guys are still talking about snow and frost.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Man I was actually thinking I might have to mow my yard this weekend. A couple of my neighbors already have. And here you guys are still talking about snow and frost.

I have a downed tree taking up most of my yard so until that is taken care of at least I have a convenient excuse not to mow...gonna be in the 70s next week...still waiting on trees to be delivered from northern Michigan

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Man I was actually thinking I might have to mow my yard this weekend. A couple of my neighbors already have. And here you guys are still talking about snow and frost.

The last 2 mornings I had everything covered in snow. I still have half my yard with 6-12" of snow. Frost is still showing to be 19" 12 miles south of me. I assume that isnt where there is snow cover either.