Young trees have thin bark that thickens to a grayish-brown scale-like texture as it matures.
The Norway spruce’s lifespan can reach hundreds of years.
Quick Tips About Norway Spruce
The Norway spruce has many uses besides being good for Christmas trees.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Site suitability can vary wildly depending on if you choose a natural Norway spruce or a cultivar.
Some may need a wide-open space, but others can tolerate and grow well in arock garden.
Light
Norway spruce needs full sun to partial shade.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Look for a position that receives at least six hours of sun per day.
They do not tolerate full shade.
Soil
You will need to plant the tree in moist and well-drained soil that is slightlyacidic.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Norway spruce will thrive in rich and sandy soil.
Water
Once your tree is established, it should not require regular watering.
For the first year, you will want to check that your tree is well-watered.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Deep soak waterings are more beneficial than short and frequent ones.
Well-established trees can hold their own in drier soils, but by no means is this a drought-tolerant species.
They do not do well in warm weather.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Fertilizer
You should not need to fertilize your Norway spruce.
Other than that, any fertilization should be done based on soil conditions.
Put that container in the refrigerator for at least three weeks.
The remaining seeds can be planted in containers filled with moist but not soggy soil.
The seeds should germinate after three weeks or so.
Keep the new saplings in their containers for at least one season to allow the root system to grow.
Starting with a 12-inch pot made of simple plastic works best.
Remember to always plant shallow rather than deep, as you are planting the roots, not the trunk.
Water the roots profusely and add 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch to help preserve moisture.
Overwintering
Norway spruce can handle extremely cold temperatures, so mature trees have no particular overwintering needs.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Norway spruce is a very hardy tree with little worry about diseases.
If this happens, some diseases common to the spruce are Cytospora, canker, or rust.
Prune out the affected branches.
The trees might also become vulnerable tospider mites; treat the mites with insecticidal soaps or oils.
It’s also susceptible to many types of beetles that bore into the trunk and introduce rot.
Telling the Norway spruce apart from theDouglas firis sometimes a tricky task.
An easy way to tell firs from spruces is the needles.
Think of the first two letters of the word spruce, SP, and remember the word, spikey.
The needles of a spruce are pointy and sharp.
The needles of a fir are soft and almost feathery.
Norway spruce grows much too large to be kept in containers, inside or out.
Norway spruce trees drop the average amount of needles yearly that most other trees with needles drop.
However, the drop is less noticeable in a spruce tree than in pine trees that lose their needles.
They also have shallow roots which means the trees can become easily damaged in severe weather.
However, spruce trees are hardy and manage to live extremely long lives.
