How do you plant a Black Hills spruce tree?
Dig a hole the same depth and twice the width of the pot in which the Black Hills spruce tree is being grown. Remove the tree from the pot and place the roots in the hole.
How far apart do you plant spruce trees in Iowa?
Spacing--single row 16 ft apart, double row 18 ft apart, multiple rows 20 ft apart with trees staggered from the other row. The Black Hills spruce is a recommended windbreak tree west of Iowa.
How tall do Black Hills spruce trees grow?
The Black Hills spruce is a recommended windbreak tree west of Iowa. Furthermore, how fast do Black Hills spruce trees grow? Growth Rate This tree grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12" per year.
How far apart should you plant windbreak trees?
Generally speaking, it's best to plant multiple rows of trees and shrubs to create a windbreak. Recommended spacing for windbreak plantings of Black Hills spruce is 12-20 feet. Click to see full answer.
How far apart should spruce trees be planted?
Privacy Screens For instance, cedars and junipers need 6 to 8 feet between them, while pines and spruces need 10 to 12 feet of spacing. Before you plant, measure the space and mark the planting sites with stakes, then tie a string between them to ensure you have a straight row.
How wide do Black Hills spruce get?
15–25'Mature Size. The Black Hills spruce grows to a height of 30–60' and a spread of 15–25' at maturity.
How do you plant a Black Hill spruce?
Planting: Plant your Black Hills Spruce in a spot in your yard that gets at least 4 hours of sun each day, and choose an area with well-drained soil. To plant, spread 2 inches of organic fertilizer on the ground in an area that is two times as large as the root ball. Till the fertilizer into the ground.
Is Black Hills spruce a good tree?
A highly desirable, naturally symmetrical cone-shape with a denser, more compact habit than the white spruce, making it very resistant to winter injury. New bright green foliage matures to blue-green....Picea glauca 'Densata'Botanical PronunciationPY-see-uh GLAW-kuh den-SAY-tuhGrowth Habit4Growth RateSlow14 more rows
How quickly does a Black Hills spruce grow?
12" per yearGrowth Rate This tree grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12" per year.
How long does it take for a Black Hills spruce to mature?
Plant your Black Hills Spruce in any well-drained soil. Once established it is moderately drought resistant, and it is rarely bothered by pests or diseases. It is hardy to minus 40 degrees, yet grows at a good pace, reaching 10 feet tall within 10 years.
Is Black Hills spruce the same as black spruce?
Not to be confused with Black Hills spruce, a variety of white spruce, black spruce (Picea mariana) is a separate species and one that is more tolerant of wet soils than other spruces. A slow-growing, tough tree, it reaches 30 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide.
Do deer like Black Hills spruce?
Picea glauca The Black Hills Spruce grows in a wide variety of soil types and growing conditions. Its prickly and aromatic foliage contribute greatly to its natural deer resistance.
Do Black Hills spruce get needle cast?
Trees affected by Rhizosphaera needle cast glauca, including Black Hills spruce) is somewhat resistant but can become infected when grown under stressful conditions.
How long do Black Hills spruce trees live?
250-300 yearsspread, it has a pyramidal habit and a slow growth rate. Black Hills Spruce trees commonly live 250-300 years. Grows best when planted in moist, well-drained soil in full sun.
Are white spruce and Black Hills spruce the same?
White spruce, also known as Black Hills spruce in our region, is an extremely hardy evergreen conifer native across the northern boreal region from Alaska and northwest Canada to Newfoundland, and dipping south into the US from Minnesota to northern New England.
How tall is a black spruce tree?
This is a slow-growing, pyramid-shaped tree that will eventually reach heights of 20 to 25 feet. The Black Hills spruce is notably superior as an ornamental tree to any others in the species, according to botanists ...
What is the pH of a black spruce?
Black Hills spruce requires a soil pH of 4.0 to 7.5. The Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca Densata) is a variety of white spruce native to the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Black Hills spruce is notably superior as an ornamental tree to any others in the species, according to botanists at Missouri Botanical Gardens.
How tall does a black hill spruce grow?
It is a slow (6”-12” per year) growing very compact evergreen. 15 year old Black Hills Spruce. It will grow up to 40+ft tall and 20+ ft wide and as with the white spruce is very wind ...
How big does a black spruce tree get?
15 year old Black Hills Spruce. It will grow up to 40+ft tall and 20+ ft wide and as with the white spruce is very wind firm and is not damaged by heavy snow or ice storms. this tree can live 80 or more years in windbreaks west of Iowa. Deer will normally not eat this species unless nothing else is available.
What is the best tree for windbreaks?
The Black Hills spruce is a recommended windbreak tree west of Iowa. East of Nebraska we have seen a lot of problems with this tree and excessive rain and moisture, causing fungal problems the same as the Colorado Spruce and rarely growing over 30 ft tall.. We do not think this is a good tree for the first 3 rows of a basic windbreak, if a larger windbreak with more rows was used they could be put in as the extra rows. The White Spruce we think is a better plant for a windbreak if you like the look of this tree, and usually they look very similar and since they are first cousins in the tree family, without the problems associated with the Black Hills Spruce. They do seem to do well, not in a windbreak but alone where sun and wind can keep the fungal diseases at bay.
Do deer eat spruce?
Deer will normally not eat this species unless nothing else is available. It will grow well in hardiness zones from 3-6 and does well in a variety of soils, with well drained being the best. It will survive dry and hot areas better than other spruces and seems to get along fine with 10” of rain a year or more.
Can black spruce be damaged by rain?
Fungal diseases in wet areas and times of excess rainfall can effect the Black Hills spruce. Putting them on an outside row and not in the middle of a windbreak will lessen this problem. They are rarely effected by insect pests and occur usually on older, newly planted, or stressed trees.
Hardiness Zones
The black hills spruce can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 2–6. View Map
Mature Size
The Black Hills spruce grows to a height of 30–60' and a spread of 15–25' at maturity.
Growth Rate
This tree grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12" per year.
Sun Preference
Full sun and partial shade are best for this tree, meaning it prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.
Soil Preference
The Black Hills spruce grows in acidic, moist, gravelly or sandy loam and fine clay soils. It is drought-tolerant.
Wildlife Value
The Black Hills spruce provides nesting sites for birds and makes a good winter cover. The seeds provide food for songbirds, upland ground birds and small mammals. The bark serves as food for porcupines, and the foliage is lightly browsed by deer.
How far do roots extend from the trunk?
A sixty-foot tree will therefore have some roots over 150 feet from the trunk, but those outermost roots are small feeding roots – usually not the large structural roots that cause damage.
How deep do roots go?
Deep, sandy soil allows roots to penetrate downwards 10 or 20 feet, but many soils have hard clay or rock just a few feet down, and that effectively prevents deeper rooting – as is seen when a tree blows over in a storm.
What trees have shallow roots?
On the other hand, most conifer trees – like spruce, Thuja and pine – have more fibrous, shallow root systems that rarely cause problems. That is why they are popular choices for lawn specimens, hedges and screens.
How tall do trees grow?
Many trees, evergreen or deciduous, will grow 60 to 80 feet tall, and right alongside your home that is going to look pretty silly. Besides that, overhanging branches can break, causing roof damage, or if the whole tree comes down in a storm it will demolish most of your home.
What happens if a tree invades a neighbor's line?
If your tree invades your neighbor’s lines, or damage their foundations, you will be left facing the bill for its repair. Tree experts can pin-point, through root examination, exactly which tree is doing the damage, and you may not like what they find.
Where will the shadow fall on a tree?
That shadow will be to the south-west of the tree. In winter the shadow will be much longer, which is why large evergreens are not good choices near a house. On the south side of your home, a deciduous tree may cast welcome, cooling shade in summer, and let warming sunshine through in winter – a much better choice.
Can you plant trees too close to a building?
Planting trees too close to a building – your own or your neighbors, or a property line, can end up costing you plenty of money. So can choosing a tree that is too large for your property. The removal of large trees, especially in confined spaces, is expensive. So is ripping out sewer lines and replacing them. If your tree invades your neighbor’s lines, or damage their foundations, you will be left facing the bill for its repair. Tree experts can pin-point, through root examination, exactly which tree is doing the damage, and you may not like what they find. Neighbors can force you to remove a tree that is, or could, be damaging – at your expense.
