A wide range of soil types can support blue spruce, including clay, loam or sandy soil. These trees grow wild in forests, especially at higher elevations, where they often have to contend with rocky soil and other adverse conditions. The ideal soil is a loose loam or sandy loam.
Also know, what kind of soil do evergreen trees need?
Evergreens should have well drained but moisture holding soil. A bucket full or two of compost mixed well into the soil will help the soil to retain moisture if your soil is sandy. A similar quantity of shredded leaves or peat moss will help the soil drain if your soil is heavy clay.
Also Know, is soil acidic under spruce trees? If the soil pH is less than 7.0 it is considered to be acidic. If it is greater that 7.0 then it is alkaline. Everyone can relate to the needle drop of a mature evergreen tree such as spruce, pine or cedar. Not many plants are tolerant to the acidic soil that is caused by the fallen needles.
Furthermore, what do you put under spruce trees?
Mulch. Mulch is always a good option for landscaping under any tree, spruce or otherwise. Choose from the more attractive mulch varieties, such as wood chips, bark or other organic mulches, which decompose on their own without harming the environment.
Do conifers like acid soil?
Evergreen trees and shrubs that produce cones and feature needle-like foliage are referred to as conifers. The target soil pH to grow healthy conifers is slightly to moderately acidic at 5.5 but can range up to 6.0 and as low as 3.5 in the case of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri).
17 Related Question Answers Found
How do you save a dying evergreen?
The following will help you manage needlecast: Prune away dead branches, twigs, and infected areas of the tree. Remove fallen foliage and destroy it (burn it). Apply a fungicide to the tree after removing signs of the infection. Deep water the tree once per week to help it recover from the stress.
How can I make my spruce tree grow faster?
How to Make Evergreens Grow Faster Remove the sod that surrounds the evergreen with a shovel. Your goal is to eliminate any grass that would compete with the tree for water. Sprinkle a fertilizer around the base of the tree. Water the fertilizer in with a hose. Apply mulch around the tree, completely filling the area where you removed the sod.
What is the best fertilizer for spruce trees?
Spruce trees do not have very high phosphorous needs and benefit most form an acidic fertilizer designed for evergreens or a high-nitrogen fertilizer with a formula like 12-6-4 or 10-8-6. Organic fertilizer options include compost, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal.
What is the best fertilizer for evergreen trees?
A “complete” fertilizer — one that supplies the macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) — is often recommended. A fertilizer analysis of 10-8-15 means the fertilizer has 10 percent nitrogen, 8 percent phosphorous, and 15 percent potassium.
Which evergreens grow the fastest?
Eastern white pine and green giant arborvitae are some of the fastest-growing evergreens. Each add on about 2 feet every year!
What is the best evergreen for a privacy screen?
5 Great Evergreen Trees for Privacy Japanese or American Holly. Juniper. Arborvitae. Black Hills Spruce. Austrian Pine.
How long does a spruce tree live?
In the wild, the Colorado blue spruce can live 200 years or more. In the home landscape, it usually stays healthy for about 40 to 60 years, after which its health begins to fail, according to Northern State University.
What is the best soil for conifers?
For most conifers, slightly acid soil that is loamy and well-drained is ideal. Unless the soil is very compacted or so light and porous that it retains very little moisture, you will not need to add organic matter.
What can I plant next to Blue Spruce?
Notable acid-loving shrubs and perennials include: rhododendrons, blueberries, bergenias, hostas, lungwort, lily-of-the-valley, and any juniper or other conifer, Hydrangea will thrive just outside the drip line, and the acidity will actually turn their flowers bluer.
How do you grow a large spruce tree?
For large spruces, more than 4 or 5 feet tall, dig a trench, about 15 to 20 inches deep, around the spruce to reach underneath the root ball. Keep as much soil as possible with the root ball. Watering the tree well the day before helps soil cling to the roots.
How far do spruce tree roots spread?
Tree roots can extend as far as two or three times the width of the drip line, or the farthest point from the tree where foliage grows. Pine trees are not known for having invasive root systems but if the soil is dry roots will go where the water is. Most roots grow within the top foot (30 cm) of the surface.
What can I plant near evergreens?
Some plants that will do fairly well under evergreen trees include Azaleas , Woodland Sunflowers , Hostas , Jacob’s Ladder , Lily of the Valley , and Ivory Sedge .
Do spruce trees kill grass?
It is a common myth that grass will not grow around pine trees because the accumulated needles make the soil so acidic nothing will grow. As the needles break down, they are neutralized by the microbes that are doing the decomposing work and will have little effect on the soil pH.
What ground cover grows under spruce trees?
Creeping mahonia (Mahonia repens) is another evergreen ground cover that can tolerate partial shade and grows well under spruce trees. It reaches about 1 foot tall in USDA zones 5 through 8 with olive foliage that resembles holly leaves.
How do you plant ground cover under a tree?
Planting Ground Covers under a Tree Lay a hose on the ground to indicate the size of the bed, or mark the grass with spray paint. Dig the soil inside the circle and remove all the grass and weeds growing inside. Use a trowel to dig individual holes for planting the ground cover plants.
How do you kill weeds under pine trees?
Below are three ways for dealing with weeds under shrubs and trees. Organic mulch. Try a bark mulch or wood chips, which decompose slowly. Other materials. Suppress weeds with layers of newspaper, weighed down with soil or grass clippings or opaque polythene sheeting weighed down with stones. Ground cover.
What do you put under pine trees?
Plants that do well under pine trees include: Bearberry. Hosta. Wild geranium. Azalea. Jacob’s Ladder. Heuchera. Ferns (Royal, Maidenhair, Oak, Lady) Sweet Woodruff.