Dwarf Alberta Spruce Tree Pruning

Q: We have a 20 year old Dwarf Alberta Spruce that is not dwarf anymore. It is approx. 8 feet tall.

Can we prune it and bring it back to 5 feet or so? If we can, how do we go about it and when is the best time to so?

We live in the Toronto, Canada area.

Peter

A: I would not advise doing this severe of a pruning.

You will most likely be pruning down to non-productive tissue, in which case the plant will not regrow. It will look terrible just about no matter how you go about the pruning anyway.

And, since, the typical growth rate of a dwarf Alberta spruce is only about 2" per year, it would take a looonng time, maybe never, before any regrowth that might occur would hide the severity of the pruning.

If you decide to prune it anyway, springtime (just before the growth season starts) would be the time. This way, any regrowth would occur shortly after the pruning is done, which will begin the "hiding" process sooner.

A: The best time would be in spring, just before the growing season. This way, any heavy pruning will be more quickly covered up by new growth.

If you want, you can do some light pruning now but I would go light and only prune branches off that extend way out beyond the overall shape of the plant.

Be careful how much you prune. Dwarf Alberta spruces only grow 1-2 inches per year on average, and if you cut back too far you can cut into non-productive tissue and the branch will die back to its base.

You can use hedge shears, but hedge shears tend to stimulate excess growth, so this may defeat your purpose. Better to hand prune the plant although it takes more time, and clip the branches off at their base, not just around the edges.

The end result will be much better looking and much better for the plant.

Q: My alberta spruce trees have lost some of their shape- it seems some areas are more bunched up than others.

Can I prunce the tree with regular hedge trimmers to bring back its previous shape? Thank you.

Tonya

A: I would discourage you from using hedge trimmers on your dwarf Alberta spruce. Although it may make it easier (and faster) to prune the plant, the end result may be less than desirable.

Instead, use a good pair of hand pruners and carefully prune back each twig that extends out of shape from the plant. This will take more time, but by doing so you will not stimulate excess growth.

Hedge trimmers stimulate excess growth from the tips of each twig that is cut, and the plant gets too thick on the outside.

When pruning, follow each twig that sticks out of place back to its base. You can visualize what the plant would look like if you pruned this twig off by carefully bending it out of the way.

If it looks OK, snip the twig at its base. If not, look to see if there is a different place on the twig to cut back to.

Do this as needed to try to bring the plant back into shape. After a while you should get the hang of it. You can also find How-to-Prune info on the Internet that can give you some more helpful tips.

Your local Extension Agency or Garden Club may put on pruning classes that you might want to sign up for, too.

Q: I have 4 dwarf albertas, each about 7-8 feet tall, 17 years old. They are getting too tall for front bed and I was hoping to top them off.

Can I cut off main trunk 3 feet up ( ie remove 2/3 height of tree) and tie a side branch up as a new leader and will this work or just kill the tree???

I am ok with deformity for a few years if it will work.

Also, I've noticed the sides of trees against the brick house are all brown, while the sides facing out are green... is this normal?

Thanks,
Diane

A: Yes, you can do this, but you will have a very deformed tree for many many years because dwarf Alberta spruces grow very slowly.

All the while you are waiting for the tree to grow back into shape it will not look good at all, and this will probably be for several years.

I recommend you consider having them professionally transplanted to a bigger and better spot. It would be a shame to disfigure such nice-sounding Alberta spruces simply because they have outgrown their space.

As for the browning up against the building, this is not unusual. It is most likely due to the shading out of the branches on that side of the tree.

Insufficient sunlight leads to insufficient production of chlorophyll, so there is often a natural attrition of branches on the shady sides of the plant.

This would be another good reason to transplant them -- to get them into fuller sunlight.

Q: I have three dwarf Alberta Spruce. Two of these have developed three tops rather than one dominant.

How can I maintain or prune them to keep the preferred "Christmas tree" shape with one main branch rising from the top?

Thanks for your help.

A: You will need to remove the 2 side tops to encourage the central top, or leader as it's called, to gain dominance.

Remove the 2 back to their base, not just at the "outline" of the tree as they may sprout anew from the cut and just thicken things up again.

Since the growing season is over there's no urgency to do this. However, if, by doing this pruning, the trees' appearance may become a little "compromised", I would wait until spring, when the new growing season is upon us, to do the pruning.

This way, once you've pruned the competing tops off, the new growth will help hide any odd-looking cuts you might have needed to make sooner than if you pruned now and had to look at the plantsall winter.