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The Blue Spruce: Picea pungens pungens means "to penetrate," referring to the needle tips. This spruce is one of the least common naturally occurring trees in the state, yet it is a tree almost everyone recognizes. Blue spruce is one of the most familiar ornamental conifers in Idaho, in fact, in the northern United States. There is hardly a city block in the state without at least one blue spruce in front of a house. The symmetrical, conical shape is very stiff and formal and the new needles are most often a bright silver-blue. The blue spruces grown as ornamentals are selections, clones from trees chosen from a population, in this case for intense blue color and longer needles. To retain these characteristics, such trees are propagated vegetatively. If one were to plant a thousand seeds from an intensely blue spruce, only a few would have the most desirable traits of its parent. Various selections are very popular ornamentals, with 37 named forms that refleet needle size and color and tree form. Blue spruce twigs lack the glandular hairs (seen through a hand lens) almost always found on Engelmann spruce twigs. Blue spruces in the wild. like Engelmann, exhibit great variation in needle color -- from green to silver.  Better check the range map and also be curtain that cones are 2 to 4 inches long and yellow-brown for blue spruce. Blue spruce, which reaches its northern limits in southeastern Idaho, is a common tree of the central Rocky Mountains. There are few reports and fewer specimens from Idaho. Anyone finding native blue spruce in Idaho outside of the mapped locations would extend our knowledge. Send a new branch and a few cones to the author, along with good location and habitat information. if you find one. Blue spruce hybridizes with Engelmann spruce, and hybrids have been found in eastern Idaho as far north as the North Fork of the Salmon River in Lemhi County. BLUE SPRUCE SEEDLING PLANT YOUR SEEDLINGS RIGHT Handle Gently Handle your seedlings gently and as little as possible. Seedling survival and growth depends on new root growth. Root growth can be reduced by dropping your box of seedlings on the floor or tossing the box into the back of the pick-up. Keep Them Cool Warm seedlings use stored energy that could be used for growth after planting. lf you can't plant your seedlings immediately, store them (even for a day or two) as cool as possible in the packaging material they arrived in. lf you must store your seedlings for a week or more, keep them as close to 35 "F as possible. Your seedlings will keep for a couple of weeks at this temperature. Check them frequently. Only remove from refrigerated storage the seedlings you expect to plant that day. lf your storage area is close to your planting site, it's even better to remove the seedlings in batches, allowing seedlings planted later in the day to stay cool as long as possible. At the end of the day, place any remaining seedlings back into refrigerated storage. During storage and planting, keep bundles of seedlings out of direct sun, but be careful how you shade them. Seedlings will be warmer in a box covered with a canvas or plastic tarp than if placed directly in the sun. The best place for your seedlings is in heavy shade under existing trees. lf you use a canvas or tarp, hang it at least 3 feet above the box to provide shade but still allow cool air to move between the tarp and box. Plant lmmediately and Permanently We recommend you plant your seedlings as early as possible to take advantage of spring moisture before our usual summer drought. Your seedlings are cold hardy-they've been stored at the nursery at near- freezing temperatures and can stand an occasional frost after planting. However, you have little to gain and much to lose from planting in excessively cold or wet soils. ln ldaho, and in general, forest soils are ready for spring planting soon after snow melts. For other plantings, make sure the soil is moist, friable, not sticky, and doesn't look shiny when you work it. For best results, plant your seedlings in their permanent locations. 10 Planting Tips for Success
Weeds Weeds are your number one enemy. Control weeds for at Ieast 3 years-the longer, the better. Weeds rob seedlings of moisture and nutrients. Weed control often makes the difference between life and death for your plants. Weeds can be controlled 3 ways: cultivation, herbicides, and mulches. Mechanical weed control (cultivation) works well if you are persistent because some species sprout from their roots. Using a hoe is the basic approach, but pulling a disc behind a tractor or using a rototiller may be easier. Avoid rototilling deeper than about 2 inches. lf you use herbicides, a piece of lightweight plastic pipe or a five-gallon bucket attached to a broom stick can be lf you use herbicides, a piece of lightweight plastic pipe used to shield your seedlings during spraying. Please consult your county extension educator before spraying for current herbicide recommendations and rates. Mulch inhibits weed growth and also improves seedling survivaland growth by reducing evaporation from soil and lowering soiltemperatures. Mulch effectiveness can be improved by first laying down a weed barrier or landscape mat that allows water and air to penetrate to the soil. Often, mats can be used by themselves but they will last longer if covered with some type of mulch. Good mulches include wood chips or washed rock. Watering On forest land, if you plant early in spring supplemental water probably isn't necessary or feasible. For windbreak, other conservation plantings, and specialty hardwood plantations regular watering will improve survival and growth. lf you decide to water, do so about once a week during hot weather, but remember that how often you need to water will depend on the soil and weather. Sandy soils don't retain moisture well so you'll have to water more often. On the other hand, clay soils hold moisture very well so you may not need to water for 2 or 3 weeks after a thorough watering. Water long enough to thoroughly moisten the root zone and encourage deep rooting. A drip irrigation line is the most efficient way to water your seedlings because it delivers moisture directly to each tree in a controlled and consistent manner-less water is wasted to run-off or evaporation. Stop watering about 1 month before the first frost. After a couple of killing frosts, water evergreens well. Shading Shading can sometimes increase seedling survival. Broad shingles or commercially-available plastic cards placed on the south and southwest sides of seedlings do 3 things: Fertilization Generally, seedlings don't need to be fertilized during the first year. Thereafter, fertilizer should be applied in spring as soon as soil is frost-free. Many fertilizer formulations work fine. Nitrogen usually gives trees the greatest growth response. Application rates vary by local soils and climate. ln general for 1,000 square feet of area, apply 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen in dryland plantations and 3 pounds of nitrogen for irrigated trees and specialty hardwood crops. A common problem of trees in southern ldaho is iron chlorosis. Trees whose leaves develop a yellow or light yellow-green color, especially between darker green leaf veins, are probably suffering from a shortage of available iron and will benefit from applications of a chelated iron-rich fertilizer. Protection Seedlings can be damaged by livestock, deer, elk, rodents, other small animals, lawn mowers, string trimmers, and herbicides. On forest sites, seedlings will generally be fine without protective devices. lf the resident deer and elk population is high, meshtype tubing may be necessary for seedling establishment. A variety of spray-on repellents are available-they generally reduce, but don't eliminate, browsing. For best results, they should be reapplied frequently and it often helps to use several different products in a rotation. When planting into pastures orformerfarm fields converted to grass, montane voles (meadow mice)can completely destroy a plantation within days. Solid tree shelters can effectively reduce damage. For evergreens, use short tubes (8 to 12 inches tall). For hardwoods, you may consider buying taller tubes to also protect against browsing. Solid plastic shelters that can be folded around the tree work well and can be removed for maintenance or reused. For best results purchase 5 to 6 foot shelters. Position the bottom of the shelter on or below ground level and secure with a sturdy, weatherproof stake. Tree shelters have the added benefit of protecting seedlings from sun-scald and winter dessication. Check tree shelters several times a year. Straighten shelters and replace broken orweakened stakes. lnspectthe nylon mesh "hairnets" provided with your shelters-remove them once your trees begin to grow out of the tops of the shelters. Carefully remove bee or wasp nests. Specialty Hardwood Crops ln addition to the suggestions provided above, the following are highly recommended if you are growing specialty hardwood crops. Site Selection ln ldaho, hardwoods do best on sites with deep, well-drained soils with a pH between 5.0 and 7.0. Although many are drought tolerant, north- and east-facing aspects provide moister, cooler environments. Areas of poor drainage or flooding should be avoided, as should frost pockets and cold air drainages. Pruning Proper pruning is an art and a science and when done correctly can greatly increase the value of your plantation. Pruning should be accomplished while trees are still dormant in late winter or early spring, just before bud break. Corrective pruning should start the winter after seedlings were planted. lf you use tree shelters for protection, temporarily remove them and prune any side branches that have formed. To reduce the number of knots in future logs, remove branches before they reach 1 inch in diameter, usually by age 4 or 5. Remember to prune branches at the branch collar-a flush cut or leaving a stub will interfere with proper wound healing. Wound dressing is unnecessary. Do not remove more than 1/3rd of the live crown at a time. Continue annual pruning of side branches until you have a clear bole of at least 9 feet. Some owners continue side pruning their trees until there is as much as 25 feet of clear, straight trunk. Protection Animals - Nothing will protect your plantation better than a fence. Though expensive, a high-value hardwood plantation would justify the cost of constructing a permanent barrier. A good fence is 8 feet tall with hot wires at 2 foot intervals and the lowest 2 feet of fence, as well as an additional 2 feet underground, protected with hardware cloth to effectively exclude large mammals and rodents. lndividual tree shelters also protect against animal damage (see above). Repellent product success is measured in the reduction, not elimination, of browse damage and are not recommended for high-value specialty crops. Sun-scald - Winter and spring sun-scald can be a serious problem for young trees but can be prevented by wrapping trees in fall with 2 layers of paper tree wrap or painting the trunks with full strength, white latex paint. Paint alone will protect against some dessication and spring sun-scald. Wrap alone will protect against winter freezes and desiccation. ln ldaho, we recommend you use both methods to provide the best protection. Paint the trunks first and then wrap with 2 layers of paper with the tar side in the middle. Remove the tree wrap in spring at bud break and re-wrap each fall. The paint will continue to provide protection against sun-scald. A tree's resistance to sun-scald increases as it ages. Problems? lf you have any questions or suspect an insect, disease, or planting site problem, contact your local county extension educator (http://www.uidaho.edu/ag/extension/).  
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