When and how do you trim Colorado Blue Spruce trees?

Question

We have 5 blue spruce that are planted too close together, but are now too large to move. Can the sides be trimmed back like they do Christmas trees and when is the best time to do it. Also there are tons of birds living in them, will all that bird poop hurt the trees?

Answer 1

You really never want to trim a spruce. If your trees are too close together you may want t consider removing a few. In general spruce trees need 20+ feet in between. We have a large tree farm have experienced the same problem. In-experienced years ago we planted MANY too close together. We removed every other in some rows, but in a few others we decided to leave them as permanent rows. They have grown quite close together and we loose needles on the ones that are not getting any sunlight, and they are not the usual pretty x-mas tree form , but they are still doing fine. If you dont mind them getting a little out of shape, you can leave them, waiting later to see if they are in danger of dieing before cutting down the competing tree.
Spruce trees are very slow to grow, and are subject to some pest problems. One dangerous one is the ISP beetlle.It bores its way in and in time kills the tree. Beleive it or not they are attracted to the smell of fresh cut limbs, so if you do trim be-ware. Remove cut limbs at once and dispose of far away or burn, Seal the cut limbs on your tree with a latex paint, and keep them well watered and out of stress. Spruce trees also need a bi-year feeding. We use tree spikes in the fall and early spring. (any garden center) A few around the drip lines. Spruce trees have a natiural x-mas tree shape to them, when given the right amount of room to grow, so if you decide to remove the competing trees, leave the others alone and they will bounce back to their natural form. Hope this is helpful
God Bless
grandma

Answer 2

A Colorado Blue Spruce is somewhat forgiving when it comes to being trimmed, but if you don't follow the appropriate guidelines, you could end up with a shaggy tree that looks more like a hedge gone berserk than it does a conifer. Of course, you may prefer a fuzzy look to your blue spruce. While the Colorado Blue Spruce can technically be trimmed at any time of the year, trim in the winter or early spring for the best results.
Step 1

Remove all dead wood and branches. Cut all dead and dying branches back to within 1 inch of the trunk. You will find a swelling (a node) where the branch attaches to the trunk; make your cut just beyond this node, leaving the node on the tree. Trim large branches by making a 1/2 inch deep cut on the underside of the branch at the point where you want the branch cut. Then cut all the way through the branch, cutting from the top side of the branch, about 3 inches beyond the first underside cut you made. In this way the branch can break off cleanly without tearing the bark as you near the completion of your cut. Once the major part of the branch has broken off, cut off the 3-inch stub where you made your first cut.

Step 2

Review the looks of your tree and cut off branches (following the directions in Step 1) which do not contribute to the overall look you desire. Remember, cutting the ends of a branch will cause your Colorado Blue Spruce to grow "fuzzy" branch ends where you make your cuts.

Step 3

Do not top a Colorado Blue Spruce. Trim off approximately every third branch if you wish to slow the growth of your spruce and keep it from getting too tall.

Step 4

Cut lower branches as per the directions in Step 1 to facilitate walking and mowing under the tree. Cut branches that cross each other, or which are rubbing together.
For further assistance please see the link in the source

Answer 3

Baby Blue Spruce Tree

Answer 4

You can not prune these types of trees. The limbs regrow very slowly and evenly all over the tree so you would have funny shaped trees for a very very long time. The only choice is to remove 2 of the 5 trees. Obviously they were planted too close together as a Colorado blue spruce can reach diameters of 30-40 ft. As for the birds, what species are they? If they are grackles or starlings or something of that sort. There are several options. There are sound emitters, decorative owls with swivel heads, and other devices made specifically to keep birds away.

Answer 5

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Colorado Blue Spruce are some of the largest of the conifers. If you have them planted as foundation trees, you should have them moved as soon as possible. Pruning will not keep a tree small. The root system will destroy your foundation. If they haven't gotten too big yet, you should be able to have an arborist move them to a more suitable site. Once they get too big, removal is the only option, because getting that close to the house is a liability for the arborist to move.

Answer 6

I'd check this out with a conifer nursery, because I have a feeling that they don't take too well to pruning, something about not regrowing from where they've been cut.....
These are such beautiful trees, and would it be worth considering removing each alternate tree so that the others can grow naturally?

I can't imagine that bird poop would hurt them, trees have been pooped in by birds since time began