$5 Dwarf Alberta Spruce / How it started / How it’s going

[u/naleshin]

[u/naleshin]

I bought this DAS on December 28th, 2021 for $5 (after Xmas is the best time to buy these because they’re always going to be heavily discounted). I’ve made tons of mistakes with this tree but I’m still content with how it’s turning out after this structural wiring (don’t look too closely at the wiring it was my first time using copper wire in earnest & it’s messier / not as clean as I’d like in some parts 🫣)

When you buy one of these after Xmas this year, really try to prioritize getting them situated in good bonsai soil before making big reductions ( this one had a weird thick tap root coiled up in the bottom of the can like a snake, I had to saw off most of the bottom )

I need to get more of these this year, they’re a very strong spruce. It’s funny because I was originally styling this for an entirely different front, & when I finally felt done & started looking more closely, I realized what I initially planned to be the back actually looks better as the front 😅 I could readjust further with that in mind but I’ll leave it be, I’ve fiddled with it too much & want to give it a long break. I’ll eventually want to reduce one side or the other more because it’s a bit too symmetrical right now but I already removed a ton of foliage during the cleaning process

[u/disneyrated]

Great idea for a practice tree as I am a beginner. Will keep an eye out for post-holiday sales!

[u/Siccar_Point → u/disneyrated]

Word of warning: P. alberta “conica”, the most common mini Christmas tree, is kind of a nightmare for beginners. But the ease of availability makes them very tempting. They don’t really backbud, and because they are dense, all the growth tends to sit at the ends of the branches. Which makes them look bad to start with and very hard to subsequently rectify. The branches also like to spring back after wiring.

It’s possible, as you see here. In fact, I love this one. But it can be a frustrating experience if you don’t already know what you’re doing.

[u/Tricky-Pen2672 → u/Siccar_Point]

I have a DAS that was one of my first trees. They will backbud if you cut them WAY back, then fertilizer like crazy, and let it recover for 2-3 years.

They aren’t too bad for beginners, especially if you are trying to learn how to wire, because branches will take MANY years to set. They will have to be wired over and over again, which sucks for pros, but great for beginners as they will get plenty of practice…

[u/OhDudeTotally → u/Siccar_Point]

Can confirm their ability to back bud.

[u/jndew]

Very nice! I've been getting one of these every year for... two years now. The first one was my first attempt at wiring a bonsai, and looks rediculous as you would expect. But it's family... My 2nd is nicer, but not as nice as yours. Good job!

[u/naleshin → u/jndew]

Thanks! It def takes a lot of practice

[u/froggyfriend726]

Super cool! When starting with a tree this big how much do you recommend cutting off/how many branches should go? I would be scared of messing it up lol

[u/naleshin → u/froggyfriend726]

Beginners tend to go overboard and leave barely any green on these. Everyone’s general threshold varies but during the first round of pruning I’d recommend just sticking to basic cleaning: removing crotch growth, very weak interior growth, and reducing branch junctions down to two. It’s important to leave interior growth to cut back to though, that’s how you eventually compact the tree over time

[u/crazysteve148]

Beautiful!! Where'd you learn to cut?

[u/naleshin → u/crazysteve148]

Mostly this sub but there’s tons of fantastic videos on youtube that have helped significantly too. Mirai has lots of good spruce resources

[u/Ry2D2]

Good looking candlabra style! I am halfway through wiring one now. Might use it as our xmas tree this year 😂

[u/naleshin → u/Ry2D2]

Haha we’re definitely using this as that this year!

[u/Nikeflies]

Really well done! I bought a few of these very early into my bonsai but they ended up just looking like Charlie Brown Christmas. I still have 1 untouched, maybe I'll give it a go

[u/naleshin → u/Nikeflies]

Thanks! Yeah in this case I cut back the main leader in 2022, left most of the rest of the smaller straight branches to turn into “trunks”, then now wired down most of the foliage on the now trunks. Wiring down is crucial to spruce (and most conifers), but also make sure you have some good foliage to cut back to because you’ll want to physically try to compress the silhouette

[u/Nikeflies → u/naleshin]

Awesome advice, will give that a shot. Does this type of spruce back bud?

[u/naleshin → u/Nikeflies]

They do if you transition out of nursery soil and into good bonsai soil first to build momentum and then wire branches down, yes. Definitely prioritize getting the roots out of heavily organic decaying media to optimize growth potential

[u/Nikeflies → u/naleshin]

Ahh great tip, thanks for the help!