Brewer's spruce

Discussion in 'Gymnosperms (incl. Conifers)' started by growest, May 9, 2005.

  1. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    My small batch of picea breweriana seed is just starting to pop, and I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time or not.

    Much of the brewer's spruce for sale here in greater Van. seems to be grafted. I was thinking the seedlings would make a nice little crop (many years from now I suppose) but always wonder why others are not doing them on their own roots.

    Has anyone heard the story on these, are the trees better do'ers on say a norway spruce rootstock...worth doing the grafting or just extra work?

    Glen
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    The seedlings would be preferable. Grafted plants on the market because they are a clonal selection.
     
  3. psalamanazar

    psalamanazar Member

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    hey,
    i am interested in sprouting brewer's spruce and wonered if you would share any knowledge about the process with me. Is this a difficult tree to grow from seed?
    I have done some reading on sitka spruce sprouting from the book 'propagation of PNW native plants' from the OSU press. there are nice brewer's spruce in my neighborhood and i thought i could collect the cones from them, probably somewhat soon. is there anything special or unique about sprouting this tree? my experience is limited in this department, am i being too ambitious?.
    thanks for the info.
    zane
     
  4. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Techniques are about the same as for Sitka Spruce. The cones won't be ripe for harvest yet though, give them another 4-6 weeks or so (it is later-ripening than Sitka) - look out for when the cones just start to open. After harvest, pre-treat the seed 2 months at +1 to +2°C in damp sterilised sand.

    Be very careful when climbing to get the cones! - the branches on Brewers slope down adjacent to the trunk, making it very easy to slip off, particularly if they're wet, potentially quite dangerous (personal experience :-)

    Keep the seedlings well-spaced and well-ventilated, in a well-drained, slightly acidic peat-free soil, to reduce the risks of fungal diseases.
     
  5. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    Zane--Michael has covered the subject very well.

    The one other thing is brewer's is very adapted to shade in the early years...they are able to grow in very deep shade and typically die in full sun. I have kept my seed flat under the greenhouse bench for this summer, and they seem happy there!

    Eventually the tree wants more or less full sun, as it would get in its alpine habitat, but not for the first few years...also as it would get competing with undergrowth in nature until it achieves some height.

    Well drained mix is worth emphasizing...like many conifer seeds in my experience, these suffer from some damping off immediately after germinating, the better the drainage and more judicious the watering at that time, the better.

    Good luck!

    Glen

    Glen
     

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