Norfolk pine / Norway spruce

Anth · Post by **Anth** » June 18th, 2012, 3:15 pm

Hi guys are they the same tree or different?
I got one a few years back that suffered bad sunburn during summer. It has since lost about 80% of it's foliage and now looks very sad. This year it started pushing through new growth but is really struggling to back bud on old wood. I have decided to cut away any old wood that has no growth leaving me with one main trunk with all the branches with foliage on one side of the tree. It is well suited to a raft style and so I wired it up accordingly.
What is the best time to replant it as a raft and what is the best way to go about it

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1339996304.597224.jpg

Cheers
Anth

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » June 18th, 2012, 4:06 pm

Try to get some movement into the trunk (to avoid having a straight row of trees)
while keeping the trunk fairly flat horizontally (to allow the entire length of the trunk to be below the soil)
Remove rectangular pieces of bark from the underside of the trunk using a sharp knife, apply rooting hormone around the cuts.
Bury the entire trunk for at least a year.
Best time to do this is late winter.

alpineart · Post by **alpineart** » June 18th, 2012, 5:16 pm

Hi Anth , The Norway Spruce is a Picea Abies and a Norfolk Island Pine is a Aracauria Heterophylla . The Norway Spruce does back bug on old wood however it is usually at a whorl or fork . Rarely do the back bud on the trunk . Yours is the Picea Abies and around now i have worked mine however they are producing new roots so i would hold off until the end of Winter . Hope this helps .

Cheers Alpineart

Anth · Post by **Anth** » June 18th, 2012, 7:42 pm

Hi Gerard
The tree was grown from seed and planted in 1993 ( not by me) and grown in pot it's whole life it's not huge but is quite thick and hard to move.
I have tried to position the branches so there are not all in a straight line.

Thanks alpine that advice will help.

AusBonsai