Blue Spruce Picea pungens Glauca 500 Seeds and Kaibab 500 Seeds Reserved

Picea pungens, also known as the Colorado blue spruce, is a striking evergreen tree with a distinct appearance. Here's a detailed description:

Foliage: The foliage of Picea pungens is its most distinctive feature. The needles are arranged spirally around the branches and are usually stiff, sharp, and prickly. They are generally bluish-gray to silvery-blue in color, giving the tree its characteristic "blue spruce" name. The needles can vary slightly in color depending on the variety and growing conditions.

Shape: Colorado blue spruces typically have a conical to pyramidal shape when young, becoming more irregular and open with age. The branches are densely packed, especially towards the top of the tree, forming a dense canopy.

Bark: The bark of Picea pungens is thin, smooth, and gray-brown when the tree is young, becoming thicker and more furrowed with age.

Cones: The cones of the Colorado blue spruce are small, cylindrical, and pendulous. They typically hang downward from the branches and are light brown in color. The cones mature in the fall and persist on the tree throughout the winter.

Size: These trees can grow to be quite large, reaching heights of 30 to 60 feet at maturity, with a spread of 10 to 20 feet.

Habitat: Picea pungens is native to the Rocky Mountains of the United States, where it grows in a variety of habitats, including mountain slopes, rocky ridges, and stream banks. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun but can tolerate a range of soil types and growing conditions. Hardy in zones 2-7.

Growing Instructions

The seeds have a period of dormancy. They can be planted outdoors in the fall or winter for spring germination or they can be cold stratified to simulate winter conditions and to break their dormancy at any time of the year.

Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours.

Put the mixture in a ziplock bag.

Put the bag in the refrigerator and leave it there for 4 weeks.

The seeds like rich, moist soil. Sow the seeds in containers with a good quality potting soil or compost.

Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil about a couple of millimeters thick.

Water the soil so that it is moist but not wet. The seeds will begin to germinate in 10-14 days.

When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted