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Thursday - October 15, 2009

From: Lagrange, IN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Fall Planting Colorado Blue Spruce in Indiana.
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

I live in Northern Indiana, and I want to plant a couple of Colorado Blue Spruces that are 3-6 feet in height and Balled and Burlapped. Is it okay to plant them this time of year?

ANSWER:

Yes, now is a great time to plant trees ... the weather is cool (not too much evapotranspiration) but the soil is still warm enough that the tree can begin to generate roots before winter sets in. As the weather gets colder, water it, but not too much. It won't need as much water as it would if getting established in hotter months and it will drown in saturated soil.

Picea pungens (blue spruce) is native to cooler, more elevated areas than yours so it will not thrive as it would in the Rocky Mountains (likely won't get as large or live as long as it would in its native habitat). That said, it should be much happier than it would if you were planting it somewhere on the Atlantic coast.