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Meyer Spruce Trees – All You Need To Know! Meyers Spruce trees originate from China and Russia. In the United States, they are regarded as exotic evergreen trees and are fast overtaking the Blue Spruce's popularity – which looks exactly like a twin – but has some drawbacks. The Meyers Spruce is an evergreen coniferous tree that, when first seen, looks exactly like the perfect Christmas Tree. Its branches and sharp needles are lush and springy to the touch. Its pine scent is heavenly – it's fresh and clean and smells of all things good and natural – and in general, one gets a feeling of health and happiness. Conditions for Meyer Spruce Trees to Grow Their Best These beautiful well-needled, evergreens grow best in full sun and acidic soil with good drainage. Avoid clay soil, which gets clumpy and stifles the roots of these trees. Generally, the Meyer Spruce Tree Spruce trees require minimal pruning and grow in yellow and silvery blue colors. Top Five attributes (and uses) of the Meyer Spruce Tree The Meyer Spruce Tree is a hardy, fast-growing and robust plant that thrives, and it looks exactly like the American Blue Spruce. The Blue Spruce is beset with illnesses, while the Meyer Spruce is disease-free! Spruce wood is used in building, and disease-free Meyer Spruce is recommended for construction purposes for indoor use only. It's also used for making guitars, cellos, mandolins, and the soundboard at the heart of a piano or harp, or acoustic guitar because the wood is referred to as 'tonewood.' Further, it's used to produce foodstuffs and medicines, resins, and bark for canoes. It is also used as below: The resin is used to make pitch pine; the thin, supple roots are used for making woven baskets; The Meyer Spruce branches are also used at the famous Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, in the UK, to build some of the fences on the Grand National Horseracing Course; lastly, it is also utilized to make sculptures. Planting of the Meyer Spruce Tree To Plant: Plant in soil with good drainage and a place that get full sun for 6-8 hourly daily. Dig a large hole that will accommodate the root ball in-depth and is twice as wide. Put the Meyer Spruce Tree in that hole (after thoroughly wetting the root ball). If the Spruce Tree's Root Ball has been Burlapped, and if that Burlap is organic, then you can leave it on the root ball when you plant it. This is because it will disintegrate over time and provide the Spruce Tree with extra nutrients. However, if the Burlap is synthetic, remove it immediately before planting the Spruce Tree, as synthetic Burlap will not decompose, nor will it add extra nutrients. Refill the hole with part of the soil you dug out and mixed with some gardening soil. Once firmly planted, set Mulch around the base of the Meyer Spruce Tree. The Mulch is to protect the Meyer Spruce Tree from the weeds and grasses that would grow around a newly planted tree. You should mulch the Tree with about 3 inches of compost or pulverized bark. This compost or pulverized bark helps to keep moisture in the ground. It also helps to protect the Spruce Tree during cold Winters. Next is to thoroughly slow water this Tree for about 15 minutes – not directly up against the bark, but keep a reasonable distance and thoroughly wet all the ground around it. If you build a 3-inch-high watering ring around the planting hole's perimeter, it will make things much more manageable. Care and Maintenance of the Meyer Spruce Tree Watering the Meyer Spruce Tree In general, you should water this Tree thoroughly once per week. During Droughts, additional watering is required – at least 1 inch of water. Conversely, if it rains that week and the rain is heavy, you can forego watering that week. Spruce Trees have a naturally shallow root system, and shallow watering encourages more superficial root systems. Fertilizing the Meyer Spruce Tree This Tree only required feeding with mild slow-acting fertilizer tabs to begin the initial growing season. Save the more potent fertilizers for later when the Tree is fully established. Feeding the Meyer Spruce Tree Once that happens, then feed it twice per month – during early Spring and once per month during Summer. Pruning the Meyer Spruce Tree Pruning is for late Winter or early Spring. For young trees: follow the branch tips back until you find two branches growing on either side. Snip off the center branch growth because by doing that, you'll encourage the remaining side branches to grow faster - thus making the Tree thicker and bushier. Growth Meyer's Spruce Tree is an evergreen, coniferous species of Tree – as we've already established. We haven't yet mentioned that it grows to a mature height of 100 feet (or 30 meters tall); the Trunk is up to 24 inches (60cm) in diameter when measured at breast height, and it has a conical crown. Its bark is grey-brown in color and irregularly flakes. It lives between 40 to 60 years. Meyer Spruce Tree's Foliage The boughs are upright and dense with foliage. They are tipped with a silvery-blue color. The soft, needle-like leaves are half-inch to an inch long and cover the branches in an unchanging, spiral pattern, making it perfect for a festive look during winter - mostly when it's covered in snow. Since it tolerates and does well in fluctuating conditions, from hot and cold to dry and rainy, and it's a vigorous, hardy grower, there's no surprise that this disease-free Spruce has begun to be more popular than the Juniper Spruce. There is even Greek mythology about this Spruce Tree: It says that the Spruce Tree was dedicated to Artemis, the Goddess of The Moon, Hunting, Nature, and Protector of all Women. The Greeks said that the enduring Spruce Tree represented constant and eternal life – life everlasting! So, the Spruce Tree was named The Tree of Birth. Its scented evergreen needles signify resilience and strength. The Blue Spruce Trees are unfortunately susceptible to an infectious disease caused by a fungus called Rhizosphaera. What happens is that the second year's needles turn to a purple or brown color and eventually fall off the Tree. Over the next few successive years of needles lost from branches, those branches may die. In effect, it seems that the Spruce Tree dies from the bottom upwards. How To Revive A Dying Spruce Tree The Following Will Help You Manage Needle Cast: First, prune away the dead branches, twigs, and infected areas of the Tree. Then removes the fallen foliage and burn it. Next, apply a fungicide to the Spruce Tree after removing all signs of infection. Lastly, deep water the Spruce Tree once a week to help it to remove the stress! My Top Five Tips To Stop Christmas Tree Needles Drop: First, you have to buy the right Tree! Consider the type, etc. Prepare the Tree. The simplest way to stop your tree fr0 dropping its needles is to buy the freshest Tree possible. Trim the stump of the Tree. Please keep it away from the heat. Feed and water, it. Tips To Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresh Long After It's Been Cut. Choose the healthiest Christmas Tree you can find. Trim the Trunk, check it and trim it again if necessary. Give the Tree enough water. Takedown the Tree before it dries out. Meyer's Spruce Trees are disease-free and do not die from the bottom up. Their thick blue, and green needles have excellent needle retention. Also, they have a tolerance for humidity and so can survive easily in humid climates and cold climates. Planting a Meyer's Spruce Tree in Your Garden? I think that would be a very bold thing to do. If you have a small garden, then it's not a good idea. What you thought was a bit of whimsey could turn out to be a nightmare! If you have a small garden and you're crazy about conifers, instead go for one of the dwarf varieties – under the right conditions, that could work well for you. If you have an extensive planting area together with the right conditions, then, by all means, plant a Meyer Spruce Tree or two –remember they must be ten feet apart from each other and at least ten feet away from your house or any other buildings on your property. Final Thoughts on Meyer Spruce Trees – All You Need To Know Personally speaking, I love all the fir trees. The beautiful blue-green hue lends a mystery to the Spruces, and the smell of the Pines transports me to another time when I was young, and the presents under the Tree were mostly mine. It was a time when I'd helped decorate the Tree, and everything was young and innocent and happy – until my Mother started loudly complaining about a large number of pine needles on the floor. So, many children will now be happy that their parents purchased a Meyer Spruce Tree with almost zero loss of needles. I love how when I place my hand on the Tree, there's a firm springiness in all the boughs and foliage, and yet, to the touch, it feels soft and silky. To this day, I can still bury my face in the lush boughs of the Meyer Spruce Tree and be immediately transported to a childhood Christmas day and all the magic that surrounds it, with that beautiful feeling of safety and eternal hope that all our dreams can and will come true. Read More: Do Pine Trees Need A Lot of Sun? What Trees Have The Least Invasive Roots?