A close look at this year's twig (After it's hardened off) with a magnifying glass will tell you - If the stem is smooth (no hairs), it is probably Norway spruce. If the stem is finely hairy and reddish, it is red spruce. My guess would be Norway spruce; However, red and Norway spruces can and do hybridize.

Whatever it is, it looks healthy!

Thanks, jimbobfeeny, I'll peer at it when it gets hardened off. I like volunteers and this one just seemed to be a little special.

Maybe it's a result of these Norway Spruce cones I photographed in the yard in February 2010. The old spruce could probably use some younger company.

Claire

Norway Spruce for me too, the needles look too long for Red.

Resin

Thanks, Resin. I hope it is Norway Spruce - I like the old tree.

Claire

I would probably guess Norway spruce as well; However, it seems to have the thinner needles of Red spruce - I think they're fairly hard to tell apart when they're younger.

Thanks, jimbobfeeny. Either spruce would be welcome, I just have to figure out where it put it when it grows too big for where it is now (and before it gets big enough for the squirrels to try to climb up it to get on the deck).

Claire

I'd like to update the status of this spruce seedling after two years growth and ask for advice on when to transplant.

This is where the spruce is now growing by my deck, obviously not an ideal location for a tree that can become huge, although it was probably well protected during its infancy. It gets some morning sun but is mostly in shade so it really could use a move.

I'm assuming Norway Spruce (or Norway/Red Spruce hybrid) by the smoothness of the twig per jimbobfeeny (I could easily be wrong).

I've found a location across the street in the edge of the woods where some old trees fell, leaving a hole in the canopy. The spruce should have plenty of space to spread out and grow tall, and I've removed a lot of grape vines, briars and poison ivy to give it a clear area to start.

My question is when to transplant. It's too hot now, daytime temps in the 80's but I'd like to get it moved in a few weeks when it cools down. First frost date is usually late October and we get nice long warmish falls good for root growth (coastal climate).

If this is a lousy idea I can wait until spring but spring can be late and sloppy and not good for digging soil.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Claire

Thanks, tj. I was hoping for a resounding "Plant it this fall!" since I have the momentum now after a few weeks of clearing brush to make space. Hopefully we'll have a normal minimal-snow winter, not the heavy snow that lasted for eons that we had last winter.

Claire

I'd plant it in mid October. I have lots of luck planting trees in the Fall. Spring is too unpredictable for me...if you get a thick snow cover there can be a narrow window of time between planting becoming physically possible and it becoming too hot. Wait until the leaves start falling from the trees and the weather report predicts rain, then plant it.

Did you definitively identify it?

Thanks, edlincoln. That's one vote for spring and one for fall.

I can't say I've definitively identified it, but Norway Spruce looks reasonable (unless someone who knows more than I do says otherwise).

Claire

Yep, Norway Spruce.

Resin

Thanks, Resin! I probably won't live to see it mature, but I like the idea of two huge Norway Spruces on either side of the road.

Claire

mid September,,,,vote

ron

Thanks, ron, although your screen name 'plantkiller' is a little bit scary.

Claire

Agree w/resin -- your later pics look more like Norway spruce.

Planting this fall should be OK as the seedling is small. If you do it this fall, it'd be better IMO to go w/plantkiller's mid-Sept timing -- gives it some time to repair root-damage before it becomes too cold. Make sure to get an "oversized" ball to get as much roots as possible, and keep that rootball as intact as you can.

Thanks, beng12! The mid-September timing feels right to me since fall drags on and on here by the bay (a good thing) and the soil usually doesn't freeze up until January. The surrounding oaks should provide plenty of leaves to mulch the soil around the spruce.

It's still warm during the day time but nights are inching cooler so I expect an auspicious transplanting time within a few weeks.

Claire

Any volunteer plant you like is a very special gift. We have two pine groves on our property and little volunteers often, but whatever variety they are, they don't have that nice pine smell that you love over the holidays. I did buy a baby Douglas Fir, and put it in the grove. It's thriving, but still only 2 years old. I'd love to move it to the front by our mailbox and keep it Christmas tree trimmed, but for now it will remain in the grove.

I think spring is always the best time to plant. Good luck to you!

Suzi: I'm always amazed by what just happens to grown in the yard and yes, I consider them very special gifts (except for poison ivy, oriental bittersweet, etc. ). I have Cornus kousa seedlings even though there are no mature dogwoods nearby, and flowering crabapples courtesy of a tree up the road. While clearing the area for the spruce seedling, I found a pink ladyslipper orchid under the grape vines and briars and poison ivy. The ladyslipper will stay near the spruce.

Since this is the conifer forum, I also dote on the white pine and pitch pine seedlings, as well as the Eastern red cedars. Needless to say, the lawn area has shrunk to a tiny percentage of its original area.

Claire