I recently potted this nursery stock alberta spruce into a training pot. The tree is showing a huge increase in new buds opening at the tips of the branches.
My question is this: are the dark buds located more proximal to the main trunk dorment buds or dead buds? I’m thinking I should be pinching this new bud growth to move the growth energy inward and away from the tips. However, i don’t want to do this if these buds will never open up. Any suggestions?
With a recent repot I would let it use all of the foliage to gain strength. Make sure the branches are laid out for maximum photosynthesis and so the interior buds get light. That is probably the best way to get them to grow. A year from now when the tree has a strong root system pinching or cutting back the elongating tips will help force energy to the interior.
Thanks, Marty! I had considered the need to allow for aggressive growth to help the root system. However, I wasn’t sure if pinching the new growth and allowing the new buds to pop would count. I will let it be happy and grow for now.
