Living Xmas tree - Picea pungens "Super Blue"

Identity and natural origin of Living Xmas tree - Picea pungens "Super Blue"

Picea pungens is native to the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

‘Super Blue’ belongs to the blue-foliaged Glauca Group. The name has been applied both to selected cultivated material and to particularly blue seedlings, so natural variation between individual trees is expected.

Care for Living Xmas tree - Picea pungens "Super Blue"

• Position indoors: Choose a bright room with the lowest practical indoor temperature, away from radiators and other direct heat sources.
• Long-term site: Grow outdoors in full sun in moist, well-drained soil, allowing enough room for the tree to develop its mature spread.
• Indoor Christmas display: Limit the indoor display to roughly 4–10 days. A long stay in a warm room can start new growth before the tree returns outdoors.
• Temperature: Keep Living Xmas tree - Picea pungens "Super Blue" within roughly 5–18 °C for routine growth, with protection from prolonged exposure below −20 °C.
• Humidity: Relative humidity of roughly 50–60% is appropriate when accompanied by gentle circulation.
• Water: Keep the root ball evenly moist during indoor display and allow excess water to drain. Check small containers frequently because they can dry quickly.
• Feeding: For a tree kept in a container, feed lightly with a fertiliser suitable for conifers while fresh shoots are extending.
• Moving outdoors: Before returning the tree outdoors after its indoor display, move it through a cool, sheltered unheated space so it adjusts gradually.
• Repotting or planting: Plant out when local soil and weather conditions are suitable, or inspect the root ball of a container-grown tree when roots fill the nursery pot. Move to a larger outdoor container when the roots need more space.

Common problems with Living Xmas tree - Picea pungens "Super Blue"

• Needles dry rapidly during indoor display: The room may be too warm or the root ball too dry. Move the tree to a cooler position and check the moisture in the root ball.
• New soft growth starts indoors: Warmth has started new growth. Move the tree gradually back to cooler conditions and keep it in a sheltered position while the fresh growth hardens.
• Older needles develop purple-brown spots and drop: Needle-cast disease is possible, especially in humid climates. Improve spacing and airflow outdoors and seek a local diagnosis before applying fungicides.
• Branches die back with resin around cankers: Cytospora canker is possible. Prune dead branches in dry weather with clean tools and handle the bark carefully during pruning and moving.
• Needles develop fine pale speckling or turn bronze-brown: Spider mites may be feeding on the foliage. Confirm mites before treatment and use a product labelled for conifers and the identified pest, following the label interval.

Keep Xmas tree - Picea pungens ‘Super Blue’ away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

The meaning and history of Picea pungens

Picea is a classical Latin name connected with pitch or resin. Pungens means sharp or piercing and describes the rigid needles.

Albert Gottfried Dietrich established the genus Picea in 1824 in Flora Berolinensis, volume 2, page 794.

Georg Engelmann first described Picea pungens in 1879 in Gardeners’ Chronicle, new series, volume 11, page 334.