Species · Conifers like juniper and pine
Norway spruce
Picea abies
Norway spruce carries fine, short needles and a naturally conical growth habit that needs active work to break into a convincing bonsai silhouette rather than a miniature Christmas tree. It backbuds reliably even on old wood, which makes it more forgiving of a hard prune than most conifers, and it takes wire well while young.
Care at a glance
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist; spruce dislikes drying out completely. Roughly every 2 days in spring, 2 in summer, 3 in autumn and 6 in winter.
- Light
- Full sun to light shade.
- Winter
- Fully hardy; needs a real winter to stay healthy. Protect it when the forecast drops below -25 °C.
- Feeding
- Every 21 days, Apr to Sep.
- Repotting
- Every 2 to 3 years, as new growth begins, in Apr.
- Growth
- Moderate growth. Hardy in zones 2 to 7.
The work calendar
| Work | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prune | Jun | Jul | ||||||||||
| Wire | Jan | Feb | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||
| Pinch | May | Jun |