Colorado Blue Spruce

Before and after of my formal upright

Are you looking for suggestions with this tree?

Guess not.

sorry about that I had given up on this thread I had posted it so ling ago with no responses, sure always looking for input to better my trees.

Sorry as well, I should have checked the original posting date. This is a young tree, you are on the right track with it to a point. The shaping of your branching (IMHO) is wrong for an upright Spruce. If you look at them in the wild you will notice that indeed the lower branches sweep downward. They hold a lot of snow and the continuous weight year after year tends to make them do this the lower on the trunk a branch exists. The more you go up the trunk the more the branches start to go horizontal and the upper portions of the tree tend to be more above horizontal. If you shoot for this form your tree will become more believable and I think you will be more happy with it.

Pinching is another issue if you have questions about I would be glad to offer my opinions and experience. Not too many people grow Colorado Blues because they are tough to work with.

I picked up a couple P Pugens in Dec (sold for live ChristmasTrees)
I haven't worked with one before, what should I be aware of regarding pinching? Or anything else that makes them difficult?

I find them difficult, but I guess it's because it's too hot, and dry where I live in the summer. Lower branches tend to become weak, and some die.

Of course, a good method of cultivation helps: the best article on the subject I've read so far is Harry Harrington's:

http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPiceaPruningstylingandwiring.htm

I'll post picture of two Picea pungens glauca I'm trying to style in a few days, you'll see what I mean when I tell you I find them difficult...

Travis wrote:I picked up a couple P Pugens in Dec (sold for live ChristmasTrees)
I haven't worked with one before, what should I be aware of regarding pinching? Or anything else that makes them difficult?

You have to really concentrate on the upper portion of the tree. If you don't pinch hard and thin almost ruthlessly the top will dominate and the lower will diminish. Limit the new growth in the top of the tree as much as possible encouraging back budding and then thinning that out. The new growth should be pinched while it is still extending looking more like a artists paint brush. Support the lower portion of the new shoot with one hand index finger and thumb and pull out ward from the tip the end of the new shoot with the thumb and index finger of the other hand. This will leave a small hub of needles at the base that in a couple of weeks will look as though it has not been touched. New buds will form at the base of this in numbers from two to six. These must be thinned out leaving only two that grow side to side.