Black Hills Spruce

Spruce trees are often found to be grown as fence and windbreaks. Being dense and hardy they are excellent for these purposes. You may also find them as one of the most popular ornamental trees used for landscaping. These trees are also grown for shade and for preventing soil erosion. You may also find them being used as Christmas trees. There are around 35 different spruce species with several subspecies.

Black Hills Spruce Facts

As mentioned above, this tree is a species of spruce. To be more precise, it is a variety of the particular spruce species called Picea glauca, that is otherwise known as white spruce. While black hills spruce is said to be a white spruce tree variety, this classification is a much debated topic, as some experts refuse to accept the same. This spruce is scientifically termed as Picea Glauca Var. densata/Picea Glauca densata. This tree is native to the Black hills of South Dakota and in its native region, they are found to grow widely, that too at elevations of more than 6000 feet.

As compared to the original species, i.e., white spruce/Picea glauca, black hills spruce is really slow-growing and smaller in size. The latter has darker foliage, which is found to be more dense than the other. The leaves or needles are greener in black hills spruce and the cones are smaller. These trees are mostly conical in shape, especially, the young ones. The branches are compact and stout, with an ascending form of growth. The bark is found to be of brownish or ash in color and is flaky in nature. These trees are adapted to extreme cold temperatures too.

How to Care for a Black Hills Spruce

Being a hardy tree that is resistant to most of the diseases and pests, these trees are highly popular as an ornamental tree. If you want to grow them, choose a location with well-drained and moist soil. Even though, these trees are found to be drought resistant to some extent, they need moisture, at least till they get established themselves. As these trees have a very shallow root system, they tend to get dry very fast. It is always better to plant them in soil that is rich in organic matter. If not, you may add compost and other such materials to make it suitable for black hills spruce. The ideal soil pH for this tree is between 4 to 7.5.

The location must provide the tree with good sunlight, but, partial shade is also found to cause no harm to it. You need to dig holes that are at least twice as big as the root ball. The top portion of the root ball must be above the ground by one or two inches, after planting. You may also apply a very small amount of fertilizer at the time of planting. Mulching will be beneficial for the plant, as it helps to retain moisture of the soil. Daily watering is recommended, during the initial stages. After that, reduce the frequency to once a week or as and when the soil gets dry. Even though, there are very less chances of black hills spruce diseases, these evergreen trees are susceptible to attack of spider mites, needle and stem rust, canker and trunk and root rot. But, most of these conditions can be tackled with proper care and preventive measures. As stated above, black hills spruce growth rate is very slow and in case of ideal growing conditions, they may grow to a height of around five feet in five years.

If you are interested in growing these trees, it will be better to gain some extra knowledge about them. For this purpose, you may approach a horticulturist. Even the local nursery authorities may provide you with enough details.