I can say for your area, but mine was flushing out about the same time as the other picea pungens were, perhaps a week later. Make sure its getting proper drainage ... I had a blue spruce that did the same thing, when I dug it up ... it was a clay pot full of water. Withing a week after releasing the water and creating a french drain out the side, the tree flushed. I owe thanks to Ken for getting me to dig that one up and save it.

Can there be another reason? I planted this in a spot where there was an old sprawling healthy rose bush.

I'm attaching a pic.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:735633}}

my two are just starting to break out of the buds - any progress?

Nope, nothing yet.
Are the buds supposed to pop through the small brown cones at the tips?
I just read the posts on the Norway Spruce that budded after a year of not budding. I wonder if Hoopsii is going to do the same thing. It sure looks healthy otherwise.

The protective sheath on the end of the bud will fall off as the bud elongates. A six-footer planted last year may take longer than normal, although, with you being in MD, I'd think there should be some movement by now. If there is no browning of the needles, there's nothing to do but wait.

tj

It's waking up -- yipeee!

Some buds have swelled up and bursting at the tips, with blue peeking through...Can't wait for the fat blue fingers...

Good news.

Mine is just barely starting. I can only see a few starting to burst through.

When it goes, you will be amazed how fast it happens.

The norway spruce have been going for a couple weeks now, the blue spruce varieties seem to be a couple weeks (or more) behind them ... and the baby blue eyes was the latest to burst last year.

Hi dgs9r,

Wanted to know how your Hoopsii is doing. How tall and wide is it now? I really like this tree, but only have a 40'x80' yard. Wondering how wide it will really get in 30 years, and how fast in our zone and Rockville's clay soil.

hoopsi will grow a leader of 12 to 18 inches per year.. forever ...

and add about 12 inches laterally.. during the same period ...

so in 10 years.. from one foot tall ... well.. you can do the math ... at 20 years.. TWICE as big.. at thirty.. 3 times.. etc ... though it may seem to slow down by then ...

see link ..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: enlarge the pic.. i would guess at 20 years or so

Ken,
Thanks for your response. Most listings say 30-50ft tall and 10-20 ft wide. I read here that growth rate is slower in hard clay, and also that they usually start declining around 30 years around here. I feel that a 20ft wide solid tree will look out of proportion in my smaller yard. Anyway, I was hoping to find out from some local gardeners what their experience is.
There is one comment on the coniferbase listing for this: 18-20�H in 35 yrs in z3(http://www.conifersociety.org/cs2/index.php?module=iw_webbox&ref=ConiferDB). Sounds too small, but would have worked for me.
I'll try a new post to see if I can get any locals to respond.
From what you know, what would you suggest for a conical/pyramidal conifer for east coast z7, that would be under 50'x12'in let's say 35 years. Minimum has to be 20' x 8' as I am looking for a tree. I want to place it in the South-East corner. It'll have a 6' fence by the property line, and I would place it about 6-7' away. The neighboring lots are lower than us, so I do not expect standing water anytime. I prefer the layered look like your Hoopsii in your picture with lines showing yearly growth rather than the dense look in the picture you posted, but this preference has lowest priority in choosing a tree. Color does not matter. (sorry, I made this too long)

Here is a link that might be useful: coniferbase listing for Hoopsii

i am either failing to teach.. or you are missing my point ...

lets start with you forgetting everything you already learned in this.. i do NOT care what you read about size anywhere ... with me so far ...

see link and focus on the annual growth rate stuff ... under the caption: Conifer sizes

hoopsi is in the large category.. i believe.. i told you above it will grow 12 to 18 inches per year ....

to make the math easy.. lets presume 12 inches.. one foot ...

a tag will tell you.. it will be 10 years times one foot tall .. or ten feet ...

from that we can speculate .... in 20 years.. 20 feet..

in 30 years.. 30 feet ... [subject to your slowing down theory]

so when you specify hoopsi .. and i tell you 18 inches.. simply do your own math ... and dont rely on some unnamed source.. like some website ...

the annual growth rate.. of a standard picea pungens, of which hoopsi is [meaning not dwarf or mini, nor intermediate .. at the link] ... will just about always be the same ... and no.. clay will NOT change that growth rate.. soil is an issue of getting it going in the first place .. and you can do a post about how to plant them.. when you get that far ...

also at the link.. in the banner.. hit coniferbase.. and add HOOPSI to the CULTIVAR box.. and you will see such ...

and note there ... the 10 year size.. is listed at 15 feet.. so doing backwards math.. division.. lol ... they are saying it is more than one foot per year ... or.. get this.. 18 inches per year.. [15 feet time 12 inches.. divided by 10] .. which is .. shazamm.. the 18 inches i told you to begin with .... [considering i was winging it.. i am glad to be proven correct.. for once.. lol]

below is a pic of mine with annual growth marked ...

listen to me.. buy a superior plant.. and love the hell out of it for 10 or 15 years.. AND THEN GET RID OF IT... rather than choosing some plain old piece of carp.. because it fit there ... if you like the blue GO FOR IT ... you seem to be fixating on size being the only thing really important.. IT ISNT ... in my world anyway ....

or pick the green one.. that flashes yellow at spring bud ... or the yellow one .. so many options.. so little space ...

good luck

ken
{{gwi:205545}}

or pick any of these ...
{{gwi:240153}}

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks, Ken :)
"listen to me.. buy a superior plant.. and love the hell out of it for 10 or 15 years.. AND THEN GET RID OF IT." - I think I'm going to do just that, haha!
You need to put up a new picture of your tree. Must be so much bigger since 2008

How many decades until your garden specimen forms a mature bare trunk (it took the Canary Island pines on my property about 30 yrs. which I consider pretty darn fast, luckily they were planted well before I met them ;-) or has nobody lived long enough to see one? ;-) I guess it beats the 80 year wait on some species of Araucaria...

October cones.

hey alejo ...

welcome to GW conifer forum ...

your october buds confused me.. until i realized... spring is coming on in the southern hemisphere ...

how about you start your own post ... and show us more of this plant.. and some history ... i dont think we ever had anyone from argentina here .. i am curious ...

on the main page hit POST A MESSAGE ....

again .. welcome

ken

ps: dont worry about the language ... we will cope with anything ...

june 28, 2008