So overwhelmed with windbreak!

17 years ago

We bought our house in February and planted a row of norway spruces about 15' apart. We need to plant another long row along the other side of the property. I found 1'-2' norway spruces at the local ag-store for $4 each (score!) so I nabbed a bunch of them. I've read SO many different opinions about spacing and guess I'm just confused. Is 15' spacing too close? I don't want to have to thin them later. I would like a quicker windbreak and privacy screen, but I don't think I want to go through and thin them out later. We are planning to do a second alternating row behind them of Green Giants. I'm confused if I should alternate the green giants with the spruces both on 15' centers, 10', or spruces 20' and GGs 10'. What would you do if you were doing these two trees and didn't want to thin out?

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Comments (4)

menno
17 years ago
Difficult question. If you want a more closed windbreak, you could space them say around 2 meter (6-7 feet) from eachother. 15 feet apart will take at least 12-15 years before the screen is closed.
In the woods here in Europe, I often see Norway spruces only 4 to 5 feet from eachother, and they are 20 meter (60 feet) tall !!!
So, in my opinion you could put them closer to eachother (6-7 feet seems okay to me), without thinning out later!
scotjute Z8
17 years ago
Given the paremeters mentioned : quick wind/privacy screen and no thinning in future:
I'd plant one row spaced at what crown spread would be in 20 yrs. I'd plant second row spaced back about that same distance, and plant the trees in it at same distance apart so they are exactly in the middle of the other one.
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katskan41
17 years ago
A few years ago we had some 8 to 10 foot tall Norway spruces moved from our backyard to front yard to make a privacy screen/windbreak. We planted them approximately 10 feet apart. At the time you could easily walk or get a lawnmower between them.

Today the trees have filled in completely so that there is no space at all between them and they are about 15 to 18 feet tall or so. Very dense screen in only a few years. That part is great, but with them packed in and still growing I'm sure we'll have some interior branches dying off.

So it's a tough call, do you plant the trees close enough to get the desired effect within a few years, or plant them far enough apart so the trees have plenty of growing space for many years to come.

Not sure there is a clear "best" answer here.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
the only problem i see/read.. is this comment:

I would like a quicker windbreak

when we talk about trees.. conifers.. quick is measured in decades ...

find your COUNTY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT ... and contact them ...

wind breaks by definition ... are soil conservation...

they have LOCAL experts.. and offer trees for sale at proper times of the year..

they have all kind of literature about such.. and you might even get someone to come out and discuss the project with you

IT IS YOUR TAXES PAYING FOR THIS SERVICE.. USE IT..

good luck

ken