Nice young conifer !

Looks happy.

Thanks!

That's all I needed to know. :-)

if it shed its needles every fall .... i would suggest to you.. it looks like a larch .. though im sure if it did.. you would have mentioned that observation ...

ken

And Larch don't winter burn. Not that I know of anyways. :-)

nope.. lol...

Looks very happy and pretty. I like mariana because of those short, touchable, soft needles. That and they seam to do well for me in Indiana. A good replacement for all the pungens and engelmannii that struggled with needle cast and kicked the bucket after many years in my yard.

9-7-22

What caused me to ask in the first place is, it seems to me that when I planted picea mariana seedlings in the wild (second year seedlings) from the state nursery, the needles on those 'looked' more like this picture of P. marinara from KPU.ca.

But KPU.ca seedling pictures appear to be more similar to what my tree looks like. It's just that mine has just gone through its 3rd season outdoors.

So, mine appears to be slow to mature?

Picea mariana 9-7-22

Grew about 20" total this year. A couple inches short of 4 ft. overall height.

we'll see how it is when it completely hardens off later this Fall.

7-11-2023:

Well, it still doesn't look like a spruce. At least not any that I've seen before.

But I have to feel good about it, it's healthy and growing without any problems. :^)

Root flare:

About 4' 8" and still stretching up.

Spindly, but as you say, looks healthy. Maybe that's just how a young P mariana looks. White and black spruces have perhaps the largest ranges of any trees in N America.

I did find a video where a dendrologist explains some of the features of Picea mariana.

He shows the needles and explains that the needles are 'soft' and 'short'. Finally! This is the first correct explanation I've found that puts to rest my confusion about this tree.

At about 55 seconds into the video.

https://Picea mariana.

From my own experience and from pictures I've seen from credible institutions, the above is the first needles I've seen that come even close to my trees needles.

I still don't know why my tree grows so much each season. Is it stuck in the 'Rapid growth stage' seedlings are known to have?

I generally just water it when needed, being it's a water loving plant.

This will be its 4th season in the ground.

8-5-2023:

It does seem to be stiffening up this Summer. Short needles are becoming pricklier.

It's about done growing and winter buds are already brown.

56" tall.

:^)

eta: my last picture from earlier this year said 4'8" and still stretching up. I think that was a typo, should've been 3'8". Any ways 14" new growth on leader this season.

Picea mariana prb'ly finds your MN climate balmy and benign compared to most of its range, hence the fast growth.

12-5-2025 Update:

Picea mariana- about 8ft. tall (date taken on picture).

Abies balsamea on right.

First female cones: 😏 Tree from seed, started Dec. 30, 2020.

6 years from a seed to more seeds.

8-15-26:

9'8" tall with a 20" leader but I think I let the tree get a little too dry this season and the top part of the leader might dry up and die. Might've dropped its cones idk.

Otherwise, the tree appears healthy, and it has been watered the last several days.