We have recently purchased just under two acres in Petrolia, a small town in south western ontario near Sarnia. The land has very little tree coverage and I hope to change that. Where we currently live there is a beautiful Blue Spruce and I was taking apart the cones to extract seed to see if I can start some seedlings. Is it as simple as putting them in the soil and ensuring they are watered or do I need to approach this a little differently. I have had to clear some what I believe is Common Buckthorn (what a nasty bush) and am looking forward to replacing that with a nice variety of tree cover. One other thing, the soil is a heavy clay, so any tree variety suggestions are welcome.
I'm not sure why the tree experts haven't jumped in here. I have a blue spruce and a high clay content in my soil. I have got a few seedlings underneath it. Not as prolific mind you at propagating as the other trees on my lot but a few over the last six years so can't be that difficult to start from seed. Hopefully the tree experts will jump in now. Les ps prunus padas anyone? I weed them out by the hundreds every spring.
Seed from a single Blue Spruce is unlikely to give good germination (due to inbreeding). If there are several others nearby for cross-pollination, then the seed will be much better. The seeds need some cold, moist pre-treatment; give them a month or two in sterilised damp (not dripping wet!) sand in the fridge at +1 or +2°. Then sow in a well-drained sandy soil mix in pots. Plant out toward the end of summer; make sure the newly planted seedlings are protected from rodents, etc. They will only grow a few cm tall in their first year, and have smaller needles than on adult trees at first.
