dwarf spruce pine tree

Question

I have 4 dwarf spruce trees in my front yard landscaping that have grown quite large. I would like to trim them or (shape) them. I would like to trim the branches up from the bottom about a third of the way up and then lop off the top about a third of the way down to give them a flat top look. would this be alright to do? I don’t want to take them out, but they’ve outgrown the area that there in. Plus it would help open up the area.

Thank You
Steve

Answer 1

Prune dwarf spruce trees in late winter to early spring when you first notice new growth appearing.
To maintain a natural appearance in your landscape, take advantage of the dwarf spruce's ability to grow lower branches that don’t drop needles, and allow the low branches to drape and touch the ground rather than clip them back.
Prune to encourage lush growth and fill in pockets of space by clipping back the tips of both lateral and side branches in the open area to a point just after a visible, fat growth bud. This bud will then be encouraged to form a new branch and fill the space available.

Shape the dwarf spruce by cutting the tips of side branches back only 2 to 3 inches. Before you clip the branches, keep in mind the natural cone shape of the spruce, and trim to fit that shape. As you make each cut, clip the branch across the width of the stem with a single clean cut