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Picea abies

Common Spruce · Norway Spruce · White Spruce

Family PinaceaeGenus Picea

An upright crimson-pink cone standing at a branch tip, its scales overlapping in tiers, above bright green new needles.
FlowerIvar LeidusCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
TreeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
treePlants of the World Online
Height
40-60 ft12-18 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
25-30 ft7.6-9.1 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Brown/Copper, Gold/Yellow, Green, Purple/LavenderExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SpringExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Bulgaria, Central European Russia and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
2-7Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, MoistExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Drought tolerance: MediumPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

  • A Norway spruce clone named Old Tjikko has been carbon-dated to 9,550 years old. It was the first gymnosperm to have its genome sequenced. Wikipedia: Picea abies
  • Oslo sends one every year for the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square, and to Edinburgh and Washington, D.C. Its wood is a tonewood, often used for violins. Wikipedia: Picea abies

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 28, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 8 days to germinate.

45% germination in 6–8 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Picea p. 193Public domain
Show the original text
Picea (Pinaceae). There was a high percentage of empty seed coats. P. abies germ. 70D(45% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(20%), and 40(9% in 9th w)- 70(30% in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Picea p. 193. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 30, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    9 germinated in this phase.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 6 days.

30% germination in 4–6 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Picea p. 193Public domain
Show the original text
Picea (Pinaceae). There was a high percentage of empty seed coats. P. abies germ. 70D(45% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(20%), and 40(9% in 9th w)- 70(30% in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Picea p. 193. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

20% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Picea p. 193Public domain
Show the original text
Picea (Pinaceae). There was a high percentage of empty seed coats. P. abies germ. 70D(45% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(20%), and 40(9% in 9th w)- 70(30% in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Picea p. 193. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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