Most
conifers are highly adaptable, thriving in
full sun or partial shade, in a wide
variety of soils, although good drainage
is a must.
In
general, soil pH should be neural to
slightly acid, although some conifers will
tolerate high alkaline conditions. Established
conifers need surprisingly little care if
the site was well prepared at planting
time.
In
addition to providing good drainage, take
care to keep the roots moist while
transplanting. Although conifers can be
planted out anytime (dig earlier in the
year for midsummer planting) the best time
to transplant is late summer and early
fall.
For
hedges, dig a generous trench and place
plants 4 ft. - 6 ft. apart, depending on
mature size. If
conifers have been well sited and well planted,
they require little or no fertilizer.
For
conifers with a growing season which is virtually
the entire summer, for example yews and junipers,
remove a small amount of branch near the tip at any
time from late spring through midsummer. Pruning
too late in the season can cause a spurt of new
growth that won't have enough time to harden off
before winter.
The
keep a shrub's compact height, it should be pruned
to shape annually. Do not allow the shrub become so
large that radical pruning is required. This will
result in bare branches. Always follow the
shrub’s natural shape when pruning and don't
try to torture a plant into a shape nature never
intended. The exception, of course, is a formal
hedge, which should be pruned to shape, allowing
the bottom of the hedge to be slightly wider than
the top, or when creating a topiary.
Conifers
with pyramidal habit require very little pruning
except to remove competing leaders. Other, less
regular shaped conifers should be pruned according
to the growing season. Firs, pines and spruces, for
example, do most of their growing in early spring.
They should be pruned, if desired, in spring, by
pinching off a portion of each 'candle', which is
the new budlike shoot sending out young, soft
needles. This will result in moderate new growth in
the current season and more abundant growth the
following year. Complete removal of the candle will
stimulate dense, compact growth.
