Before you plant a spruce tree in your garden, it might be useful to know how old or how big these trees can get. Removing a large tree is not an easy task.

Spruces can easily live for several hundred years

You will hardly find a spruce in the forest that is more than 80 to 100 years old, because it is felled before it is used as timber. However, if left standing, a spruce can live up to around 600 years. In central Sweden there is said to be a spruce that is almost 10,000 years old.

How big does a spruce get?

Under normal conditions, a spruce grows about 40 meters high, which is already too big for a small garden. Under special circumstances, a spruce can grow up to 50 meters tall, even 62 meters have already been measured.

The Serbian spruce has a narrower crown than the common spruce and usually stays a bit smaller. But there are also dwarf spruces, such as the sugar loaf spruce, which are ideal for small gardens.

How does my spruce stay healthy for a long time?

Spruces are not considered to be particularly in need of care, but a few things must be observed to ensure that they remain healthy for a long time. On the one hand, the location should be chosen well. The spruce prefers a light to semi-shady place and a rather moist soil. If this is also permeable and not too heavy, then the spruce forms deep sinker roots, which are important for its stability.

What care does a spruce need?

In order for a spruce to remain healthy for a long time, it absolutely needs sufficient water. Long periods of drought combined with great heat make the spruce susceptible to the bark beetle. This pest is one of the biggest enemies of spruce and has killed many trees.

The essentials in brief:

  • average maximum age of a spruce in the forest: 80 to 100 years
  • maximum age of a common spruce: approx. 600 years
  • probably the oldest spruce: allegedly about 10,000 years (in central Sweden)

tips

Under good conditions, your spruce will grow so old that your grandchildren can still enjoy it.

Category:

Trees