Norway spruce: when and how to prune

Norway spruce: when to prune it?

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Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it in August–September.

What else to prune in those months? August · September

Norway spruce: how to prune it?

1. Never remove the top and don’t prune into bare wood.
2. Lower branches can be sawn off back to the trunk, just outside the branch collar.
3. If a branch with normal, vigorous growth shoots out of shape on a dwarf form, remove it completely.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: August–September.
• Grows best when left alone. Only remove dead, diseased or awkward branches.
• Most conifers do not regrow from old, bare wood. So never cut back into the brown part (exception: yew).

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Cutting back into bare brown wood: it will not regrow from there.
• Pruning too much: it grows best when left alone.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Serbian spruce
• Sitka spruce
• Colorado blue spruce
• Leyland cypress
• Thuja
• Atlas cedar

Similar to: Difference from Colorado blue spruce · Difference from European silver fir · Difference from Serbian spruce · Difference from Sitka spruce

Plant profile: Norway spruce · Pruning calendar and basic rules