The Colorado Blue Spruce tree (Picea pungens) is a medium-sized evergreen that grows slowly and steadily. It is native to the Rocky Mountains in the United States, enjoying a cool and humid climate. The Colorado spruce can withstand drought and severe cold better than any other species of spruce. In nature, Colorado Blue Spruce seeds germinate in the spring or summer, after dispersal from the tree. Many gardeners have found that germinating Colorado spruce seeds is most successful when you simulate the natural germination conditions.
Place your Colorado Blue Spruce seeds on a layer of mineral soil. Colorado Blue Spruce seeds will germinate on a wide range of media, but they will germinate quicker on mineral soil because this mimics its natural germination conditions. Mineral soils include sandy, loamy and clayey types that are available at garden stores.
Keep the seeds moist but not waterlogged. Sprinkle the seeds with clean water once or twice a day, as needed.
Maintain daytime temperatures between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust your nighttime temperatures to slightly cooler, but keep the temperature between 45 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Seedlings are more sensitive to proper daytime temperatures than nighttime temperatures.
Provide adequate supplemental light. Expose your seedlings to 16 or more hours of direct light per day to encourage the seedling to grow continuously. If you provide fewer than 12 hours of light per day, the seeds will become dormant within a few weeks.
Allow the seedlings to root and sprout in the mineral soil. If you need to, transfer the seedlings to a deeper planter container filled with mineral soil as they grow.