How to Prune a Serbian Spruce
- 1). Wait until mid-fall to prune the Serbian spruce, although you may perform pruning all the way through the end of winter without harming the tree.
- 2). Identify any limbs that have no needles or that have yellow needles, which means they are dead. Trace the dead limbs back to the main trunk. Cut the limbs off using a pruning saw, making the cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the trunk so as not to injure it.
- 3). Locate a healthy limb directly beside one of the bare areas where a dead limb was located. Fill in the bare spots by trimming the healthy one back to where you see a side shoot emerge from the tip. Cut the tip off using hand pruners 1/4 inch above the side shoot. This pruning causes new tip growth to fill in the hole.
- 4). Prune back any limbs that are too long and protrude into other plants or walkways, to reduce their length. Make the cuts using hand pruners or pruning shears, and cut back to any point within the green needles. Do not cut the limbs back to bare wood.
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