How to Grow Blue Spruce From a Cone

Collect ripe blue spruce cones when they drop to the ground in the fall. Allow the cones to dry out in a warm location for a few days until they open to expose the seeds.

Remove the blue spruce seeds from the cones with a pair of tweezers. Rub the seeds vigorously to remove their wings.

Line a plastic bag with paper towels and moisten the towels with water. Place the blue spruce seeds in the bag and seal it. Store the plastic bag in a refrigerator until early spring.

Fill a seed tray with a soilless medium such as vermiculite. Sow the blue spruce seeds onto the tray and cover them with the thinnest possible layer of vermiculite. Cover the vermiculite with a least 1 inch of mulch to help the growing medium retain moisture.

Place the seed tray indoors where it will have partial shade, especially during the afternoon. An eastern window is frequently a good place to keep blue spruce seedlings.

Transplant the blue spruce seedlings into individual 1-gallon containers when they are at least 6 inches tall. Move the containers outdoors to a location safe from predators such as deer and squirrels. Keep the blue spruce seedlings in the containers for at least two years.

Plant the blue spruce saplings in full sun, spacing them 8 feet apart. Keep the soil moist with at least 1 inch of water during the first growing season, so the saplings can establish their root system. Apply a round of general fertilizer during the early spring before the saplings begin their active growth phase.