I want to plant 4-5 foot blue spruce trees in a zigzag formation on the edge of my property to eventually provide privacy. How far apart should they be planted from one another in the same row and how far back should the second, zig zag row be planted? Will your answer be in measurements from trunk to trunk? Or from the current longest branches? Thank you
Spacing should be about 10′ apart measured from the trunk of the trees, not the branch tips. They will eventually form a solid barrier at that distance. How far back the second row is is up to you as long as the spacing between the trunks is 10′. I think a 6′-7′ stagger between rows would be nice. The deeper the stagger, the more trees it will take to cover the distance of course. Use some stakes to get an idea of what you want.