Thanks for this, I’m saving it off as a text file. I’ve tried rooting these (and several other conifers) before but to no avail. All of them croaked. From this list I can see I missed a few things.
Steve , brilliant write-up .
Your final comment about its applicability to other genus----it works with most tree breeds . One of the great things about the method you outline so well is that the foliage eventually becomes smaller and smaller , never quite reaching scale leaf size , but my Dad’s Bonsai Silver Birch trees , a deciduous variety , eventually finished up with leaves about 1/4" long , or about half the size of the normal tree . This process is aided by pruning thick roots off , retaining the hair roots .
I hesitate to add to your already excellent write-up , but cuttings can be made in situ on the tree .
The trick here is to take any twig or branch that takes your fancy , and at the point where it would be at ground level , cut a 1/4" gap in the bark . Imagine a mini tree .
Take some Sphagnum Moss (wet) and wrap it round the scar . Take a piece of polythene film and wrap it around the moss to hold it in place , using normal soft garden wire to secure it .
This makes a little greenhouse in effect , encouraging root hairs to form on the cut edge of the bark toward the outer end of the twig/branch . When these roots become visible when you do a regular unwrapping check , the twig can be separated with secateurs from the tree and planted exactly as Steve wrote above .
The trick is to do the job of wrapping in late autumn ; with any luck , your tree will be ready in spring .
The process is known as “Air Layering” (I think) .
I have done it quite successfully , though I have had some odd looks when doing it (with permission) in woods or forests around the UK . I also achieved it in Cyprus , but regulations forbade my bringing it home .
Mike Brit
PS When you have achieved the above , use soft iron wire wrapped (not tight) around the
branches , not coiled like a spring , but a single wrap every two diameters of the selected
branch , and then gently bend the branch toward the shape that you want -not too sharply ,
do it bit by bit , and you can finish up with branches looking gnarled and twisted like the real
trees that have been in the weather (not the trees in a cultivated forest)
Thank you Steve. I’m going to give this a try this winter.
Also from here to… Thanks’ Steve F. for the inform.
Home Depot or Lowes or something like it end of the year clearance, $1 per tree, get a lot of perrianals also at end of year, for a $1 I buy 5, if 2 die I am way ahead.
I bought 9 Dwarf Alberta Spruce one year lost 1.
Tom H
Steve,
Thanks for the post. We are trying that, just for grins. Got a half dozen in pots on top of the fridge. One is from my cypress that I really like, hope it works anyway.
Steve, I was just telling the wife we were going to have to do this in mass with the eventual layout I’m planning. I’ve tried it with some boxwood bushes before, but had no luck. After reading your write up I know a few things I did wrong. Looking forward to giving it another shot now. 
Randy Lehrian Jr. said:
Steve, I was just telling the wife we were going to have to do this in mass with the eventual layout I’m planning. I’ve tried it with some boxwood bushes before, but had no luck. After reading your write up I know a few things I did wrong. Looking forward to giving it another shot now.
An update… posted elsewhere… Instead of, or perhaps in addition to, your choice, the rooting hormone, dip the stem in local honey, just before planting. I’m going to try that this spring.
The honey is both antibacterial and antifungal, as well as being a source of food for the young tree.
Steven---- Hot Damn!! You are sounding more and more like a Horticultural Heavyweight all the time!!! We NEED you in the Albuquerque Bonsai Club!! Those of you who are not renegade arborists, as Mr Feather is, should look up Musser Forests on google. Good prices and good stock on small plants, including Alberta’s. I’ve had excellent service from them in the past.
One note on Alberta’s… They can handle/enjoy most any cold, but do not like hot, dry and windy ( New Mexico Springtime). They appreciate foliar moisture, and if you can set up a misting system for your cuttings and liners, life will be simpler. Also, if you can find the variety “Sander’s Blue”, they have beautiful color and seem to handle the heat better. Our local Subway planted several along a south-facing brick wall, and I waited smugly for them to dry up and blow away— after two years, they look great.
john
John, my one attempt at Bonsai died a horrible, slow death. I think that I should probably stick with trees that grow in the ground. 
Steve,
Have I ever mentioned that I don’t like you very much ;-). Now I want a Alberta spruce twig so I can try this, I might have to start my forest.
Mine are all brown, so guess we failed.
Jerry, wife’s are the same color, Brown…
Maybe Steve will tell us it’s okay?
Hmmmmm. Mine didn’t do so well this year, either, so I am in good company. I’m planning on starting a new batch as soon as they show some candles (new growth) to see how that works. Morning sun only, and I’ll set it up so they get misted hourly. Otherwise, no change in the basic plan.
I took the produce bags off ours this morning, looks like a couple may be alive. We put individual clear(sorta) produce bags over each plant, can’t see through them real good. Maybe we should have been misting? Missed that, but did water them. Fun to try anyway.
Bend one of the limbs, if it doesn’t snap off right away and just bends, it’s probably still gonna make it.
If you give them a gentle tug and they stay put, they should be well rooted, and have a good chance of survival.
Thanks for the inspiring gardening article Steve !!!
I know it takes time to write things up to share with the masses.
But,
“…dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca “conica”) is a conifer found naturally in the harsh conditions of the Northern Rockies near Lake Laggan, Alberta. Unlike other conifers, it does not produce any cones or seeds, so the only method of propagation is by planting cuttings, …”
According to other botanic-flavoured sources it is NOT native to this region. Too windy/cold/hot/or dry at the requisite moments in its growth !! Unless ya have a ideal microclimate and soil conditions.
I’m pretty sure though I’ve got at least a couple ‘volunteer’ units slowly growing on the layout. Either by seed blown around from the roughly half dozen (big box store end-of-season sale bought) units that are over 9 yrs old now, or they are possibly young pines from seed fallen off the old ones at the back '40 fenceline.
And I’ve also heard the name was derived not by the supposed location/origin, but the person who first id’d them.
Granted from the GR mag site, a arti’ posting by Pat H. “…originally found in a native stand of white spruce in Alberta, Canada…” {white spruce 15-30m tall trees !}
All that said, what it really comes down-to is whether it will grow in your “microclimate”, or not 
imho
doug c
p.s. i just called a regional source of native trees, http://treetime.ca/ and asked them to confirm all the things I’ve heard over the last 15 yrs involved in g-gauge gardening. They were not even aware of dwarf alberta spruce … mainly cause they work with (and sell retail) actual native vegetation. They’re also involved in reforestation and native vegetation restorative projects.
Well, Doug, I’m not a Botanist. I can only give you the result of my research. I’m sure that you know best.