The birthplace of blue spruce is North America. In the wild, this original tree grows high in the mountains. Therefore, it is characterized by increased resistance to low temperatures and is not afraid of winds. In our country, this plant is widely used as a decorative on the streets of cities, in parks and on personal plots.
Key Features
Depending on the variety, prickly blue spruce can reach a height of 80 cm to 25 m. In the wild, these trees grow up to 40 m. The crown of a blue spruce can be pyramidal or conical. Needles in most varieties are very tough. Therefore, blue spruce is often called prickly.
This plant, in addition to being distinguished by high decorative qualities, is also very unpretentious. This largely determines its popularity as a decorative one. Caring for blue spruce presents a certain difficulty only in the first time after planting. In the future, no special efforts aimed at maintaining the vital activity of the beauty are made. The success of growing blue spruce depends mainly on the correct choice of planting location. Most varieties do not feel too well in the shade. Some varieties love loose fertile soil, others can grow even on stones.
Which grade to choose
Over the years, many varieties of such a plant as prickly blue spruce have been bred. If desired, you can choose for your site as a tall, with a spreading crown, and a low compact tree. The most popular varieties from domestic owners of suburban areas are Glauca Misty Blue, Waldburn, Montgomery and Bialobok.
Spruce blue prickly Glauka Misty Blue has a regular conical crown shape. Her branches grow in neat tiers. In height, this variety can reach 20 m. It grows quite slowly. The crown is very thick, the needles are blue with a steel tint, and the cones are light brown. This variety looks very beautiful, which determines its high popularity.
In addition to height, the main criterion that is paid attention to when choosing a variety of a plant such as prickly spruce is shape. Blue Glauka in this regard, the plant is very beautiful. Her crown has a classic pyramidal shape. It is such Christmas trees, for example, that are traditionally the main attribute of the New Year.
In the wild, a tree is usually quite tall (prickly blue spruce). Her varieties, deduced artificially, can be quite compact. An example is Waldburn. Fir-trees of this variety reach a height of not more than 80 cm. Moreover, they are frost-resistant and feel good in areas with a large number of stones. Best trees of this variety are suitable for rock gardens. Crohn's spruce Waldburn spherical (diameter up to 1 m). The advantages of this variety, among other things, include undemanding soil composition.
Prickly blue spruce Montgomery is distinguished by a conical lush crown. This variety reaches 1.8 m in height. Montgomery is great for mixborders with shrubs. This spruce is valued primarily because the needles with it acquire a rich blue hue with age.
The Bialobok variety reaches a height of 2 m. It requires fertile soil. This variety is great for coniferous mixborders. Bialobok also looks great in the vicinity of dwarf shrubs. In the Russian climate, the variety feels rather well. But starting from the third year of growth, these trees need to be covered for the winter.
Prickly blue spruce: planting and care in the countryside
There are several ways to grow these unusual conifers. As planting material, you can use seeds, cuttings or seedlings from tubs. It is relatively easy to get beautiful lush trees in all these cases. However, certain growing technologies will still have to be followed.
The use of seeds as a planting material
When using this technology of growing cones, they are taken from a tree of a variety of interest in winter. Prickly spruce blue spruce Misty Blue, Waldburn, Bialobok and any other varieties can propagate.
Cones of the selected variety are stored in a warm place until they open. Next, seeds are extracted from them, dug them in wet sand and stored in the refrigerator until spring. Then the planting material is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and placed in a soil mixture prepared from peat and garden soil. Sunflower seeds need to be deepened by 1-1.5 cm. In the next three weeks, the soil should be moistened periodically. After the seedlings sprout, they are thinned out.
In the garden or in the courtyard under the Christmas trees dig small pits at a distance of about 25 cm from each other. Drainage is laid at their bottom. Plants are planted in the center and sprinkled with earth acidified with ammonium nitrate. The second time, the Christmas trees are planted in the third year of growth (at a distance of a meter).
Using cuttings
Prickly blue spruce, the description of which was given in detail in the article above, can be grown from a branch if desired. The technology for planting this decorative culture using cuttings is considered even simpler than using seeds. You need to take a twig from an adult spruce, from the top, in the middle of spring. The selected stalk below is cleaned of needles and soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Next, a hole is dug under it, at the bottom of which drainage is laid. Sprinkle a twig first with a layer of soil taken from under the coniferous tree, and then with sand. Next, the stalk is abundantly watered. On top of the twig you need to cover the film and burlap. Before rooting, the plant should be watered about 4 times a day. For the winter, the stalk is covered with sawdust.
Use of seedlings
In this way, you can plant any variety. For example, it is from a sapling that the spruce blue spruce Glauca is often grown. After all, this traditional New Year tree has often been recently sold, not cut down, but rooted in a pot. Such planting material allows you to get a full-fledged large luxurious plant as quickly as possible. From the pot, the seedling is transferred to a pit with drainage and acidified soil. The plant should be transplanted so that its root neck is located exactly at the same level as in the tub. Too deep, it can begin to rot. If the root neck is too high during planting, this will quickly lead to its overdrying. The first time after planting, the plant must be shaded.
In such a way, such varieties as prickly blue spruce Misty Blue, Montgomery, Bialobok, etc. are planted. Of course, you will have to carefully care for the adopted tree in the future - water it, fertilize and prune it.
How to water blue spruce
At first, plant care will be time consuming. To this owner of a suburban area, who decided to plant a blue spruce, you need to be prepared. Up to a year, the soil under this plant should be moistened several times a day. You will also have to periodically spray the crown.
Prickly blue spruce - hygrophilous plant. It will be necessary to water the trees at least once or twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. In this case, water should not be poured under the root, but by sprinkling. Many owners of suburban areas planted blue spruce in the lawns. In this case, watering the grass and tree can be done simultaneously. Water for firs is extremely warm.
How to fertilize
It is absolutely forbidden to use ordinary organic fertilizers for trees, especially fresh manure. They do not like these plants and an overabundance of fertilizing. That blue spruce, which was too often fertilized in the summer, can even freeze in the winter. The first five years, the trees are fed with mineral fertilizers. It is best to use universal means intended for conifers for this purpose. Not bad for Christmas trees and Kemira Station Wagon. Fertilizer should be applied immediately after the snow has melted. The product is scattered in the near-stem circle and lightly raked in the ground. Adults ate after 5 years of growth, fertilizing is optional.
How to crop
Prickly blue spruce, the landing and care of which in the Russian climate are not very complicated procedures, in most cases the crown is neat and symmetrical. However, pruning of these trees in spring is still necessary. Sick and broken branches are removed from the fir trees. Sometimes, for example, when using trees as hedges, crown formation is also performed. In this case, pruning is performed in the summer, after the cessation of shoot growth. The first time this is done some time after planting. It is advisable to mold before the age of 7 years. In autumn, this operation is not recommended. Otherwise, cut branches may freeze in winter. To form a crown is allowed only in some varieties of spruce.
Processing sections of this plant with garden varieties is optional. Spruce will release a large amount of healing resin.
Winter preparations
Most varieties of blue spruce are frost-resistant. Therefore, only young plants and undersized species should be prepared for winter. For such Christmas trees, it is desirable to press the branches to the trunk so that they are not broken by snow.
In general, this plant is very spectacular and at the same time relatively unpretentious - spiny blue spruce. The photos presented to the attention of the reader in the article clearly show the beauty of these original trees. It is definitely worth decorating your suburban area with at least a couple of such Christmas trees.