The appearance of the Albert Globe spruce dates back to 1968. It was then that the gardener Streng, while working in the Dutch nursery Boskop, discovered an unusual tree in the area with Koniki. Unlike the original variety, the spruce crown was not conical, but almost round. Thanks to subsequent breeding work, it was possible to consolidate and develop traits that were provoked by a random mutation. As a result, it was possible to create the Alberta Globe variety.
Description of the tree
The Canadian Alberta Globe spruce was developed from a natural mutation of the common blue spruce. A distinctive feature of the new variety is the original shape of the crown. It was not conical, but round. In botany, the new plant began to be called Alberta Globe. Sometimes the culture is called Blue, Glauk or Globa. It is also often called white or gray.
An ordinary Canadian spruce can reach a height of 40 meters. However, Alberta Globe is a dwarf crop that grows to a maximum of 1 meter. The annual growth is 1-2 centimeters. At the same time, the circumference of the crown increases by about 1 centimeter.
Spruce trees aged 10 years have an ideal rounded shape and a thick fluffy crown with soft green needles. The branches are difficult to see due to the thickness and density of the needles. The trunk of this shrub reaches a girth of 40 centimeters. Moreover, the height of the plant does not exceed 1.2 meters.
If you do not prune the plant, after some time its rounded crown will begin to stretch upward. At the same time, it will become conical. Spruce of this variety is characterized by small cones up to 3 centimeters in size. They have a light brown color and an elongated shape.
This variety is characterized by fairly high resistance to frost. When properly pruned, the shrub is lush. Therefore, it is possible to create beautiful hedges from it. It is often used in landscape design. The plant can be an excellent replacement for flowers and will make the area more attractive.
Where is it used?
Canadian spruce has excellent decorative properties. The Alberta Globe variety is characterized by its compact size, making it ideal for a small area. In free spaces, the plant can be used as the lower and middle tier of landscape groups.
The Canadian Alberta Globe spruce is characterized by its slow growth and compact size. Due to this, it looks great in rock gardens, rock gardens, flower beds and garden beds. The tree perfectly complements an English or oriental garden.
The tree grows well in the shade. Alberta Globe has green rather than bluish needles. Therefore, it does not become pale in the absence of sunlight. The culture goes well with other ornamental plants, including flowers. Due to its compact size and slow growth, the tree can be planted in containers.
So, Albert Globe spruce is used in landscape design in the following ways:
- Solitaire or single planting. Spruce can be planted in the ground or in a container. In the second case, the plant can be used to decorate different parts of the site or open terraces. On New Year's Eve you can decorate it in the yard or bring it into the house.
- Garden compositions. The neat silhouette of a spruce tree will be an excellent addition to a rocky garden - a rock garden or rock garden. Spruce goes well with boxwood, Thunberg barberry, and flowers. It can be combined with hostas or cereal plants.
- Accent. Quite often, landscape designers plant two spruce trees on either side of the door or in front of the living room window.
- Hedge. The plant has a very dense crown. Therefore, it can be used to organize a small hedge. Sometimes the culture is combined with other plants.
How to plant correctly
Alberta Globe spruce is recommended to be planted in neutral or slightly acidic soil that has good drainage. Coniferous plants do not tolerate excess moisture and stagnant water after watering. Planting this variety of spruce is not easy. For the process to be successful, it is recommended to do the following:
- Dig a hole measuring 60x70 centimeters.
- Place a drainage layer of expanded clay on the bottom. Its thickness should be 20 centimeters.
- Prepare a nutrient composition of sand, peat and clay. These components must be mixed in equal parts. You also need to add 100 grams of nitroammophoska to the soil.
- Take the seedling directly with a lump of soil on the roots and place it in a hole for planting.
- Press the soil around the plant with your foot and form an earthen bank near the trunk.
- Water the plant with a bucket of water.
- Add a layer of acidic peat under the trunk. Its thickness should be 5 centimeters.
Before planting, the root system of the seedling that is in the pot must be moistened and replanted in this form. At the same time, you should not remove the burlap that covers the roots.
Care
Blue Canadian spruce requires proper feeding and regular watering. It is also necessary to loosen and mulch the soil. Cleaning the crown and preparing the crop for winter is of no small importance.
When and how to water
Once an Alberta Globe spruce seedling is moved into the soil, it needs to be watered daily to keep the soil from drying out. Subsequently, the culture needs to be moistened 1-2 times a week. It depends on the dryness of the soil.
During watering, it is worth irrigating the crown. It is best to carry out such work early in the morning or in the evening. This helps prevent sunburn. It is important to take into account that fungal microorganisms and parasites actively multiply on wet needles.Therefore, excessive watering is no less harmful than lack of moisture.
Loosening and mulching
A characteristic feature of the culture is the tight fit of the branches to the ground. Therefore, loosening the soil near trees is quite difficult. Despite this, the procedure still needs to be carried out regularly. This is especially true in the first 2 years. It is recommended to use small tools for loosening. In this case, the lower branches should be raised and the soil shallowly loosened to avoid damage to the root system.
Then pour acidic peat into the tree trunk circle and carefully cover it with sawdust, pine needles or leaves. The thickness of the mulch layer should be 15-20 centimeters. Thanks to this care, it is possible to retain moisture in the root area and protect the soil from pests and weeds.
Trimming
Spruce of this variety has a very attractive crown. That's why you don't have to cut it. However, sometimes ordinary shoots appear on trees. It is recommended to remove them immediately. Otherwise, the appearance of the plant will deteriorate.
It is also worth considering that an old Alberta Globe tree may lose its shape. Instead of a ball, it will turn into a wide cone. In this case, the decorative properties must be maintained by cutting. In this case, it is recommended to trim the shoots in early spring. This should be done before the buds open.
Crown care
In order for the Alberta Globe spruce to develop normally and maintain its decorative properties, it is recommended to properly care for its crown. Cleaning is considered an important part of care. This spruce is characterized by a fairly dense plant mass. Therefore, almost no water and light get inside the tree.To avoid problems, the crown should be systematically thinned and dried dead shoots removed. It is also recommended to take into account that fallen needles and dust accumulate inside.
It is recommended to clean the crown using thick rubber gloves and a respirator. The fact is that spruce has rather sharp needles, and inside its crown there is a lot of fine wood dust, which causes great harm to the lungs.
To clean the crown, it is recommended to do the following:
- When watering or pruning, push the branches of the plant apart with your hands.
- Remove all dried or damaged specimens. This should be done with garden shears or pruning shears.
- Gently moisten the trunk and bush. This must be done using a spray bottle.
This procedure is recommended to be carried out 3 times a year. The first time this should be done before the buds open, after winter, the second time - 14 days after spring treatment with fungicidal agents, the third time - in the fall, before spraying with copper sulfate.
Preparing for frost
Canadian spruce Alberta Globe has a high degree of frost resistance. It is capable of overwintering without shelter in zone 4. However, only young plants need to be protected in the year of planting. It is recommended to cover them with spruce branches or wrap them in white agrofibre. The material is fixed with twine.
After which the soil needs to be mulched with acidic peat. With the onset of spring, the material is not removed, but carefully embedded in the ground. If during the growing season the soil was covered with bark, it must be raked and stored in a dry room. In spring, the mulch can be returned to its place.
Pest Control
Alberta Globe spruce is a resistant plant, but it is also susceptible to diseases. Pathogenic fungi are capable of infecting different fragments of crops. One of the most common diseases that the plant suffers from is considered to be schutte. Its characteristic feature is the appearance of transverse stripes on yellow needles. Fungicides will help cope with pathology.
Among the pests, spruce suffers from spider mites, spruce budworm, and nun butterfly. The crop can also be affected by hermes and gall aphids. To protect the plant from parasites, you need to treat it with insecticides.
How to propagate
Canadian spruce of the Albert Globe variety can be propagated by grafting or cuttings. The seeds will turn into a species tree. At the same time, growing the crop is not suitable for novice gardeners. To get a new tree, you need to root branches from the lower part of the crown measuring 10-12 centimeters. They should be cut with a piece of bark from an older shoot.
The cuttings need to be treated with a root formation stimulator and placed in perlite or sand. It is recommended to deepen the branches by 2-3 centimeters. The part of the cutting that will be in the substrate needs to be cleared of needles. It should be planted in pots with drainage holes to remove water. They need to be placed in a cold greenhouse and watered evenly.
After rooting, some of the cuttings need to be planted in more nutritious soil. It may consist of sand, peat and turf. The tree needs to be replanted to a permanent location after 4-5 years.At the same time, a whorl of buds should appear at the top of the spruce. Side shoots will subsequently grow from it.
Alberta Globe spruce has excellent decorative properties. To use a culture in landscape design, it needs to be properly cared for.
