Evergreen spruce Glauka Arizona is an attractive ornamental crop that has a wide columnar crown. In young plants it is asymmetrical, but then levels out. Another distinctive feature of the culture is its beautiful silver-blue color. Moreover, as he grows older, he becomes brighter. The excellent decorative properties of the plant allow it to be used in landscape design.
Appearance Features
Arizona Glauka spruce is a long-lived crop whose lifespan can reach 300 years. The plant grows in height up to 12 meters. Moreover, the diameter of its crown is no more than 3 meters.
The young plant has an asymmetrical crown, but gradually it acquires a regular cone shape. This happens around 5 years of age. A distinctive feature of the plant is its beautiful blue crown, which does not change its shade throughout the year. The length of the needles is approximately 10-12 millimeters.
Over the course of a year, the plant grows 8 centimeters in height and 10 centimeters in width. The tree is characterized by small cones, the diameter of which does not exceed 2 centimeters. Moreover, their length is 3-3.5 centimeters. A distinctive feature of the cones is their rich brown color. Thanks to this, they contrast perfectly with the green-blue crown.
For Glauka spruce characterized by fairly high resistance to frost, which is its undoubted advantage. Plants can withstand frosts down to -40 degrees.
Popular varieties
The culture in question has 2 main varieties - Arizona and Kebab. Each species has its own distinctive features. The Arizona variety is characterized by the following features:
- Annual growth is 7 centimeters in height and 9 centimeters in width.
- Dense narrow-conical crown.
- The maximum height of the crop up to 5 years is 80 centimeters. Mature plants can reach 10 meters.
- Crescent-shaped dense crown. The needles can reach 1 centimeter in length.
- Green color of needles at a young age. In adult crops it becomes blue.
The Arizona variety is characterized by high frost resistance. Plants are resistant to temperature drops down to -40 degrees. They are also able to survive recurrent spring frosts, which are very dangerous for crops.
Keibab spruce is characterized by a wide-conical crown.Its diameter usually does not exceed 90 centimeters. The height of the crop is 3 meters. The branches of the plant are located at right angles. In addition, the culture has smooth and prickly needles.
The needles reach a length of 9 millimeters. Their shade differs depending on where they are grown. When planted in sunny areas, the crop has a silver-blue tint. When planted in the shade, the color will be rich green.
How to plant correctly
According to the description, it is recommended to plant spruce in open sunny areas. It develops best there. When planted in a shady place, the color of the needles will be duller, and the tree will be smaller.
When preparing a soil mixture for young seedlings, it is worth using a composition based on earth, sand and peat. These components must be mixed in a ratio of 2:2:1. Additionally, you can add a mineral preparation and a root formation stimulator to the composition.
The size of the planting hole should be 2-2.5 times larger than the root ball. A drainage layer should be provided at the bottom of the recess. It may consist of stones, gravel or crushed bricks. When planting a plant, it is important to ensure that the root collar is located flush with the ground surface. In this case, it is necessary to avoid damaging the soil clod.
After planting, the tree needs to be watered abundantly. You need to use 40-50 liters of water per seedling. After this, you can cover the tree trunk circle with leaves or sawdust.
Aftercare
Spruce of this variety needs proper watering. It is recommended to irrigate young trees twice a week. This is due to the fact that they are characterized by a rather weak root system and are not able to receive moisture from the soil themselves.20 liters of warm water should be poured under each plant.
It is recommended to water older plants 3 times a month. At the same time, 30 liters of water should be used for 1 tree. Irrigation of the crown is of no small importance. This procedure must be carried out monthly. Thanks to this, it will be possible to obtain a bright color of the needles and prevent pest attacks.
Before moistening the soil and applying fertilizers, the top layer of soil should be loosened. This procedure will help nutrients better penetrate into the soil. This will significantly improve the development of crops - accelerate the growth rate, make the needles brighter and reduce the risk of diseases.
Every 2 weeks the tree trunk circle needs to be weeded. If this recommendation is neglected, the spruce becomes more sensitive to diseases and pests. The culture does not require crown formation. In this case, every year it is necessary to remove diseased and damaged branches. This must be done in early spring.
In autumn, it is recommended to mulch the soil. This procedure must be carried out at the end of October. To protect the tree from frost, the tree trunk should be covered with mulch. Its thickness should be 20 centimeters. To do this, you can use fallen leaves, pine needles, straw or humus. This will protect the roots from frost. Young trees need to be covered with spruce branches or agrofibre for the winter. The cover can be removed in the spring - after the snow has completely melted.
Glauca Arizona spruce is a popular evergreen plant that has excellent decorative properties. In order for the tree to maintain its attractiveness, it is important to provide it with proper care.
