Blue spruce is a very popular crop that is often grown in summer cottages. It is considered quite unpretentious to the conditions. However, to maintain its decorative appearance, the crop requires quality care. Sometimes gardeners have a question about how best to replant a blue spruce. In order for the plant to adapt to new conditions, it is important to follow a number of rules.
Is it possible to transplant an adult spruce
The average lifespan of a blue spruce is several hundred years. In this case, an adult tree is considered to be more than 5 years old. Until 10 years of age, the culture develops rather slowly. However, subsequently it increases by 60-70 centimeters throughout the year.
Of course, replanting a young spruce tree 5 years old and 3 meters high is considered a simpler task than moving a 15-year-old specimen measuring 7 meters. However, with the appropriate tools and skills, this is quite possible.
When is the best time to do a transplant?
In order for blue spruce to withstand replanting normally, this procedure should be performed at rest. This means that the manipulation is carried out before the buds open and the active movement of juices in the tissues.
Typically, the required conditions can be created in early spring or late autumn. Large spruce trees are even replanted in winter. At the same time, it is important to preserve the integrity of the soil ball and the roots that are in it. In the summer, spruce trees can be replanted only if we are talking about a young seedling purchased from a nursery with closed roots.
Digging instructions
To plant a new tree in the garden, it is important to correctly remove it from the old place. To do this, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Give preference to young plants up to 1.5 meters high.
- Dig up the tree according to the diameter of the crown.
- Gradually deepen the shovel on three sides and form an earthen ball.
- Deepen the tool on the fourth side.This should be done at an angle as deep as possible to lift the tree to the surface.
- Pull out the dug up spruce and place it on its side. You need to lay a cotton cloth under the root.
- Tie the ends of the material together in pairs. Thanks to this, it will be possible to protect the spruce rhizome with a lump of soil from mechanical factors during transportation.
If the soil around the spruce tree is too dry and crumbly, the soil needs to be watered abundantly before digging up the tree. It is necessary to remove the culture only after complete absorption of moisture and compaction of the substrate. The tree must be replanted onto the site with soil from the previous location. To do this, you need to prepare a hole taking into account the size of the earth clod. The diameter of the hole is at least 70-80 centimeters.
Landing in a new place
Planting a spruce in a new place is required according to the rules. It is important to prepare the site and adhere to a number of recommendations for planting.
Soil preparation
Not all areas are suitable for fully growing blue spruce. Therefore, it is worth replanting the crop taking into account its location in the natural growth environment. If you purchase seedlings from a nursery, you should ask the owner for this information.
The most suitable option would be a well-lit area that is protected from direct sunlight. This place must be at least 10 meters from buildings. The occurrence of groundwater is of no small importance. They must be 2 meters from the ground surface. This helps to avoid excessive soil moisture and stagnation of moisture near the roots.
When preparing a hole for planting a plant in the soil, you should not add humus or other nitrogenous substances. The plant does not tolerate them and may not take root on the site. After choosing a place for planting, you need to dig a suitable hole.This must be done taking into account the size of the seedling’s soil ball.
You need to pour a mixture of sand and sawdust into the bottom of the hole. You can also add pine needles collected from the forest and add acidic mineral fertilizers. However, the last component is used only if the substrate is not acidic enough.
Crushed bricks or granite stones can be used as drainage. However, they should not be laid out in a separate layer. It is much better to mix all the components with soil. Before planting the plant, it is recommended to slightly moisten the substrate and loosen it. Then you need to make a small hill on which you need to install the tree.
If the lump of soil is dense and has an even cylindrical shape, you do not need to use an embankment. In this case, the plant should be placed on the flat surface of the planting recess. If you plan to plant several trees at the same time, the interval between them should be at least 3 meters. Moreover, this rule only works if another transplant is expected later.
Mature trees are characterized by a highly developed root system. Therefore, they can interfere with each other and even stop growing. To avoid such problems, the interval between small seedlings should be increased to 5-10 meters.
Step-by-step instruction
A few days after preparing the hole for planting, you need to pour a little nutritious soil into it. To prepare the substrate, it is recommended to mix leaf soil, turf, sand and peat in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. Then you need to loosen the ground again. After which it is permissible to proceed to planting work. To properly place the spruce in the recess, you need to do the following:
- Place the dug tree into the hole directly in the wrapping fabric.This will help avoid damage to small roots.
- Fill the remaining space in the recess with soil. However, it is important to ensure that the root collar remains level with the ground. When replanting a large tree, it should rise 3-5 centimeters above the ground surface.
- It is good to fill the voids around the root system and compact the substrate.
- Water the transplanted tree generously. It is advisable to pour out the water in stages. This will help saturate the root system with moisture. In this case, the moistened soil will be well distributed throughout the voids.
- Cover the tree trunk circle with mulch. To do this, you can use sawdust, straw, compost or peat. The thickness of the mulch layer should be 5 centimeters. Thanks to this procedure, moisture in the soil will remain much longer.
In order for the transplanted spruce to quickly adapt to new conditions, immediately after transplantation it can be watered with a solution of a root formation stimulator. For this purpose, you can use Kornevin or any other drug.
Caring for a transplanted tree
In order for the spruce to develop normally after transplantation, it needs to be provided with complete and high-quality care. It should be comprehensive and include watering, fertilizing, loosening and mulching. Seasonal treatment of plants against pathologies and pests is of no small importance. They can significantly deteriorate the decorative properties of wood.
When and how to water
Seedlings need systematic moistening. A 1 year old plant needs to be watered several times a day. To do this, use a small amount of water. Since the root system of the crop is superficial, it will not immediately absorb all the liquid.
In hot weather, it is worth using 10 liters of water per tree.It is recommended to moisten the soil in the evenings. For watering, use only warm liquid.
Spraying and sprinkling are considered important points in care. These procedures help clean the branches from dust and give the tree additional decorative properties. They are recommended to be carried out at intervals of 2-3 days.
When watering, it is important to ensure that the water gets directly under the roots and not on the needles. If the needles are over-moistened, sunburn appears on them. As a result, the tree will lose its decorative effect.
Loosening
After watering and precipitation, the tree trunk circle must be loosened. It is important to consider that the root system of blue spruce is located near the very surface of the earth. This means that you should work on the soil extremely carefully to avoid damaging the root system.
When loosening, it is worth deepening the tools by a maximum of 7-10 centimeters. After this procedure, it is recommended to mulch the tree trunk circle. To do this, it is permissible to use peat, straw or sawdust. The thickness of such a layer should be 5 centimeters. This will help maintain moisture and reduce the amount of watering. Mulch should be changed maximum 1-2 times a year.
Pest Control
When orange spots appear on spruce, it is permissible to use special products. If the branch is severely damaged, the entire tree must be trimmed or removed.This will help avoid infecting other trees.
When burnt shoots appear on a tree, you can suspect a spruce sawfly infection. To cope with parasites, it is worth treating the branches with Fufanon. To prepare the solution, it is recommended to take 20 grams of the product and mix with 1 liter of water.
If the spruce tree turns yellow, you can suspect that the tree is infected with spruce-fir hermes. In this case, lumps of white cotton wool appear under the trees. To eliminate them, you should use the “Rogov” or “Antio” solution. To prepare it, you need to take 20 grams of the drug per 1 liter of water.
If a tree is damaged by stem pests, holes 5 milliliters in size appear in the bark structure. Improving living conditions and treating the plant with insecticidal preparations will help cope with them.
If there is a lack of sun or exposure to negative factors, there is a risk of spruce branches drying out on a certain side. In this case, it is necessary to create shade for the spruce or improve its growing conditions.
Among diseases, spruce trees are more susceptible to fungal infections. Fungicides will help to cope with them - “Aktellik”, “Caesar”, “Nurel-D”. It is recommended to spray the plantings with a solution of such preparations 2-3 times during the season. It is recommended to do this at intervals of 2-3 weeks. Treatment of plants with fungicides should be carried out in warm weather to avoid washing off the active substances by precipitation.
In order not to encounter pest attacks and the development of diseases, you need to adhere to the rules of prevention. In this case, you need to do the following:
- Plant coniferous trees in well-lit and spacious areas. They must be blown by the wind. The moisture level of the substrate is of no small importance.
- Avoid planting blue spruce near plants that carry various diseases. These could be berry bushes, tomatoes or potatoes.
- Apply microfertilizers and immunostimulating agents that are designed specifically for conifers.
- Water the crop systematically, but moderately. It is important to avoid stagnation of moisture near the roots.
- Immediately remove or burn branches damaged by pathologies or parasites.
- In spring, it is worth using chemicals with a high concentration of copper.
- Before watering or rainfall, sprinkle the conifer with ash.
Transplanting blue spruce has a number of characteristic features. In order for this crop to grow and develop normally, it is necessary to choose the right place for it and strictly adhere to the recommendations for planting. After this, the plant needs to be properly watered, loosened and fed. Protection of crops from pathologies and pests is of no small importance.
