Blue spruce is an attractive conifer native to North America. It is distinguished by the unusual color of its needles, and therefore attracts the attention of many summer residents. However, not every one of them knows how to plant a blue spruce. When growing a crop, you need to adhere to a number of rules - choose a strong seedling, prepare a place for planting and provide the crop with proper care.
Landing
Planting the plant is quite easy. At the same time, it is important to treat the process responsibly and take into account some nuances.You can grow crops on your site in different ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- seedlings.
Regardless of the choice of a specific method, a number of rules and recommendations must be followed. First of all, you need to choose the right place to plant. Blue spruce needs a lot of light. She also needs a lot of space.
To get a plant with the desired varietal characteristics, it is best to buy ready-made seedlings. Moreover, it is recommended to do this in a specialized nursery. Only in this case can you be sure of the desired quality of the plant.
How to choose a seedling
If you grow blue spruce from seeds, there is a risk of losing varietal characteristics. In addition, this method is considered quite complex and time-consuming. Therefore, experts advise beginning gardeners to use seedlings for planting.
It is important to use seedlings 3-5 years old for planting, since at this age the roots reach maximum development and are able to withstand transplantation. The plant itself at this age should have a height of about 80 centimeters.
A healthy seedling has fresh and living needles. There should be no yellow or dry fragments on it. The soil in the container should be fairly moist. If the plant has not been cared for well, the soil in the container will be dry. In this case, the plant will not take root when transplanted and will die.
Sometimes gardeners dig up seedlings in the forest. This must be done with a lump of soil around the roots so as not to damage them. It is recommended to pour several buckets of soil from the place where the seedling grows into the planting hole.It must be mixed with the prepared substrate.
Where to plant
To plant blue spruce, you need to choose a well-lit area. It should be exposed to a minimum amount of direct sunlight. Since the spruce root system grows very quickly, it is important to prepare quite a lot of space for it. In this case, it is necessary to avoid close proximity of neighbors. In extreme cases, 2-4 meters from the trunk it is necessary to organize growth limiters in the form of a strip foundation.
The sun's rays pose a great danger to young needles. This is true for trees under 3 years old. Subsequently, the tree does not need to be protected from the sun.
Since the crop is large in size and grows greatly in width, you should not place it closer than 20 meters from the house. Otherwise, the long root system of the crop can damage the foundation.
Time to board
To plant a spruce, you need to choose the right time. It is best to carry out the procedure in April. It is also permissible to carry out planting work in the first half of autumn. It is recommended to do this before the first frost.
During these periods, the plant has not yet begun to actively grow or this phase has already ended. That is why the crop can be easily transplanted without harm to it. If the tree has developed in a container, it can be planted on the site at any time. It is important to avoid damaging the roots.
Instructions
When growing blue spruce in a summer cottage, it needs to ensure the creation of suitable conditions. It is important to consider the following:
- The adult culture has a superficial rhizome. This means that it will take moisture from other plants that grow nearby.To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to plant the crop outside the perimeter of the site or provide for systematic, abundant watering.
- To ensure quick adaptation of the seedling in a new place, when transplanting it, it is recommended to pay attention to the cardinal directions. In this case, the crop must be located in accordance with the coordinates in the natural growth environment.
- Before planting the spruce, it is recommended to fertilize the hole. For 1 planting hole it is worth using 100-150 grams of nitroammophoska.
- The roots of the plant cannot withstand open air space. To avoid drying out, the root system should be kept out of the ground as little as possible. If this is not possible, the rhizome should be wrapped in a damp cloth.
When placing a blue spruce in the garden, the planting process must include a number of sequential steps.
In order for a culture to adapt normally to new conditions, the following actions must be performed:
- 2 weeks before planting, dig a hole in the selected location. In width and depth it should be 25 centimeters larger than the lump of soil with the seedling. On average, you should focus on the parameters 60x60 centimeters.
- Place drainage consisting of crushed bricks at the bottom of the recess and pour in a nutritious soil mixture. To do this, you need to combine 50% of the top layer of soil, 30% of neutralized peat and 10% of humus and sand.
- Treat the root system of the crop with a clay mash. After it has dried, the plant can be placed in the hole and the roots carefully smoothed out.
- Sprinkle the rhizome with the remaining soil and compact it a little. After which the plant must be watered well.
- Drive a wooden peg near the seedling and tie the trunk to it.
- Sprinkle the tree trunk with sawdust and mulch with peat.This will help maintain optimal moisture parameters for the root system.
Care
In order for blue spruce growing to be successful, it is important to provide it with quality care. At the same time, the crop needs to be watered on time, fed from time to time, and protected from pathologies and parasites. Young trees also need quality preparation for winter.
Watering and fertilizing
Blue spruce is a moisture-loving plant. However, excess moisture is contraindicated for it. In this case, there is a high probability of rotting of the root system. When planting small seedlings in a greenhouse or growing at home, it is important to monitor the presence of drops on the glass of the greenhouse or in the tray.
After planting a crop in an open area, it is recommended to monitor the condition of the top soil layer. If, when you squeeze the soil in your fist, it crumbles, this means it’s time to moisten the plant.
Usually, when growing blue spruce on a site in spring and autumn, there is enough natural precipitation. In the summer, the plant requires additional watering. Immediately after planting, it is recommended to moisten the seedlings several times a week. However, next year it is enough to water the spruce once a month. Moreover, this must be done if the soil dries out under the scorching rays of the sun. For 1 watering of spruce it is worth using 40-50 liters of water.
The use of nutrients is of no small importance. For blue spruce, it is recommended to choose special preparations that are intended for coniferous crops. In particular, Pokon mixtures are highly effective.
In this case, it is better not to use humus or other organic products. It is recommended to feed coniferous species with more suitable products.
Preparing for cold weather
Mature blue spruce trees do not need additional protection. At the same time, small plants measuring 50 centimeters require insulation. The point is to prevent the tree from breaking during heavy snowfalls. The protection also helps protect against direct exposure to sunlight in winter and early spring.
To protect the spruce from snow, just tie it. To do this, the branches need to be lifted from the bottom up, tied with a rope or tied with a net. To protect the crop from exposure to direct sunlight, the tree must be covered with a non-woven fabric.
Pest Control
Blue spruce often suffers from fungal infections. Such problems arise in conditions of high humidity, thickened plantings, and soil contamination. They are also often transmitted from other cultures. Before purchasing, the seedling must be carefully inspected.
To protect a crop and prevent its death, you need to know how to prevent problems from occurring. Among the diseases, the plant most often suffers from schutte, fusarium, alternaria, and tracheomycosis. Blue spruce is also susceptible to the development of canker, rust, and pine spinner.
Among the pests that most often attack this crop are scale insects, hermes, and spider mites. They not only harm the plant themselves, but also carry fungal and bacterial diseases.
To avoid crop contamination by fungi and pest attacks, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures. In this case, you should do the following:
- Plant conifers in well-lit and spacious areas.They must be well ventilated and have optimal soil moisture parameters. If you plant a crop in a swampy area, there is a risk of rotting.
- Do not plant blue spruce near plants that carry various diseases. At the same time, you should avoid proximity to tomatoes, berry bushes and potatoes.
- As fertilizing, use exclusively microfertilizers and immunostimulating agents that are designed specifically for conifers.
- Water the plants regularly, but moderately. It is important to avoid stagnation of moisture near the roots of the crop.
- Get rid of dry, broken or disease-damaged branches in a timely manner. At the same time, it is advisable to burn them in a timely manner.
- With the arrival of spring, carry out preventive treatment of the crown with chemicals. They should contain quite a lot of copper. Before the next watering or precipitation, it is recommended to sprinkle the plantings with ash.
Blue spruce is a common coniferous crop that has excellent decorative properties. That is why the plant is often used in landscape design. In order for the crop to become a real decoration of the site, it is important to adhere to the basic rules of planting.
Comprehensive plant care is also of great importance. To prevent the tree from being attacked by parasites and the development of diseases, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatments.
