Blue spruce Oldenburg is a fairly common and sought-after crop that is popular among gardeners and landscape designers. The tree is considered undemanding to care and has excellent decorative qualities. However, despite all its unpretentiousness, the plant still needs to follow some rules. Careful care of the plant will help preserve its decorative properties.
Description of the variety
Blue spruce Oldenburg has excellent decorative qualities.This culture is characterized by a regular wide-conical crown, which is quite dense. The branches form dense tiers that start almost from the surface of the earth. The tree reaches 15 meters in height. In this case, the width of the crown near the base is 5-8 meters.
The culture is characterized by thick and strong needles, which have 4 sides and are evenly distributed around the shoot. It is noticeably raised and has a bluish-silver or bluish tint. Each needle lives on a tree for 6-9 years. At the same time, young needles are covered with a high-density wax coating.
The plant has fairly loose cones, which are characterized by a cylindrical shape and a length of 3-8 centimeters. The root system is superficial. At the same time, it provides a high degree of resistance to wind and drought.
Oldenburg spruce is characterized by a high growth rate compared to other conifers. The annual growth from the first years of life is approximately 30 centimeters per year. With adequate care and proper fertilization, this figure can increase to 50 centimeters. By the age of 10, the spruce grows up to 3 meters.
Landing instructions
In order for the prickly spruce to grow and develop normally, planting work must be carried out correctly. Only in this case will the tree be healthy and strong. It is important to choose a sunny, well-lit place for planting it.
It is recommended to plant spruce in drained sandy loam or sand-gravel soil. It should be quite moist and loose.It is advisable to give preference to a substrate with a slightly acidic reaction. It is important to avoid stagnation of water. The culture does not require protection from the sun and wind. Therefore, an open southern slope will be an excellent place for planting it.
The preparation of a suitable substrate for filling the planting hole is of great importance. To do this, you need to mix leaf soil with turf. You also need to add peat and sand to the mixture. A drainage layer 15-20 centimeters thick should be placed at the bottom of the recess. Its thickness should be 15-20 centimeters.
To plant a spruce you need to do the following:
- Prepare the recess. It should be 1.5 times higher than the parameters of the root system.
- Pour drainage into the bottom.
- Place 2-3 pegs near the hole to support the seedling.
- Mix the top 20 centimeters of soil with leaf and turf soil, sand and peat. This is done in a ratio of 2:2:1:1.
- Form a hill in the central part of the hole. Make a hole in it the size of the tap root of the seedling.
- Place the seedling in the hole and straighten the roots. It is important to ensure that the root collar is located slightly above the surface of the earth.
- Add soil and water the plant. It is recommended to use 20 liters of water for 1 seedling.
Features of care
If Oldenburg is considered an undemanding plant that does not require specific care.
When and how to water
In dry weather, the spruce needs to be watered. Young plants should use 1 bucket of water every week. The tree is resistant to drought, but a lack of water leads to developmental delays and an increased risk of spider mite damage. At the same time, excess moisture is also contraindicated, since in this case the risk of crop damage by fungi increases.
Loosening
After watering or precipitation, light loosening should be carried out. This must be done a maximum of 5 centimeters. After loosening the soil should be covered with a mulch layer. This can be done with peat, fallen pine needles or compost.
Mulching helps achieve the following results:
- retain moisture in the soil;
- provide the earth with nutrients;
- provide protection against weeds.
Tree pruning
This procedure does not need to be carried out, since Oldenburg spruce is characterized by a beautiful symmetrical crown. At the same time, the tree responds well to pruning. This allows it to be given the desired shape if desired.
When pruning, stumps should not be left behind. The fact is that new shoots will subsequently appear from them. If you decide to prune, it is best to carry out the procedure in late May or early June. At this time, sap flow decreases.
Possible pests and diseases
Spruce Oldenburg has a fairly strong immune system. The culture is very resistant to diseases and pests. However, in conditions of high humidity there is a risk of developing fungal pathologies.
When browning needles, you need to use systemic fungicides - “Quadris”, “Horus”, “Falcon”. It is recommended to use these products at least three times. This should be done at intervals of 2 weeks.
When apical shoots die off, it is recommended to use fungicides such as Antrakol or Amistar Trio. It is also permissible to use “Falcon”.In addition, when such signs appear, growth stimulants must be added to the tree trunk. For this you can use “Zircon” or “Epin”.
Sometimes Oldenburg spruce suffers from various pests. The most common parasites include:
- Small spruce moth - absorbs tree sap. In addition, sooty fungus often multiplies in the secretions of parasites, which causes great harm to the spruce. Affected trees should be treated with insecticidal preparations. In this case, you need to deposit funds three times with an interval of 2 weeks.
- Spruce spider mite - affects weakened trees that lack water. When a crop is damaged, a thin web forms in its crown. Acaricidal agents help to cope with dangerous parasites.
- Typograph bark beetle poses a great danger to spruce, but is extremely rare. This parasite makes many holes and passages in the wood. This provokes damage to tissues and blood vessels. The first sign of damage is the formation of wood dust. In the initial stages, insecticides need to be applied. Moreover, such products are not only treated with the trunk, but also injected under the bark. If the colony is very large, the plant is considered dead. It needs to be removed and preventive treatments performed on the remaining trees.
- Spruce hermes is considered a rather dangerous pest. To get rid of parasites, it is worth treating the crop in June and July. To do this, it is worth using drugs such as Caesar or Actellik.
Application of the variety
According to the description, Oldenburg spruce is often used in landscape design. It is used to decorate garden plots, parks, and public gardens. The plant is often used as a tapeworm.When planted alone, the crop is used as a New Year's tree in winter.
Moreover, this variety goes well with other conifers. It can be combined with pine trees, thujas and junipers. Barberry will help emphasize the attractiveness of the plant. In addition, Oldenburg spruce looks great with birch and maple trees.
With the right choice of neighbors for the plant, you will be able to get a rockery. It is a garden that combines various crops and stone pavement on the ground. This composition looks very impressive.
Oldenburg spruce is a fairly common crop that has excellent decorative properties. Because of this, it is often used to decorate garden plots. In order for the plant to develop normally and maintain its attractiveness, it is necessary to carry out planting work correctly and create optimal conditions for the crop.
