How to plant and care for a spruce tree in a pot at home

Growing spruce in a pot has many features. In order for the culture to retain its attractiveness, it is important to carry out planting work correctly. Proper care of the plant is also of great importance. It should include systematic watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Thanks to this, the crop will retain its decorative properties for as long as possible.

Which spruces are best to plant in a pot?

Not all types of spruce trees develop well at home. To get a beautiful coniferous plant, you should choose the following types of spruce trees:

• ordinary;
• araucaria;
• Konica;
• dwarf varieties of blue spruce.

You should not take seedlings for growing in the forest. A wild crop may not take root in a container. Therefore, experts advise buying decorative varieties in specialized nurseries.

It is important to avoid purchasing conifers decorated with toys or glitter. Such seedlings are treated with aerosols, which cause clogging of the pores. This ultimately leads to the death of culture.

When purchasing crops, consider the following:

1. The needles should be evenly colored, flexible and elastic.
2. The shoots should not be overdried. It is important that they remain elastic and bend easily in different directions.
3. There can be no cracks or peeling on the bark. Also, it should not contain flaky areas.
4. The container should be the same size as the diameter of the crown. Sufficient height is also of great importance - the root system should not be visible from the drainage holes.

Landing instructions

Ornamental spruce trees are highly susceptible to movement from one substrate to another. Therefore, it is important to carry out planting work correctly. The roots are considered the most vulnerable part of the tree. They take root after transplantation within 3 months. It is best to move the spruce to a new location in the spring.

First you need to prepare the substrate. It is recommended to purchase it at a nursery when purchasing spruce. However, if desired, you can make the soil yourself. To do this, you will need to mix lowland peat, vermiculite, sand, and perlite. To the resulting composition you need to add wood ash - 20% of the total amount of the mixture.

After transplantation, the plants shed some of their needles, and the tips of the branches begin to dry out. This process is associated with adaptation. When the right conditions are created, the tree will quickly recover. To carry out planting work, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Water the spruce generously.
2. Pour boiling water over the new container to get rid of bacteria.
3. Place drainage at the bottom. Its thickness should be 5-10 centimeters.
4. A nutrient substrate measuring 5 centimeters must be placed on top of the drainage.
5. Remove the spruce from the container and look at the condition of the root system. If there are damaged or rotten areas, it is recommended to cut them off and treat them with wood ash.
6. Place the spruce in a new container. It is important that the root collar is at the same level as in the previous container.
7. Fill the voids with soil.
8. Water the tree with 1 liter of water.

When carrying out planting work in winter, the earth ball on the roots should be left and moved with it to a new pot. In the spring, it is enough to carefully wash off the soil with running water and completely replace it with a new substrate.

Tree care

In order for the plant to develop normally, it is important to understand what care it requires. Before bringing the crop into the house, it needs to be kept in a cool room for several days. Otherwise, a sharp change in temperature will trigger the onset of growth. This will lead to rapid development of the root system and weaken the culture.

Where to put the pot

Spruce needs moist and cool air. Therefore, the place for it must be chosen very carefully. There should be no heating devices nearby.Also, the plant does not tolerate increased dry air. Therefore, the room needs to be periodically ventilated and moistened. In winter, the plant is dormant, so it needs to be moved to a cool place.

Watering

Coniferous plants grown in containers need a lot of moisture. Therefore, they need to be watered at intervals of 2 days. You should pour 2-3 liters of water under the spruce at a time. However, excess moisture also harms the crop. It provokes rotting of the root system. To determine the required amount of water, you should focus on drying the soil. In addition to watering at the root, spruce trees need spraying of the crown.

In winter, the crop rests, so it needs to be watered less often - once every 3 weeks. The procedure is carried out at a temperature of +6-10 degrees. At parameters of 0 degrees, it is necessary to moisten the soil no more than once a month. In the summer, this should be done 1-2 times a day. For this purpose it is worth using settled water.

Top dressing

During the active period of development - from May to September - the crop needs to be watered 1-2 times a month with solutions of mineral fertilizers. They are sold in flower shops. Spruce does not need any other additives. In this regard, it is considered very unpretentious. There is no need to feed the crop in winter. At this time, she begins a period of rest.

Do I need to replant?

After acquisition, the spruce seedling needs to be transplanted into a new container. The subsequent development of the ephedra depends on the correctness of this procedure. When transplanting, it is important to consider the following:

1. This procedure is considered quite stressful for the tree. Therefore, it should be carried out maximum once every 2-3 years.But with intensive growth of needles and too strong development of roots, it is better to transplant immediately. Otherwise, the root system will fill all the free space in the pot.
2. For transplantation, you should choose a transparent plastic container. This will help control the development of the root system and monitor soil moisture. It is important to have large holes that do not become clogged.
3. The seedling should be removed for replanting with a lump of soil. It should not have open roots.
4. For coniferous plants, it is necessary to prepare sufficiently acidic soil. A drainage layer should be made at the bottom.

Growing spruce in a pot is considered a rather complex and labor-intensive process that requires compliance with a number of rules and recommendations. In order for a culture to grow and develop normally, it needs to be properly cared for.