Eastern spruce is a fairly common variety of conifers. It belongs to the Pine family and is a typical mountain culture, the habitat of which is located at an altitude of 1-2.5 thousand meters above sea level. The plant's habitat is considered to be the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Türkiye. Despite the fact that this plant is heat-loving, the crop grows well in the middle zone.
Description of the species
Eastern spruce is a mountain crop. It prefers shaded slopes, where it is adjacent to pine, fir, hornbeam and beech.An adult crop reaches a height of 65 meters. It has light gray, smooth bark that cracks and peels off with age.
The plant is distinguished by flattened tetrahedral needles measuring 0.4-0.8 centimeters. When young, the needles are light golden in color, and then become dark green. The female cones of the crop are red in color and are located at the ends of the shoots.
Aureospicata is considered one of the most common representatives of oriental spruces. However, there are other varieties. The lifespan of the culture is 400-500 years.
Popular varieties
Oriental spruce has many varieties, each of which is characterized by certain characteristics:
- Aurea - this variety is characterized by slow growth and has a loose, conical crown. Over the course of a year, the tree grows by 15 centimeters in height and 5 centimeters in width. The maximum plant size is 12-15 meters. Young needles have a golden color, and in summer they turn green. This variety is considered very unpretentious. It withstands urban conditions well and grows well in sunny areas and in partial shade.
- Aureospicata is a variety of German selection. The maximum height of the spruce is 12 meters. However, its width does not exceed 5 meters. Aureospicata is distinguished by the fact that its buds open quite late. At the same time, the appearance of young shoots of a golden hue is observed in June. After some time, the needles acquire a dark green color. Spruce is characterized by a dense narrow pyramidal crown and asymmetrical side branches. Young cones have an unusual purple color, while mature ones turn brown.
- Golden Start is a dwarf variety of eastern spruce that grows slowly.Its height does not exceed 1.5-3 meters. In this case, the crown width is 1.5 meters. The plant is characterized by a wide-conical crown shape. The shoots are widely spread and horizontal. Fresh growth is golden in color, but it gradually darkens over the course of the season.
- Summergold - a distinctive feature of this variety is its symmetrical crown. By the age of 10 years, the spruce increases to 2 meters. At the same time, an old tree is usually not taller than 8 meters. Young growth has a golden color, but by the end of the warm season the needles gradually darken. Spruce of this variety develops well in sunny areas and in the shade.
- Skylands - this variety is most often used in landscape design. Spruce has short needles. At first it has a bright yellow tint, and then turns golden. By the end of the season, the crop acquires a dark green color. The crown has a pyramidal crown. At the same time, the adult plant narrows and elongates.
- Nigra Compacta - this variety is distinguished by its smallest size. By the age of 10, the height of the tree does not exceed 1 meter. The plant has short needles. Young needles are golden in color, but with age they become dark green.
How to grow properly
In order for the Aureo Spicata spruce and other varieties of the eastern variety to grow and develop normally, it is important to carry out planting work correctly and provide the plants with proper care.
Landing
Experts advise buying spruce in a container with a closed root system. In this case, planting is carried out by transshipment, which causes less stress. In addition, such trees can be planted even in summer, while the standard time is the beginning of spring or the end of autumn.
This culture develops normally in different types of soil.However, the best option is considered to be fertile light soil, which has an acidic or slightly acidic reaction. It is important to take into account that the culture does not withstand waterlogging. Therefore, it is best to plant it in a place where groundwater does not lie very close to the surface of the earth.
To begin with, it is recommended to dig a hole for planting. Its depth should be 70 centimeters, and its diameter should be 50. Before laying the substrate, it is worth pouring drainage from crushed stone, gravel or expanded clay onto the bottom. Its thickness should be at least 15 centimeters.
To provide the tree with nutrition in the first years of life, it is recommended to add organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil. You can prepare the substrate for planting yourself. To do this you need to mix the following ingredients:
- 4 parts of fertile land;
- 1 part vermicompost;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 part sand.
Also, 100-150 grams of nitroammophoska should be used per plant. When planting a seedling, it is important to ensure that it is positioned strictly vertically. In this case, the root collar should be flush with the ground surface.
Immediately after planting, the soil must be compacted well so that voids do not form in it. After which it is recommended to water the plant generously with a solution of a growth stimulator. To do this, you can use “Epin” or “Kornevin”.
After moisture is absorbed into the soil, the tree trunk circle needs to be mulched with sawdust, pine needles or pine bark.This will help avoid drying out of the soil, stop the development of weeds and create favorable conditions for the rapid development of the root system.
Care
Caring for the plant is quite easy. To do this you need to perform simple steps:
- Watering - frequency depends on weather factors. In dry weather, the crop should be moistened 1-2 times a week. This is especially true for young seedlings. For 1 tree you need to spend at least 10 liters of water.
- Loosening - it is useful to cultivate the soil around the tree with a hand cultivator to a depth of 5-6 centimeters. At the same time, the soil is mixed with compacted mulch. Thanks to this, the material can be converted into organic fertilizer. After this, it is recommended to update the mulch layer.
- Fertilizing – Fertilizers should not be applied very often. It is enough to do this 2 times during the season. It is best to use special compounds for conifers for this. In this case, for spraying, you need to add “Helatin” to the water. Thanks to this, it is possible to compensate for the iron deficiency in the needles.
- Pruning – crown formation is not necessary. At the same time, young seedlings of the crop can withstand shearing well and quickly recover. It is imperative to remove damaged and dry branches. It is best to carry out the procedure in early summer.
- Preparation for winter - in regions with a harsh climate, young seedlings need to be insulated with spruce branches. In this case, you must first water the plants abundantly.
Possible pests
Among the parasites that often lead to damage to eastern spruce, it is worth highlighting the following insects:
- gall aphid;
- spruce budworm;
- spider mite;
- nun silkworm caterpillars;
- spruce hermes.
Pests can be controlled using insecticides and acaricides. The sooner you take action, the more noticeable results you can get. In order to identify parasites in time, it is recommended to carefully inspect coniferous trees once a week. This is best done with a magnifying glass.
Use as a decoration for the site
According to the description, oriental spruce has pronounced decorative properties. It looks great on an open lawn. The crop can also be used as a hedge. It is recommended to trim young plants to give them a beautiful shape.
Compact plants go well with low conifers, bright annual flowers, and ground cover plants.
Oriental spruce is an excellent ornamental plant that is often used in landscape design. For the cultivation of a crop to be successful, it needs to be provided with quality care.
