Blue spruce fir: planting and care, photo, description, varieties

The homeland of blue spruce is North America. In the wild this original tree grows high in the mountains. Therefore, it is characterized by increased resistance to low temperatures and is not afraid of winds. In our country, this plant is widely used as decorative on the streets of cities, parks and homesteads.

Key Features

Depending on the variety, blue spruce can reach a height of 80 cm to 25 m. In the wild, these trees grow to 40 m. The crown of blue spruce can be pyramidal or conical. Needles in most varieties are very tough. Therefore, blue spruce is often called prickly.

The plant is, in addition to the fact that it has high decorative qualities, it is also very unpretentious. This, to a large extent, determines its popularity as decorative. Caring for the blue spruce presents a certain complexity only at the first time after planting. In the future, no special efforts aimed at maintaining the life of a beautiful woman, do not have to. The success of growing blue spruce depends mainly on the correct choice of the landing site. Most varieties do not feel well in the shade. Some species like loose fertile soils, others can grow even on rocks.

Which grade to choose

Over the years, many varieties of such plants as blue spiny fir have been introduced. If desired, you can choose for your site as high, with a spreading crown, and a low compact tree. The most popular varieties of domestic owners of suburban areas are Glauca Misty Blue, Waldburn, Montgomery and Bialobok.

Spruce barbed blue Glauca Misty Blue has the correct conical shape of the crown. The branches grow in her neat tiers. In height, this species can reach 20 m. It grows quite slowly. The crown is very dense, the needles are blue with a steel cast, and the cones are light brown. It looks very beautiful, which determines its high popularity.

In addition to height, the main criterion, which is taken into account when choosing a variety of such a plant, as spruce is a spruce, is a form. Blue Glauca in this regard-the plant is very beautiful. Its crown has a classical pyramidal shape. It is these Christmas trees, for example, are traditionally the main attribute of the New Year.

In the wild, the tree is usually quite tall (blue spiny spruce). Sorts of it, artificially deduced, can be quite compact. For example, Waldburn. The fir-trees of this variety reach a height of not more than 80 cm. At the same time they differ in frost resistance and do not feel bad on the sites with a lot of stones. It is best for this type of trees to be suitable for rock gardens. The crown at the Waldburn spruce is spherical (up to 1 m in diameter). The advantages of this variety, among other things, are undemanding to the composition of the soil.

Spruce spiky blue Montgomery is distinguished by a cone-shaped lush crown. In height, this variety reaches 1.8 m. Montgomery is perfect for mixers with shrubs. This fir is appreciated primarily because the needles with it acquire a rich blue hue with age.

Grade Bialobok in height reaches 2 m. It requires a fertile soil. This variety is great for coniferous mixborders. Also, Bialobok looks great in the neighborhood of dwarf shrubs. In the Russian climate, the variety feels good. But since the third year of growth, these trees need to be laid for the winter.

Spruce barbel blue: planting and care on a country plot

There are several ways to grow these unusual conifers. As a planting material, seeds, cuttings or seedlings from tubs can be used. It is relatively easy to get beautiful lush trees in all these cases. However, certain technologies of cultivation will still have to be observed.

Use of seeds as a planting material

When using this growing technology, the cones are taken from the tree of the species of interest in winter. Propagate by seeds can spruce blue thorny Misty Blue, Waldburn, Bialobok and any other varieties.

The cones of the chosen variety are stored in a warm place until they are opened. Further, seeds are extracted from them, they are buried in moist sand and stored in a refrigerator until spring. Then the planting material is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and placed in a soil mix prepared from peat and garden soil. Deepen the seeds in 1-1.5 cm. In the next three weeks, the soil should be periodically moistened. After the seedlings have ascended, they are thinned out.

In the garden or in the courtyard under the Christmas trees, small holes are scooped out at a distance of about 25 cm from each other. Drainage is laid on their bottom. Plants are placed in the center and sprinkled with earth acidified with ammonium nitrate. The second time, the fir-trees are planted for the third year of growth (at a distance of a meter).

Use of cuttings

Spruce barbly blue, the description of which was given in detail above in the article, if desired, can be grown from a twig. The technology of planting this decorative culture using cuttings is considered even simpler than with the use of seeds. You need to take a branch from an adult spruce, from the top, in the middle of spring. The selected stem is cleaned from below with needles and soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Further under it dig a hole at the bottom of which the drainage is laid. Sprinkle the twig first with a layer of soil taken from under the coniferous tree, and then with sand. Then the stalk is watered abundantly. From above the twig should be covered with a film and burlap. Prior to rooting, the plant should be watered about 4 times a day. For the winter, the cutting is covered with sawdust.

Using a seedling

In this way, you can plant any species. For example, it is from the seedling that the spiky blue Glauca spruce is often grown. After all, this traditional New Year tree has recently been sold not in a felled form, but rooted in a pot. Such planting material allows you to get a full-fledged large luxury plant as quickly as possible. From the pot, the seedling is transferred to a pit with drainage and acidified soil. Transplant the plant in such a way that its root neck is located strictly at the same level as in the tub. It is too deep, it can start to rot. If the root collar is too high during planting, this will quickly lead to its overdrying. The first time after planting, the plant must be pritenyat.

This is how the planting of such varieties as spruce blue Misty Blue, Montgomery, Bialobok etc. is carried out in this manner. Of course, afterwards the tree will be carefully taken care of - watering, fertilizing and pruning.

How to water blue spruce

At first, caring for the plant will take a lot of time. To this owner of the suburban area, who decided to plant a blue spruce, you need to be ready. Until a year, moisten the soil under this plant should be several times a day. Also it is necessary periodically to spray the crown.

Blue spruce is a water-loving plant. Watering the tree will have at least once or twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. In this case, water should be poured not by root, but by sprinkling. Many owners of suburban areas plant blue spruce in the lawns. In this case, watering the grass and the tree can be done simultaneously. The water for the firs is exceptionally warm.

How to fertilize

Use for organic trees normal organic fertilizers, especially fresh manure, is absolutely not allowed. Do not like these plants and an overabundance of fertilizing. That blue spruce fir, which was too often fertilized in the summer, may even freeze in winter. The first five years, the trees are fed with mineral fertilizers. It is best to use for this purpose universal products for coniferous plants. Not bad for Christmas trees and Kemira-universal. Apply fertilizer immediately after the snow comes down. The agent is scattered in the near-trunk circle and is slightly wound in the ground by rakes. Adults ate after 5 years of growth is not necessary to fertilize.

How to trim

Spruce barbel blue, planting and care for which in the Russian climate - procedures are not too complicated, the crown in most cases is neat and symmetrical. However, pruning of these trees in the spring is still necessary. Remove diseased and broken branches from the spruce. Sometimes, for example, when using trees as hedges, the crown is also formed. In this case, pruning is carried out in the summer, after the shoots stop growing. The first time it is done some time after planting. It is advisable to make the molding before the age of 7 years of the tree. In autumn it is not recommended to perform this operation. Otherwise, trimmed branches can freeze in winter. Form the crown is allowed only for some varieties of fir.

It is not necessary to process the slices of this plant with garden fry . Spruce will allocate a large amount of healing resin.

Preparing for winter

Most varieties of blue spruce are frost-resistant. Therefore, only young plants and low-growth varieties should be prepared for winter. At such trees it is desirable to press branches to a trunk so that they are not broken by snow.

In general, the plant is very spectacular and at the same time relatively unpretentious - fir-tree spiny blue. The photos presented to the attention of the reader in the article clearly illustrate the beauty of these original trees. Decorate your suburban area at least a couple of three of these Christmas trees, of course, is worth it.