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Canadian spruce Daisy White is a random mutation of the famous Konika, discovered in 1979. It was selected in a Belgian nursery, where the signs of a new variety were polished and fixed. Canadian spruce Daisy White could surpass the parental form in popularity, as it has exceptional decorative qualities. But she is even more sissy than Konika, so that the tree does not survive, but becomes a real decoration of the site, it will have to constantly pay attention. But the result is worth it.
Description of spruce Canadian Daisy White
One of the smallest varieties of Spruce Sizoy, Canadian or White (Picea glauca) is Daisy White (Daisy’s White). By the age of 10, it grows to 80-100 cm, at the age of 30 it reaches a maximum – about 2 m with a width of 0,8 m. It is interesting that in Our Country and neighboring countries by this time Daisy White has a height of 1,5 m. All varieties of Canadian spruce are distinguished by this feature – in our country they grow lower than in Europe or America. This is probably due to the characteristics of the soil and climate.
The annual growth of Canadian Daisy White spruce is 2-4 cm. At 6-7 years old, there is a kind of jump, and over the next few seasons, the variety can add 10 cm in height. Then the growth rate slows down again to 1-2 cm.
It is noticed that the color of the needles of this variety depends on the growing conditions. Young shoots of the Canadian spruce Daisy White can be white, cream, golden green, yellowish white. In the second half of summer they darken and turn green. Needles of any age do not exceed 9 mm in length, soft to the touch, exude a strong aroma when rubbed. In the photo of Daisy White spruce, the contrast between old and young needles is clearly visible.
The crown of the tree is dense, since there are as many internodes on it as on the species plant, they just became very short as a result of mutation. The Daisy White Canadian spruce grows like a small cone of the correct shape, the branches completely cover the trunk. Crown deformation occurs only as a result of pruning of frozen or sun-burnt shoots.
Cones on the Daisy White spruce are extremely rare. The root system comes close to the soil surface.
Spruce gray white Daisy in landscape design
Ephedra not only decorate the garden, but also purify the air of dust and pathogenic bacteria, saturate it with phytoncides. In addition, they do not lose their attractiveness in winter, and at least slightly enliven the monotonous white landscape.
The diminutive size of the Daisy White Canadian Spruce makes it ideal for small areas. The tree is grown in rockeries, rock gardens, flowerbeds and rabatka. This spruce is planted in the foreground of landscape groups.
Although Daisy White is very attractive, she should not be used as a tapeworm even in small gardens – she simply does not look alone in an open space. In addition, without cover, the needles burn badly under the sun. And brown, or, even better, bald on one side, spruce somehow does not pull on a single focal plant.
But Daisy White looks good in gardens made in Japanese or regular French style. A small variegated spruce would be appropriate in regular plantings, for example, as a repeating element when framing a parterre lawn or in long narrow ridges.
Just don’t plant Daisy White Canada Spruce in full sun without a south-facing cover – it will burn and ruin the view. But you can place it in the shade – the white needles will fade a little, but it will still look attractive. Spruce looks good when placed together with plants that set off its beauty. White and green needles allow you to plant flowers of any color nearby.
Daisy White Canadian Spruce can be grown in containers. On the one hand, it is convenient, the pots can be rearranged from place to place, if necessary, decorating the front area, a place of rest or receiving guests. On the other hand, Canadian spruce in containers requires more careful care than in open ground.
Some lovers of coniferous plants collect a collection of dwarf varieties. With the skillful placement of plants, you can create an excellent composition from them. The Canadian spruce Daisy White will also fit into it.
Planting and caring for the Canadian Daisy White spruce
Canadian spruces, including the Daisy White variety, have adapted well to conditions, only growing lower than at home. Species plants do not tolerate air pollution, while cultivars are more resistant to urban conditions.
The vitality of the trees is quite high, the main problem when planting and caring for the Daisy White spruce is to preserve the decorative effect. In the Middle lane and in the North-West, the needles suffer more from early spring burns of the needles, in the southern regions it burns in the summer.
Seedling and planting preparation
The description of the Canadian spruce Daisy White has little in common with the species plant, despite this change only affected the appearance of the cultivar. The needs of the tree remained the same as those of the original form, with the exception of the relation to the sun – the white young growth burns under direct rays.
Daisy White can grow in a rocky area. In any case, the soil should be well-drained, permeable to air and water, acidic or slightly acidic. Moderately fertile sandy loams and loams, fresh and moist, are well suited.
Canadian spruce will tolerate temporary slight waterlogging, but not permanent standing moisture in the root area. Water should not come closer to the surface of the soil than 1,5 m. It is especially dangerous for Daisy White to jam the root collar – the tree may die.
So that the needles do not burn, Canadian spruce should be planted in partial shade. It is better if the crown is illuminated only early in the morning. But the sites are different, some have a lot of shade, others have sun, and the landscape concept may require Daisy White spruce to be in an open area. Then the tree is placed so that on the south side it is covered from the sun by the shadow of other plants. There is no other way – the soft needles of spruce will constantly burn. She recovers, but it takes a long time.
Always in the middle of the day to cover the tree from the sun is not an option. Firstly, for this, someone must always be at home, and secondly, the needles will burn, even if you forget to throw protection on the Canadian spruce once.
It is best to buy Canadian spruce seedlings at the age of 4-5 years, when side branches appear. The tree must be grown in a container or sold with an earthen clod lined with burlap. You can buy spruce with an open root only if it is dug up in the presence of a buyer, immediately dipped in a clay mash and wrapped in cling film.
Rules of landing
Daisy White Canada Spruce is best planted in late fall. In the south they do it all winter. For the North-West and Siberia, early spring planting is acceptable until the buds open at the tree.
A pit for planting is dug with a diameter of 60 cm and about 70 cm deep. At the bottom, a drainage layer of expanded clay or broken red brick is poured at least 20 cm. The planting mixture is prepared from soddy soil, leaf humus, clay, sand and acid peat. Up to 150 g of nitroammophoska is added as a starting fertilizer.
The pit is covered with the prepared mixture by 2/3, completely filled with water and allowed to settle. Not earlier than in 2 weeks they start landing:
- So much soil is taken out of the pit so that the root neck of the Canadian spruce is flush with its edge.Important! If Daisy White was sold with an earthen ball lined with burlap, the fabric does not need to be removed.
- The root is covered with planting mixture, constantly compacting it to avoid the formation of voids.
- Check the position of the root collar, correct if necessary.
- From the remaining earth, a roller is made along the contour of the planting pit and the seedling is watered abundantly.
- When the liquid is completely absorbed, the soil is mulched with the bark of coniferous trees during spring planting, in autumn – with acidic peat with a layer of at least 5 cm.
Watering and top dressing
In the first 2 weeks after planting the Daisy White Canadian spruce, the soil is not allowed to dry out, the seedling is watered at least 2 times a week, more if necessary. Further moisturizing is carried out regularly, but not excessively. Hot summers may require weekly watering.
Canadian spruce Daisy White is demanding on air humidity. It must be regularly sprayed with water from a hose. If the site has automatic watering with retractable nozzles, it can be turned on daily for 5 minutes at 5-8 in the morning. The Daisy White spruce is small, the crown will have time to absorb moisture and dry out until the sun becomes too active (up to 10-11 hours).
You can transfer the sprinkling of the crown to the evening. Water procedures at 17-18 hours will not provoke a sunburn, and the branches will have time to dry before night. If the spruce remains wet at night, this can provoke the development of fungal diseases.
Young Canadian spruce must be fed, after 10 years it is desirable. It is better to use fertilizers specially designed for coniferous crops. When buying them, you should pay attention to what season the dressing is intended for – this is indicated on the package. In spring, nitrogen should prevail in the fertilizer, in autumn – phosphorus and potassium.
Foliar top dressings are of no less importance for the Daisy White Canadian spruce. The necessary trace elements are better absorbed through the needles, in a chelated form. You can give them no more than once every 14 days. It is recommended to add an ampoule of epin or zircon to the balloon, and when the young needles turn green, an additional dose of magnesium.
Mulching and loosening
The root system of spruces comes close to the soil surface. You need to loosen it to a depth of no more than a few centimeters. This procedure is most important for young plants after watering.
A few years after planting, loosening is replaced by mulching with acidic peat or fungicide-treated bark of coniferous trees.
Mulching not only keeps the soil from drying out, but also prevents the lower branches from falling directly onto the ground. This, in turn, protects the spruce from infection by pathogenic bacteria and fungi in the soil.
Trimming
The Canadian spruce Daisy White has a beautiful cone-shaped crown. You don’t need to form it. Sanitary pruning of shrunken shoots is almost impossible to do – the variety was obtained as a result of a mutation, and a tiny tree has as many branches as a species plant. Just the internodes are located close to each other. You can cut them only by spreading the needles, and it will take all day.
Although very rare, sometimes a normal-sized branch grows on a small Canadian spruce. It must be cut immediately to preserve the variety.
Crown cleaning
The compressed dense crown of the Canadian spruce Daisy White contributes to the rapid drying of the needles inside and shoots deprived of light. Not only the sun’s rays cannot penetrate there, but vital moisture can also get there. If you shake an untidy spruce, a cloud of dust will fly out of it. Such a plant will not only get sick often, but will quickly lose its decorative effect. It will saturate the air not with phytoncides, but with irritating mucous membranes with the smallest pieces of needles and bark in half with ticks.
To avoid this, you should annually clean the crown of the Daisy White Canadian spruce, and when processing and foliar top dressing, be sure to push the needles apart, wetting the entire tree with preparations. Without this, the trunk and internal branches will become a breeding ground for diseases and pests.
When cleaning the crown, protective measures should be taken – wear a respirator, goggles, sleeves and gloves.
Cleaning is carried out at least 3 times per season:
- the first two times in early spring with an interval of 14 days;
- the third – in the fall, during preparation for winter.
The procedure itself is carried out on a dry windless day:
- Gently spread the needles of the Canadian Daisy White spruce with their hands, clean off all the dry needles.
- Remove fallen needles from lower branches and soil.
- They treat the outer and inner parts of the crown, as well as the soil under the tree, with a fungicide, preferably copper-containing.
- Wash hands and face thoroughly with soap.
Preparation for winter
Daisy White, like all Canadian spruces, tolerates conditions well. Without shelter, it winters in zone 4. Only young trees require protection in the year of planting – the soil under them is mulched with acidic peat, the crown is wrapped with white agrofiber or spandbond, and fixed with twine. You can use spruce branches instead of non-woven material.
In subsequent years, they are limited to mulching the near-stem circle of Daisy White spruce with peat. If frost is expected in the North-West, the Urals and Siberia after the young needles bloom, the tree should be covered with burlap or other material. The stem, root and mature needles are not in danger, but white young shoots can freeze slightly.
Winter hardiness of spruce with gray or white Daisy White increases moisture charging and autumn phosphorus-potassium top dressing.
sunburn protection
Starting in mid-February, Canadian spruce should be covered with white non-woven material to protect it from sunburn. At this time, the needles quickly lose moisture, and the root located in the frozen ground cannot replenish it.
When the water balance is restored, Daisy White spruce, planted without cover, still suffers from direct rays – sensitive white tips can burn. They fall, and the tree loses its decorative effect for at least a season. They increase resistance by sprinkling the crown, regular top dressing and spraying with epin twice a month.
When the needles turn from white to green, only the southern side of the Canadian spruce will suffer. To avoid unnecessary trouble, you can plant a plant next to Daisy White, at least a little covering her from direct sunlight.
Reproduction
A species plant will grow from the seeds of the Canadian spruce Daisy White. It is propagated by grafting or cuttings. Vaccinations should be done by a specialist, and you can try to root the shoots yourself, although there will be many attacks.
Cuttings are planted all season, until the first frost, but spring ones take root faster. A shoot 10-12 cm long is cut off from the older branch along with a heel (a piece of bark), the lower part is freed from needles, and treated with a growth stimulator. Planted in a cold greenhouse to a depth of 2-3 cm.
Daisy White canadian spruce cuttings can be rooted in perlite, clean sand, or a mixture of sand and peat in containers with drainage holes. The substrate must always be moist, but not wet.
Only a few shoots will take root. When they grow, the cuttings planted in a cold greenhouse begin to be fed, and from the containers they are transplanted into separate cups with a mixture of sand and leaf humus. They are moved to a permanent place at the age of 4-5 years, when side shoots appear.
Diseases and pests
In order for the Daisy White Canadian spruce to get sick less often and be less affected by pests, the crown should be regularly cleaned, sprinkling and preventive treatments should be carried out. Experienced gardeners examine the tree once a week with a magnifying glass to notice the first signs of trouble as early as possible, and immediately begin treatment.
Canadian spruce is most often affected by diseases:
- regular and snow shute;
- rust;
- spruce spinner;
- fusarium;
- rots;
- wound cancer;
- cortical necrosis.
Common pests;
- pincers;
- butterfly Nun;
- aphids gallic;
- spruce leaflet;
- mealybug;
- spruce sawyer;
- hermes.
When conifers are affected by insects, insecticides should be used immediately, and diseases should be fought with fungicides. Particular attention should be paid to the inner part of the crown.
Reviews of Canadian spruce Daisy White
Conclusion
Spruce Canadian Daisy White requires increased attention. It needs to be protected from heat and sun, to clean the crown and to carry out sprinkling. But the tree is so beautiful and small that it will not be difficult for a true connoisseur of coniferous plants to keep its crown in order.