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In nature, Serbian Spruce grows in a limited area of about 60 hectares and was discovered only at the end of the 1991th century. Due to its high plasticity and rapid growth, numerous varieties were created on its basis, which quickly gained popularity and spread throughout the world. Serbian spruce Karel (Picea omorika Karel) is a dwarf derived from the witch’s broom mutation discovered in Belgium by Karel Buntinks in XNUMX.
Description of spruce Karel
The Serbian Karel Spruce is a compact, bushy tree with a dense, dense crown. The young plant does not look very presentable, and consists of several branches sticking out in different directions. Later, they will become skeletal and overgrown with a large number of thin shoots, forming a lush pillow or hemisphere. The appearance of an adult Serbian spruce Karel depends on whether the crown will be cut. She tolerates pruning well.
El Karel grows slowly, and by the age of 10 reaches no more than 60 cm with a width of 70 cm. But more often these figures are much more modest: 30 and 50 cm, respectively. An adult tree without a haircut will be squat, up to a maximum of 80 cm in height, a crown diameter of about 120 cm. Each season, the Karel spruce stretches up 3-5 cm, adds 5-7 cm in width.
After 10 years of age, the Serbian Karel spruce, the crown of which is not cut off, forms a depression on the crown. If desired, it is easy to remove it with a haircut, but some owners leave the “nest” on purpose – it looks quite exotic and does not spoil the appearance.
The young needles of the Serbian spruce Karel are green, by the end of the season it darkens and acquires a steel shade. The needles are short, 1,2-1,5 cm long, two wide white stripes are drawn on the lower side, and one dark green, shiny one on the upper side. The needles have a rounded edge with a sharp tip, which is why they are not as prickly as other types of pizza.
The bark of the Serbian spruce is gray, with a red tint, covered with thin scales, the branches are densely pubescent. Cones are formed extremely rarely. Variety Karel is shade-tolerant and does not suffer from smoke or air pollution.
It is expected that this Serbian spruce, like all coniferous dwarfs, will live 50-60 years with good care. But since the Karel variety is quite young, this has not yet been tested in practice. Can grow without cover in zone 4.
Serbian spruce Karel in landscape design
Domestic landscape designers love Serbian spruces. They are not only beautiful and can improve the air in the area, but are also much better adapted to conditions than North American species. In addition, Serbian spruce not only tolerates air pollution well, it generally reacts little to it.
The Karel variety is dwarf, and with a haircut it can be shaped like a nest, pillow, ball or hemisphere. The plant looks great in rockeries, rock gardens, in a flower bed with not too moisture-loving flowers that prefer acidic soil. The ideal neighbors for the Serbian Karel spruce in landscape design will be:
- other conifers;
- rhododendrons;
- screams;
- in partial shade – ferns;
- hydrangeas, if you dig a curb tape around the bush to prevent water from spreading;
- roses;
- peonies;
- Magnolia.
The list can be continued by choosing plants for flower beds, depending on the climate of the region and the taste of the owners.
Serbian spruce Karel is not afraid of strong winds. The small size allows you to place the tree in a container.
Planting and caring for Serbian Karel spruce
Spruce Serbian Karel can grow in the sun or in partial shade. It tolerates wind and short-term drought. Caring for Serbian Karel spruce is much easier than for varieties obtained from North American species, but you cannot leave the tree unattended.
Seedling and planting preparation
Choosing a suitable position for Karel spruce is not difficult – this beautiful bonsai is always planted in an open area where there is a lot of sunlight. But if necessary, the plant can be placed in partial shade.
Serbian spruce is undemanding to the composition of soils, but only in comparison with other representatives of the genus. It will not grow on alkaline soils, but suffers with a neutral reaction. Dense soils that are constantly blocking or swampy are not suitable. To get out of the situation, you can place the Karel spruce on the embankment, or make the drainage layer 1,5-2 times more than recommended.
The preparation of the pit must be completed no later than 2 weeks before planting. It is dug so that the depth is equal to the height of the earthen coma. Add 15-20 cm for drainage, 10-15 cm for adding soil. The width should be 1,5-2 times the diameter of the earthen coma.
It is very simple to calculate everything in advance: in a small Serbian spruce, the root usually spreads in the crown projection area. Knowing the growth rate of the Karel variety, it is easy to calculate the approximate volume of an earthen clod that nurseries leave when digging up plants. If you buy Serbian spruces in a container, it’s even easier. After reviewing the sites of garden centers, they determine what age the tree is suitable for the site and the owner’s wallet. The volume of the container is also indicated there. In addition, approximate dimensions are needed, it makes no sense to calculate everything up to a centimeter.
When buying a seedling, you need to clearly understand the age of the plant. If this is a 4-5-year-old small Serbian spruce, its crown simply cannot be dense. The Karel variety will have few branches, and they stick out in all directions, and the tree does not look very presentable. Over time, the spruce will grow side shoots and become beautiful.
An adult untrimmed tree looks like a pillow or a hemisphere with imperfect symmetry. Clear contours or a crown in the form of a ball indicate that the Serbian spruce was cut. Here the question should arise: why? Perhaps to hide the tips of the shoots affected by some disease or pests.
If you have a choice, you should buy Serbian spruces grown in local nurseries – they are better adapted to the conditions of the region. Imported plants should be taken only in a container. Locals can be bought with an earthen clod lined with burlap. Serbian spruces with an open root system cannot be taken.
A sign of trouble is even the darkened tips of the needles. So the needles need to be examined carefully. It should be alive, fresh, bend, but not break.
Rules of landing
Serbian spruce prefers loams, although it is undemanding to the composition of soils, and if the site has loose acidic or slightly acidic soil, there is no need to specially improve it. When the land, for some reason, is not suitable for planting conifers, instead of completely changing it, you can only improve it as follows:
- acid (moor) peat is added to neutral or alkaline soil;
- dense soil is made loose with the help of leaf humus, sand, sod land;
- clay is added to the soil, which is too light and contains a lot of sand.
It is useful to enrich the soil mixture with starting fertilizer. Usually, nitroammophoska acts in this capacity, which for the Serbian spruce Karel is enough to take up to 100 g.
A drainage layer of 15-20 cm is laid at the bottom of the planting pit (more on blocking soils), covered with 2/3 of the prepared soil, and filled with water. After 2 weeks or later, they start landing:
- With a shovel, they take out part of the earth from the pit and set it aside.
- Serbian spruce is installed in the center, and if the root was wrapped in burlap, it is not necessary to remove it. The material will not prevent the germination of roots, but will decompose over time. The position of the root collar of the Karel spruce should coincide with the edge of the planting hole or rise slightly.
- The prepared soil mixture is constantly rammed as it falls asleep in the pit. This should be done without fanaticism, but only to avoid the formation of voids.
- Around the near-trunk circle, a roller is formed from the soil and the Serbian spruce is watered abundantly.
- When the water is absorbed, the soil is mulched with acidic peat, or pine bark sold in garden centers.
Watering and top dressing
After planting, Karel spruce is watered frequently, so that the soil is constantly wet. But water should not stagnate. Once the tree is established, watering is reduced, but should remain regular. Still, this is a varietal Serbian spruce that requires constant care, and not a species tree that absorbs only the water that it gets from the rain.
Sprinkling of the crown is important for a variety like Karel – this is the best prevention of the appearance of spider mites, it increases humidity, washes away dust, and alleviates the condition of the tree in extreme heat. The operation should be carried out after the temperature rises to at least 6°C, but it is better to wait until 10-12°C.
Universal fertilizers for conifers should be used only as a last resort – they are not ideal for them. When planting varietal spruces, you need to remember that caring for them will also cost money. But today it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on specialized top dressing – domestic manufacturers produce inexpensive, acceptable quality drugs.
Fertilizers for coniferous plants in the garden should be of two varieties:
- spring – with a high content of nitrogen;
- autumn, where phosphorus and potassium predominate.
Foliar top dressings are of no less importance for the Serbian spruce Karel. The fact is that trace elements are poorly absorbed through the root, and it is better to give them by spraying needles.
Sometimes novice gardeners begin to talk on the topic: “Who feeds plants in the wild?”. Firstly, how ornamental crops use artificially bred varieties, and not species trees, and secondly, the conditions on the site and in the forest differ. And not in favor of gardens, no matter how carefully they looked after the plants.
Mulching and loosening
Immediately after planting the Serbian spruce, the soil should be loosened regularly to provide access to the root system for nutrients, air and water. To do this, in adult plants, you will have to raise the lower branches. After a year or two, loosening is stopped so as not to damage the roots.
Mulching the soil under the Serbian Karel spruce is useful for several reasons:
- this prevents the lower branches from falling to the ground;
- retains moisture;
- prevents the germination of weeds;
- prevents the washing out of useful substances;
- allows you to maintain the desired microclimate and acidity in the root area;
- protects the tree from pests in the ground;
- protects the roots of young Serbian spruces, in which the branches did not have time to sink to the ground, from overheating;
- stimulates the development of beneficial microorganisms;
- mulch looks better than bare ground.
Trimming
The crown of the Serbian spruce Karel does not need to be cut – it is already beautiful. But if necessary, in spring or, depending on the region, in late summer or early autumn, the tree can be cut to give it a perfectly regular shape. The view tolerates pruning well.
Crown cleaning
This procedure will be useful for Serbian Spruce, but it is not vital, as for Canadian dwarf varieties. Early in the spring and late in the autumn, Karel’s branches are carefully pushed apart and all dry needles are cleaned off, and dead shoots are broken off. Then the garbage is removed, and the tree and the trunk circle are abundantly treated with a copper-containing fungicide.
Sun protection
Serbian Spruce does not burn as badly as Canadian Spruce. But at the top of an untrimmed adult tree, a depression forms over time, in which snow accumulates. Starting from mid-February, it must be removed, or the Karel spruce should be covered with a non-woven fabric or burlap on a sunny day.
Otherwise, the accumulated snow, especially icy or crusted, will serve as a kind of lens. The sun that has become active can burn the needles inside the crown in a week.
Preparation for winter
Spruce Serbian Karel winters without shelter in zone 4, that is, in those regions where the temperature has never dropped below -34 ° C during the observation of the weather. It needs to be protected only in the year of planting, in cold areas – preferably for the second season.
To do this, the tree is wrapped in white non-woven material and tied with twine. The soil is mulched with sour peat. In the spring it is not removed, but buried in the soil. In subsequent years, you can limit yourself to mulching.
Reproduction
Serbian spruce Karel is propagated by grafting and cuttings. Only a specialist can pinch conifers. An amateur can also root the shoots, if you have patience and constantly pay attention to the cuttings.
The operation is carried out throughout the season, but without special premises and equipment, a larger percentage of survival will give spring reproduction. Cuttings from Serbian firs are cut off by hand with a heel (a piece of bark of the oldest branch).
The lower needles are removed, treated with a stimulant and planted in perlite or washed coarse sand. A mixture of peat and sand can be used as a substrate. Keep at high humidity in a cool place, protected from direct sunlight.
Even short-term drying or stagnation of water should not be allowed. There will be many attacks, but some of the cuttings should take root. As they grow, they are transplanted into shkolki or small separate containers with drainage holes.
Growing cuttings before planting in the ground lasts 4-5 years. Any mistake or inattention during this time threatens the death of a young plant.
Diseases and pests
Serbian spruce is considered to be more resistant to pests and diseases in conditions than other species. But preventive treatments and inspection of plants should be carried out regularly.
Spruce Serbian Karel is damaged by pests:
- spider mite;
- mealybug;
- various types of aphids;
- butterflies Nuns;
- leaflet;
- caterpillars of the spruce sawfly;
- Hermes.
At the first sign of insect damage, the tree and the trunk circle are treated with an appropriate insecticide.
Typical diseases of the Serbian spruce:
- shutte;
- rust;
- rot;
- wound cancer;
- dry necrosis;
- Fusarium wilt.
Fungicides are used for treatment.
Reviews of the Serbian spruce Karel
Conclusion
Serbian spruce Karel is a miniature decorative variety that can decorate any site. It tolerates conditions well, and if you take care of the tree regularly, it will not take much time or effort.