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Ornamental trees and shrubs: Canadian gray spruce
Spruce “Sizaya Dwarf” is an evergreen tree of the pine family. It comes from North America. In Europe, it has been cultivated since the beginning of the XNUMXth century. In landscape design, decorative dwarf forms are popular, which are successfully used in group plantings and as tapeworms. They look especially impressive on alpine slides and rockeries.
Characteristics of the type of spruce “Gray Dwarf”
The most beloved in landscape design is the decorative form of the Canadian spruce called “Konica”. This is a dwarf coniferous tree with a conical crown 3 m high. It grows very slowly, adding only 3-4 cm / year. Only after 10 years, the spruce grows up to 1 m in height, and later the growth slows down sharply. The roots of the plant are shallow. The needles are soft, gray-green in color. Such a fluffy cone can decorate a site for a long time, the life span of a spruce is 300-500 years.
Gray spruce “Konika” grows well on sandy loam soils
In order for the spruce to acquire the desired shape and attractive appearance, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for it. Bonsai prefers:
- sun and light, but grows well in shady places;
- well-permeable soil, since the roots of the tree need aeration;
- medium loamy or sandy loamy moist soil.
If we take into account all the preferences of this baby, then the site will liven up with bright greenery even in the off-season. Therefore, it is also worth considering that this spruce does not like drought, dense or waterlogged soil, as well as polluted air.
Spruce is propagated by cuttings. For cuttings, take the lower branches. They are placed in a moist substrate to a depth of 2 cm, after rooting, the cuttings are transplanted into pots. In open ground, seedlings are planted after 2-3 years, when they have strong roots. You can buy seedlings ready for planting in the store.
Planting spruce “Gray Dwarf” and caring for it
Now in gardens and parks, among various ornamental shrubs and trees, one can often find a gray spruce “Konika”. She tolerates winters well, rarely gets sick. If several Christmas trees are planted, there should be a distance of at least 1,5 m between them. In close planting, they are lost and not so picturesque.
Seedlings are planted in the ground in spring or autumn. A mixture of peat, sand, leaf and sod land, 1: 1: 2: 2 parts, respectively, is added to the planting pit. After planting, the plant is watered, the trunk circle is mulched. To prevent young needles from getting burnt in the sun, at first they are closed from the scorching rays.
The tree needs to be watered on time, but not too much. It is also important to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
The plant is resistant to diseases and pests, but can suffer from a red spider, a spruce sawfly, as well as root and stem rot, fusarium and some other diseases. In this case, you need to use special drugs.
Spruce “Konika” is an ornamental plant that does not take up much space, decorates any part of the garden and gladly takes on the role of a New Year’s beauty.