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Prickly spruce (Picea pungens) is common in the mountains of the western United States of America, where it lives along the banks of streams and rivers. The color of the needles of wild trees varies from dark green to blue or silver. So Blue Spruce or Glauca (Picea pungens Glauca) is not a specific name, but a designation of a group of varieties with the corresponding color of the needles. They are widely used in culture and are considered the most beautiful among conifers. Spruce Glauka Globoza is a popular dwarf variety that has become widespread due to its high decorative properties, slow growth and the possibility of propagation by seeds.
Description of Glauca Globosa fir
The blue spruce cultivar Glauka Globoza was isolated from seed in 1937 in Boskop (Netherlands). In 1955, it was already on sale and became one of the most popular, first in Western Europe, and then in all regions with a cold and temperate climate.
When studying the description of blue spruce Glauka Globoza, it should be borne in mind that the variety is obtained from seeds, and often propagated in this way. Consequently, trees will grow in one place for a long time, presumably several hundred years. The maximum dimensions of the Glauka Globoza spruce and its life span are unknown simply because the variety is quite young.
Currently, the catalogs describe the variety as dwarf. By the age of 10, the height of the Glauka Globoza spruce reaches 1 m with a width of 1,5 m. The annual growth is from 5 to 8 cm. In the early years, the crown is loose and asymmetrical. With age, it becomes dense, the branches are arranged in pronounced regular tiers. The shape of the crown gradually changes from flat-round to broad-pyramidal.
When describing the prickly spruce Glauka Globoza, first of all, pay attention to the color of the needles. Her needles are really white-blue, 1-1,2 cm long, 1 mm wide, tetrahedral, slightly curved, dense and very sharp. It is noteworthy that the color of the needles does not change depending on the seasons.
The spruce Glauka Globoza blooms in June. At 10-15 years of life, male cones appear, female – only after 20-25 years. Dark brown seeds up to 4 mm in size with a wing of about 1 cm ripen in the fall of the following year, usually in September. The shape of light brown cones with thin plates is oval-cylindrical, slightly curved, as can be clearly seen in the photo of Glauka Globoza spruce.
The length of the cones is 6-10 cm, the diameter in the thickest part is about 3 cm. Good fruiting occurs every few years.
The bark of the prickly spruce Glauka Globoza is rough, gray-brown, the root system is deep, powerful. The variety, in comparison with others, tolerates urban conditions, pruning and winding well.
Spruce Glauka Globoza in landscape design
Prickly spruce of the Glauka Globoza variety is loved by landscape designers, site owners and gardeners. Such rare unanimity is caused not only by the fact that the plant is very attractive. Compared to other types of spruce, it is easy to care for, and mistakes in placement do not fatally affect the health or appearance of the tree.
Due to its small size and slow growth, Glauka Globoza looks attractive in single and group plantings. It goes well with other conifers, flowers and tree crops. The variety grows in rock gardens and rockeries, it can be planted in flower beds and in the foreground of landscape groups.
The spruce Glauka Globoza grafted on a trunk is expensive, but it looks impressive. It tolerates pruning well and can be shaped into a ball, umbrella or cone. Such a tree is often grown in a flower bed or in a container.
Planting and caring for blue spruce Glauka Globoza
The Glauka Globoza cultivar was obtained from seedling selection, and not from a “witch’s broom” or other recessive mutation. It is less capricious and adapts better to different conditions, lives longer and reproduces more easily.
Seedling and planting preparation
Under natural conditions, prickly spruce grows on wet rocky soils along the banks of mountain streams and rivers. It can survive even on dry sandstones. Varieties are more demanding on the conditions of detention.
For planting and caring for prickly spruce Glauka Globoza, you should choose a sunny area. In partial shade, the needles will not become so bright, but will dim completely without light and turn from blue to gray. Species prickly spruce prefers loose acidic soils, varietal tolerates slightly acidic soils, it will grow poorly on neutral ones and often get sick, and alkaline ones cannot stand it at all. In Glauka Globoza, the root system goes deeper into the soil than in other spruces, so the water should not come close to the surface. In any case, it is better to change the substrate in the planting pit, pour a drainage layer.
When buying seedlings, preference should be given to those grown in local nurseries. Glauka Globoza is easily propagated by seeds, and the main danger of buying a small prickly spruce is incomplete matching of the variety. This happens when growers do a poor job of culling seedlings. But this often happens in foreign nurseries, it is impossible to guarantee that imported spruce trees will be of better quality than domestic ones. What can be said for sure is that they are worse adapted to conditions.
Prickly spruces grafted on the trunk should be bought only in containers, own-rooted ones can be taken with an earthen clod lined with burlap. Particular attention should be paid to the needles – even if only the tips of the needles have dried up or changed color, the tree must be discarded. Spruce with bare roots cannot be bought, even if it looks good, and the seller claims that the plant was dug up recently.
Rules for planting prickly spruce Glauka Globoza
Container prickly spruce Glauka Globoza can be planted all season. Only in the south it is worth refraining from this in the hot months. The best planting time is spring in cool and cold climates, autumn in warm regions. Earthwork is best done on cloudy days.
The landing pit is prepared at least 2 weeks in advance. On dense soils, the substrate must be completely changed, replacing it with a mixture of soddy soil, leaf humus, sand and acidic peat. If the soil is good, it can be added to the planting mix. Starting fertilizer – up to 150 g of nitroammophoska per planting pit.
The drainage layer is made 20-30 cm from expanded clay or broken red brick. The pit is filled 2/3 with substrate and filled with water. They let it rest.
The diameter of the landing pit should be 1,5-2 times the size of the container, or an earthen clod lined with burlap.
Landing algorithm:
- Part of the substrate is taken out of the pit.
- A seedling is placed in the center. The root neck of the blue spruce should be at the same level or just above the edge of the hole.
- Gradually fall asleep with the prepared mixture, gently compacting each layer, starting from the edge.
- From the remaining soil, a roller about 10 cm high is formed so that the water does not spread after watering.
- The trunk circle is mulched with pine bark or high-moor peat. You may have to lift the lower branches to do this.
Watering and top dressing
Immediately after landing on the site, watering is of paramount importance in caring for the prickly spruce of Glauka Globoza. The soil should not dry out, but it is also not necessary to drown the tree in water. Humidification is carried out when the soil dries out by 1-2 cm. Water often and little by little.
When the spruce takes root a little, the water regime changes. 1-2 years after planting, Glauka Globoza is already able to endure a slight drought. But it is better not to allow this to happen, but to water the tree regularly, spending no less than 10-12 liters of water per plant.
For spiny spruce, sprinkling is not vital, as it is for Canadian spruce. But Glauka Globoza gratefully responds to any moistening of the crown – the needles become brighter, and the tree gets rid of dust, pathogens. In addition, a jet of water knocks down the larvae of some pests, and high humidity is the best prevention of the appearance of spider mites.
It is better to fertilize prickly spruce with special top dressings for coniferous plants, produced separately for each season. Spring contains a lot of nitrogen, autumn is rich in phosphorus and potassium.
All plants respond gratefully to foliar feeding. They are especially important for varietal conifers growing in not very comfortable conditions. In addition, trace elements are poorly absorbed through the root, and they are vital for spruces. Their shortage is made up for by spraying needles. You can use special water-soluble fertilizers containing a complete mineral complex or chelates.
Spruces do not tolerate gas and smoke, prickly is more resistant to them than other species, but also suffers. In order for Glauka Globoza to be beautiful and healthy, better resist adverse factors and get sick less, with foliar treatments that do not contain metal oxides, epin or zircon are added alternately to the balloon.
Mulching and loosening
After planting, the soil under the blue spruces is regularly loosened so that air and water can reach the roots that have not had time to take root well. It is especially useful to carry out the procedure after watering or rains. But it is important not to overdo it – loosening is carried out to a depth of no more than 5-8 cm.
In the future, roots approaching close to the surface should be disturbed as little as possible. Loosening is replaced by mulching. You can use different substrates, but the bark of coniferous trees or sour peat is best.
Trimming
The crown of Glauka Globoza is beautiful, it can not be formed. But if necessary, all prickly spruces are cut off – they tolerate a haircut well. It’s important to do it right. Without prejudice to decorativeness, young branches can be cut. Old ones are removed only if they are broken, dried out or severely affected by the disease. In this case, the wound surface is treated with garden pitch or special paint.
When planting a Glauka Globoza spruce on the site, it is better to immediately decide what shape of the crown it will maintain throughout its life. If you start cutting it early, you can make a ball, an oval, a cone, a hemisphere out of wood.
Spruce blue Glauka Globoza will not take a pillow shape without pruning. Culture already grows more in breadth than in height, and if the top is removed at a young age, it will have several new ones. Restraining their growth with a haircut, you can form a tree of the original shape.
Preparation for winter
Prickly spruce has excellent frost resistance. Glauka Globoza is recommended for growing in zones 2 to 7, therefore it will do well in cold regions.
Only young plants need to be covered, wrapping the crown with white non-woven material. In the southern regions and temperate climates, this is done only in the year of planting. In the North, it is recommended to play it safe and protect the prickly spruce from frost for the first two winters.
Adult spruces are mulched with peat in autumn.
Reproduction
Spruce is not an easy crop to propagate. Nurseries are engaged in its breeding, and amateurs have neither the necessary knowledge nor specially adapted premises and equipment, without which it is difficult to bring a seedling to planting in a permanent place. But probably. You just need to be ready for a large number of attacks at all stages.
Spruce prickly Glauka Globoza can be propagated by grafting, seeds and cuttings. The last method for non-specialists is preferable. They take cuttings throughout the year with a heel (a small piece of bark taken from an older shoot), remove the needles located on the lower part, and powder with a growth stimulator. Planted in perlite, sand, peat-sand mixture. The cuttings are kept in a cool, shady place with high soil and air humidity. Replanted several times.
Unlike other varieties, Glauka Globoza spruce can be propagated by seeds. They are sown in the spring, after stratification 1-2 months. Germination is about 70%. Seeding rate – 2 g per 1 square. m (1 g contains approximately 230 seeds). The depth of planting in the ground should be 4-5 times the size of the seeds. The bed is mulched with rotted sawdust of coniferous species with a layer of 2-3 cm and kept moist. Prickly spruces of Glauka Globoza dive and transplant several times. In 1-2 years, they begin to cull according to the color of the needles. Planted in a permanent place at the age of at least 5-8 years.
Blue spruce grafting should be handled by specialists.
Diseases and pests
Prickly spruce Glauka Globoza most often suffers from diseases:
- ulcerative cancer;
- rot;
- shutte;
- dry necrosis;
- spruce spinner.
They fight them with fungicides, and you need to treat the trunk, needles, branches, and the trunk circle.
Pests are destroyed with insecticides, it is easier to get rid of ticks with the help of acaricides. On blue spruces often appear:
- spider mites;
- spruce sawyer;
- different types of aphids;
- small spruce false shield;
- mealybug;
- spruce hermes;
- topographer.
Reviews of spruce Glauka Globoza
Conclusion
Spruce Glauka Globoza is a beautiful variety with blue needles, resistant to urban conditions and forgiving some care mistakes. If you provide the tree with comfortable conditions, it will grow on the site for many years, without causing much trouble to the owners.