Representative of one of the numerous species of conifers of the Pine family, the well-known spruce, owes its name to the ancient Romans. This is what the translation of the word "resin" sounds like. In the green kingdom, spruce occupies one of the first places and belongs to a genus in which there are almost 50 plant species distributed throughout the world: from Northern Europe and Central Asia to North America. What kind of spruce is it, what kind of tree is it? How long does it live on Earth and what forms does it take? Let's try to find answers to these questions.
Description of spruce
Tall, upright, evergreen slender trees with a dense cone-shaped crown, narrower at a young age, spruce covered with branches to the very base. Their trunk is difficult to see - it is hidden by the widest spruce "paws". Young trees have a smooth gray bark with a brownish tint, on old spruce trunks it is thinner, peeling in places. The needles are needle-shaped and can stay on branches up to 7-9 years, although with deteriorationecology, these terms are reduced, and in the urban environment, the duration of the conservation of needles does not exceed 3 years. The needles are single, tetrahedral or flattened, spirally arranged on the branches. Cones hanging, elongated, cylindrical. Ripening in autumn, they open when the seeds are dispersed. Seed flakes of a cone with a wide base cover small seeds, provided with wings cupped around them.
Characteristic features of the plant
The description of spruce is unambiguous: it is one of the rather unpretentious plants on Earth. It is undemanding to soil fertility, perfectly takes root on very poor soils. She is not afraid of shady slopes and slight waterlogging of the soil cover. It is incredibly frost-resistant, and it is not afraid of a sharply continental climate. But most species do not withstand gas and smoke, nevertheless, the tree is used in urban landscaping and is used both in single and in group plantings for park alleys and snow protection strips. Dwarf or undersized decorative forms are great for decorating the landscape of small home gardens, slides and rock gardens.
European spruce, or common spruce
The name of this tree speaks for itself and accurately indicates its habitat. European spruce grows in the European part of Russia. It is the basis that forms the taiga. In the north of Siberia and European Russia, the massifs of common spruce are gradually replaced by Siberian spruce. What is this tree? There is no clear distinction between these species. In choosing growing conditions sprucediffers significantly from larch and pine, but there are no sharp intraspecific differences. They are so shade-loving that it is quite difficult to grow in open treeless areas, since even at the stage of shoots that have started to grow, they are damaged by return spring frosts or get sunburn. In addition, they suffer greatly from grass fires provoked by seasonal arson.
Periods and features of tree growth
The first 10 years, the spruce tree grows slowly. Then the growth rate rises sharply, and after 100-120 years it stops again. Uneven, spasmodic growth distinguishes European spruce. That this is a recognized long-liver has long been known. If conditions allow, it easily lives up to 250-300 years. The best soils for it are loams and sandstones. On them, it forms a deep root system that firmly holds it to the surface. But spruce is a lover of quite damp places. On excessively moistened soils, the tree forms a small surface root system and, with strong gusts of wind, may not hold on and collapse to the ground. Spruce tolerates even a slight waterlogging, if it has a flowing character. It should be noted that the root system of spruce is significantly smaller than that of pine, which explains its instability in winds. A feature of the tree is that its lower branches do not die off and remain dry, so it is rather dark and damp in spruce forests.
Spruce growing conditions
Spruce can be grown in most regions of the European part of Russia, in Siberia and in the south of the FarEast. But this is a very delicate kind of wood.
It is better to plant it under the canopy of more stable representatives of the flora - oak, birch or pine. This is especially important for rather dry and poor soils, on which spruce grows hard, since well-moistened soils are preferable for it. Spruce is much more demanding on growing conditions than pine, which can grow well on dry sandy soils. That is why spruce and pine rarely grow side by side - they need too different conditions.
Reproduction
Spruce is easy to grow from seeds, which are very easy to collect: just cut a few spruce cones in the fall and hold them at home until completely dry. You don't need to peel them. Once dry, the buds will open on their own and produce seeds that usually have excellent germination. They should be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then placed in pots with calcined river sand, deepened by 1-1.5 cm. Containers are placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator for stratification. This procedure is necessary, since in nature all conifer seeds are exposed to cold. Stratification stimulates the germination of seedlings. Untreated seeds can lie in the ground for several years, but never sprout. Containers should be kept in the cold for 3 months. After this time, containers with planted seeds are placed in a bright and warm place.
Date of planting
The ideal sowing time is the end of October - November. If you plant seeds inthis period, then the container should be taken out of the refrigerator in February-March. This is the most favorable time for germination, as spring comes, daylight hours increase, and all plants start to grow.
Water and Care
The germination period of seedlings requires especially generous watering, as one should act in accordance with natural conditions. After all, in spring, during snowmelt, the soil is especially moist. Heat and humidity are the main conditions for the activation of coniferous seedlings. After a couple of weeks, a baby spruce should rise. That this is a real conifer is immediately evident: the needles appear first. Now you should be careful and strike a balance, that is, water the sprouts as much as necessary, avoiding both underwatering and excessive moisture. Once every two weeks, young Christmas trees need to be fed and loosened the topsoil.
When the weather warms up and the return frosts recede, small seedlings can be planted in the ground. Before planting, compost or humus mixed with the ground and some complex mineral fertilizers are added to the hole before planting. More Christmas trees are not fed. Having placed the seedlings in a hole, the roots are carefully covered with soil, tamped, well spilled with water and create a small
greenhouse from covering material, film or a glass jar.
This is necessary for faster acclimatization of seedlings.
Seedlings in greenhouses should be ventilated every day. They need to be opened, condensate removed and soil moisture checked. After 7-10 days of shelter, you canremove, and mulch the soil around the Christmas trees to preserve soil moisture. As a rule, spruce seedlings are grown in containers in nurseries for 3-4 years. Since the tree grows very slowly, such a period is considered optimal for the successful further development of the conifer called spruce. Seedlings of this age are more adapted to temperature extremes, they are no longer afraid of frost and sunburn. They are also planted with one top dressing and good watering.
Spruce varieties and their uses
Like many conifers, spruce is quite decorative. She has always been an adornment of the Russian estate, gardens and parks. Today, thanks to a large selection work, many types of spruce trees used in garden landscape design have been bred. A Christmas tree, personally grown from seeds, will not only decorate the site, but can also become the ancestor of family traditions. This method of growing spruces from seeds is suitable for all tall species. In addition, such cultivation is a guarantee of excellent adaptation of the seedling to the climatic conditions of the area. Of the existing species, dwarf spruce attracts special attention of landscape designers. Low-growing varieties usually do not exceed a meter in height, have a wide dense crown.
They are great for decorating garden compositions, stone and alpine slides. One of the most spectacular and sought-after representatives of these species is the Nidiformis spruce.
Dwarf forms: description
Nidiformis - a variety with a round crown shape and a central recess. Heighttree barely reaches 1 m, and the crown reaches a diameter of 3 m. The flattened crown is formed in the form of a nest, since the main branches of the tree are absent, and numerous shoots grow fan-shaped. Gorgeous short dark green needles, very dense and evenly covering the branches. The tree grows very slowly, adding no more than 3-4 cm in height and 5-7 cm in width per year. The herringbone is undemanding to the soil, grows well on moderately fertile sandstones of any acidity level, but can die if groundwater is constantly located near the root system. This spruce, like all low-growing coniferous trees, the photos of which are presented, is very decorative. And its slow growth allows you to save the once created landscape for many years. Nydiformis are hardy, but young plants are best covered if there is a threat of spring frosts.
Evergreen dwarf conifers: reproduction
Short forms are not pure species and propagate exclusively vegetatively - cuttings and layering, but not seeds.
The fact is that such plants appear as a result of a mutation of various types of conifers, and as a rule, ordinary tall, and not dwarf conifers grow from their seeds. Photos of decorative undersized species can be found in the special literature. If you cannot grow such a conifer on your own, there is only one way left - to the store. Bonsai trees are usually sold in containers. The basic rule when buying this rather expensive acquisition is a firm conviction,that the root system of the seedling is strong, well developed, not damaged either mechanically or by pests. And before going to the store, you should familiarize yourself with information about the shape of the crown, features, size of the plant and caring for it.
Many coniferous species retain good shape for many years, regardless of variety. Undersized species may initially have a spherical crown, and over time form a cone. Nevertheless, spruce and pine are such common trees that it is impossible to imagine Russia without these majestic conifers.
