An irreplaceable plant in any area is spruce. After all, the beauty of this tree pleases our eyes all year round. This article will focus on planting and caring for this plant.
Key landing features
Spruce unpretentious plant. If planted correctly, then the tree will certainly take root in your area.
The features of this process include:
- the seedling must be with a lump of land;
- overdrying of the roots is not allowed, so they need to be moistened as necessary;
- tree should be planted immediately after its acquisition or self-excavation in the forest;
- spruce, unlike other plants, perfectly take root if planted in late autumn.
It is also worth noting that spruce prefers to grow on acidic soils, so think ahead of time which neighbors will be next to the tree, because not all cultures are suitable for such conditions.
Did you know? Spruce wood is most often used for paper production.
The best time to plant spruce in the autumn
The autumn period is favorable for planting spruce. Many believe that it is necessary to carry out the procedure before the onset of cold weather. But this is an erroneous opinion, because starting in November, there is the least danger of infection of the root system by rot. Therefore, experts recommend landing in late autumn or winter.
Video: Planting ate in the fall
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Many novice gardeners believe that these trees prefer to grow in the shade, because in natural conditions the pine forests are dark, with little access to sunlight. But in household plots, spruces tend to grow better in a sunny place. The tree grows faster, forms a regular crown and looks healthier than in the shade.
Important! When choosing a site, pay attention to the color of the needles of the tree. Spruce dark tones grow normally in the shade, light - prefer sunny areas.
Choose a place with a good drain. Excess moisture can kill the plant. The earth should be light and “breathing”. Before planting, you need to dig the site well, remove weeds.
The soil should be with a certain level of acidity - 4.5–6 pH. If this indicator is higher, then bacteria begin to actively develop in the soil, which can significantly reduce the growth rate of the tree.
Choosing a seedling or tree
Planting material can be purchased in a specialized store, nursery, garden center or independently dig in the forest.
If you want to buy spruce in a nursery, then when choosing it, pay attention to the following:
- Appearance of a seedling. The plant should have smooth, shiny and not dry needles.
- Soil moisture. This is very important because dry soil adversely affects the tree.
- Root system. The further growth of spruce depends on its condition, the absence of damage. See that the roots do not protrude beyond the pot.
- Container size. The seedling should be spaciously located in the container (for example, if the height of the spruce is 1 m, then the optimal width of the pot for it is at least 50 cm).
When you independently search for a Christmas tree in the forest, you must follow these rules:
- Immediately after the tree is dug up, it is necessary to wind the roots into a damp cloth, and then wrap it with polyethylene. Access to open air damages roots very quickly.
- Transportation should be done as carefully as possible so that the soil from the roots does not crumble.
- Landing must be carried out on the same day, after excavation.
- Choose a cold, preferably frosted, autumn day for this procedure.
Video: How to plant a coniferous plant
What you need for autumn planting
Before landing you need to prepare:
- material for drainage (broken brick or crushed stone);
- the soil mixture for filling the pit (turf and deciduous soil, humus, sand and peat must be mixed in equal amounts);
- Nitroammofosk remedy, which must be added to the soil mixture (a quarter cup);
- a bucket of water to keep the root system in place for a couple of hours in moisture before planting.
Landing stages
The planting algorithm of this plant provides for the following steps:
- Seedling selection.
- The root system is placed two hours before planting in a container of water.
- Preparation of the seat and soil mixture.
- Digging a hole. The size will depend on the scale of the coma on the seedling. Tentatively, the pit should have the following parameters: depth - 50–70 cm, diameter - 40–60 cm.
- Laying the drainage layer - at least 15 cm.
- Putting a seedling in a planting pit and filling it with prepared soil.
- Watering a young tree with two buckets of water.
- Mulching around the trunk.
Autumn spruce care
Coniferous plants can decorate any area very elegantly and stylishly. That is why spruce is popular among gardeners. Beautiful appearance is not the only advantage of this tree. The plant does not require special efforts and care skills, and this is one of its main attractive advantages for gardeners. A set of standard procedures will help you maintain the plant in excellent condition. The rest of the article will focus on the fall care.
Video: General tips for caring for conifers
Watering and feeding
Adult spruce do not need additional watering. They tolerate drought very well. For their existence, the moisture provided by natural conditions is sufficient.
Young plants (1-2 years) must be watered often. They are not yet strong enough to cope with a lack of moisture on their own. Usually, watering should be carried out once a week. In the autumn, before the onset of cold weather, it is very important to nourish the plant with moisture. For example, if a young spruce has not reached a height of 1 m, then it is enough to pour 2 buckets of water under such a tree, and with a growth of more than 1 m - the liquid should be twice as much.
In the autumn, potassium-phosphorus top dressing will become a suitable fertilizer for spruce. Spread 50 g of product around the periostemal circle and loosen the ground. It helps to strengthen the root system and lignification of young branches.
Important! It is not necessary to feed spruce with nitrogen fertilizers in the fall, as they increase the growth of young coniferous branches. This top dressing should be applied only in the spring.
Mulching
Before winter, it is better to protect the plant from severe frosts. This can be done using mulching. Wood bark is suitable material.. It is this type of mulch that perfectly passes oxygen, which is very important for conifers. Leaves and sawdust can cause moisture stagnation, preventing it from evaporating properly. These care measures apply only to young trees. Adult spruce does not need warming for the winter, as it tolerates low temperatures.
A haircut
Not all types of spruce need a haircut. Usually, stunted trees are regular in shape and do not require any pruning. If you planted a tall wild plant near your house or summer house and want to get the crown of the desired shape, then annual pruning is mandatory.
In the autumn period, it is necessary to do a haircut at the beginning of September, so that the places of cuts can be tightened well and not be further damaged with the onset of severe frosts. In the process of trimming, you should also very carefully cut the side branches, since part of them near the trunk is a “dead zone”where the needles have not grown and fallen for a long time, while new buds do not form.
A haircut can be not only formative, but also anti-aging. The main thing is to remove no more than 1/3 of the total green mass of the spruce
Disease and Pest Prevention
In order to maximally protect your garden from a plant affected by a pest or disease, you need to:
- Inspect the seedling carefully. Especially if you are going to transplant it to your site forest specimen. When purchasing planting material in the nursery, also be careful. The needles should be clean, without yellow and dry patches. Bark without smudges of resin.
- Before planting, be sure to treat the plant with fungicides ("Fundazole", copper sulfate, "Skor").
- Regularly inspect the branches, trunk and soil around the tree for parasites. You need to check not only ate, but also all neighboring plants.
- Choose a suitable place for planting and be sure to make a drainage under the root system of the plant.
Did you know? In Sweden, a spruce is growing, which scientists count about 10 thousand years old.
Preventive actions also include:
- timely watering;
- mulching;
- loosening the soil several times a season;
- circumcision of broken and affected branches;
- spraying trees with Bordeaux fluid every 2 months, starting in April.
As you can see, planting a tree and caring for it is not difficult. You will only have to work hard the first few years after planting, and then you will observe how the tree grows and decorates your garden.