Spruce Bonfire: description, planting and care, application in landscape design

Prickly spruce Bonfire has excellent decorative properties. This plant has long needles, which can have different colors - blue, greenish, gray or almost white. The indisputable advantage of spruce is slow development. Due to this, culture is often used to decorate summer cottages. Another advantage of the plant is its high resistance to frost.

Origin of the tree

The exact origin of the tree is unknown. It is believed that it appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. There is information that the variety was registered in 1901 in Holland. It happened in the nursery Boskop. At that time, Ari Koster was its owner, and the spruce was named after him.

However, there is information that the new variety appeared a little earlier. In any case, there is evidence in the literary sources that such a spruce was sold at the end of the nineteenth century. During its existence, the plant has become one of the most sought after and popular.

Variety description

Spruce Bonfire is considered an attractive ornamental tree, which is characterized by the following features:

1. Conical crown. The diameter of an adult culture reaches 5 meters. At the same time, its branches are slightly lowered downwards. Young seedlings have an asymmetric shape. This is due to the rapid development of the lower branches. At the same time, by the age of 10, the plant takes on a more regular shape.
2. Prickly and hard needles. It has a bluish-green color and reaches a length of 25 millimeters. On top of the needles there is a light wax coating. The color of the plant is maintained throughout the year.
3. The height of an adult plant is 10-15 meters. By the age of 10, spruce reaches 3 meters. Moreover, its diameter is 1.5-2 meters. This culture is characterized by an average pace of development. For 1 year, it increases by 15-20 centimeters. In spring, lilac cones appear on the branches of spruce. After a while they turn green and then brown.

The distinctive characteristics of a tree include the following:

1. High resistance to frost. An adult plant can withstand temperatures up to -40 degrees. At the same time, spruce is resistant to drought, polluted air, smoke.
2. The need to use loose fertile soil for planting. The best options include chernozem and loam. It is important that the soil has an average moisture content. At the same time, its acidity should be 4-5.5.

Fit features

In order for the culture to develop normally, it needs to be properly planted. At the same time, spruce can be propagated in different ways.

Through seedlings

Spruce Koster is easiest to propagate using seedlings. In this case, it is important to choose the right place for landing. It is best to give preference to a sunny area or partial shade. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to plant the culture in dense clay soil. In this case, the tree will not be able to take root normally, because it has a shallow root system.

Drainage should be provided in the selected area. This helps to prevent stagnant moisture. At the same time, tiles, expanded clay or crushed stone should be placed at the bottom of the recess. To prepare the substrate, the earth from the recess must be mixed with sand, peat and leaf humus. It is also recommended to add nitroammophoska. The substrate must be placed in a recess and pour 5 liters of water.Then place a spruce there and sprinkle it with earth.

With cuttings

You can grow a blue spruce Bonfire from a small branch. To do this, from a plant aged 6-8 years, you need to cut off a shoot 10-20 centimeters in size and remove the needles from its lower part. Then the cutting is recommended to be placed in the prepared recess. This is required to be done at an angle of 30 degrees.

After that, the plant needs to be watered regularly. Until the end of the summer, it is required to keep it closed with burlap. For the winter, planting material is recommended to be insulated with sawdust.

With seeds

This propagation method is considered the most difficult, since it will take 3 years to grow a seedling. Collecting seeds should be done in winter. At the same time, they need to be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Then the seeds need to be buried in the ground by 1.5 centimeters and stored for 3 months in the refrigerator. After that, the container should be moved to a warm place and watered until sprouts appear.

Care Requirements

Culture is considered very undemanding to care and has strong immunity. When growing spruce, it is recommended to follow these rules:

1. Young trees up to a year should be watered several times a day in small portions. Plants 10 years old need to be moistened every 2 days.
2. Pruning systematically required.
3. Up to 5 years, spruce should be fed with mineral preparations.
4. To remove parasites, you should use tools such as Karbofos or Decis.
5. Fundazol or colloidal sulfur should be used as a treatment for diseases.

Application

For a long period of time, spruce was planted near monuments and administrative buildings. However, in the last 20-30 years, it has been used to decorate summer cottages. Today, spruce is often used to create compositions with other conifers and deciduous crops.It can also be used as a tapeworm.

Spruce Bonfire is a very spectacular plant that fits perfectly into a variety of compositions. In order for the culture to retain its decorative effect, it needs to be properly looked after.

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