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

Ohlendorffy spruce is a common variety grown as a tapeworm or used to decorate rock gardens, mixborders and other compositions. This dwarf culture has a height of 2-5 meters and is characterized by slow growth, which does not exceed 6 centimeters per year. An interesting feature of the plant is the golden-green color of the needles.

Features of the variety

This culture got its name in honor of the breeder Ohlendorf. He developed an unusual dwarf spruce in the middle of the nineteenth century. It happened in the German city of Hamburg. At the beginning of the last century, the German botanist Shpet gave the variety a description and name.

Olendorffy spruce belongs to dwarf varieties. The tree has a regular symmetrical hemispherical crown. At the same time, there is a small nest in its center.

This culture is characterized by fairly prickly needles, the length of which is 5-8 millimeters. They can be round or diamond-shaped in cross section. The needles are dense and rather stiff. Young trees and the strongest shoots have radial needles. However, its color can vary from olive to golden green.

Young shoots of the tree have a tinge of coffee with milk or a yellowish color. In this case, the lower branches usually have a lighter color than the upper ones. The kidneys are brown or ocher. They are spindle shaped. The buds growing from above reach a length of 3 millimeters, while the rest are smaller. Sometimes they form groups of 4-6 pieces. On strong shoots, 8-10 buds may be present at once.

Cones have an attractive purple color. As they mature, they become chocolate. Another feature of the culture is a high degree of resistance to frost. The plant can withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees. The life expectancy of a plant is 300-500 years.

An important advantage of the culture is its undemanding to the composition of the soil. At the same time, it does not perceive sand or clay well. Moist soil is considered the best option, but the tree is able to withstand severe short-term drought. With a prolonged lack of moisture, the tree gradually loses its needles.

Like other conifers, Olendorffi spruce requires an acidic environment. In alkaline soil, the tree does not take root. An important advantage is the possibility of self-acidification of the soil. Therefore, special procedures are not required for this. Near the spruce, it is worth planting plants that urgently need acidic soil.These include blueberries and rhododendrons.

Application

Spruce Olendorfi is often used to decorate garden plots. The culture has a compact size that allows you to place a tree in open ground or grow it in containers.

The plant looks great as a tapeworm and is great for group plantings. Thanks to its development, Ohlendorffy spruce can be combined with larger conifers or become the central element of the composition. In the second case, it must be combined with more compact spruces or firs.

Culture perfectly complements rockeries and alpine slides. It can be safely used to decorate heather gardens and rockeries. It is also acceptable to use a tree as a retaining wall.

The plant goes well with other conifers - firs, thujas, cypresses. It can be combined with pines and other spruces. In addition, the tree looks great in combination with gray pebbles. It can also be used as a hedge.

The variety can be used for growing in places with a slope. In such zones there is no risk of moisture stagnation in the root area. In addition, a hedge of such a spruce helps to align the slope of the garden.

Because the tops of the trees are at the same level with the eyes, they are a kind of landmark. Plants planted in this way, with proper crown formation, can favorably affect the perception of slopes and irregularities.

Landing

Spruce Ohlendorffii can be propagated in different ways - generative and vegetative. In this case, the seed method is usually not used, since it is considered too laborious. In addition, the culture may not inherit varietal characteristics. The same goes for withdrawals. To get a guaranteed result, it is best to buy a seedling in a specialized nursery.

How to find a seat

The plant is considered to be completely undemanding to the type of soil. Ohlendorfi spruce can be planted in soil with a moderate nutrient content. It can be slightly acidic or alkaline. It is important to bear in mind that the tree does not tolerate too dry or saline soil. Also, stagnant moisture in the root system will not suit him.

Olendorffy spruce is good at receiving plenty of sun, but it can also withstand light shade. When planting a crop, it is important to remember the surface location of the roots and take this feature into account when choosing a place. The site should be closed from the wind, because young roots under the influence of its impulses will not be able to keep the tree in the soil.

How to plant correctly

To plant an Ohlendorffy spruce, it is important to follow these steps:

1. In the selected area, you need to make a recess for planting. Its depth should be 60-70 centimeters, and its diameter should be 1 meter. The pit should be prepared no later than a couple of weeks before planting.
2. When planting several plants, it is required to maintain an interval between them of 2.5 meters. When planting a hedge, the distance is reduced to 1.8-2 meters.
3. Pour a layer of drainage 20 centimeters thick into the pit. For this, it is permissible to use crushed brick, expanded clay, river sand.
4. Prepare the substrate. This requires the use of turf, leaf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. When planting a tree with open roots, 1 bucket of substrate requires adding 2 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate.
5. Lay a layer of soil on the drainage and carefully transfer the plant from the container into the recess. It is important to ensure that its root neck is flush with the ground.
6. After planting, moisten the tree abundantly with warm water. This requires using 3-4 buckets of liquid.
7. When planting a crop with an open root system, it can be fed. To do this, you need to add 6-7 tablespoons of nitroammophoska and 10 grams of Kornevin to the water.
8. Cover the trunk circle with a mulch layer. Its thickness should be 60-80 centimeters. Peat and sawdust should be used as mulch. From above they should be sprinkled with coniferous bark.

Care Requirements

Olendorffy Spruce is an undemanding plant. However, to preserve the decorative effect, you still need to follow some recommendations.

How to water

Spruce irrigation needs to be done systematically, but it is important to remember the sense of proportion. For 1 plant, you need to use 1.5-2 buckets of water per week. In dry weather, you need to water the tree every day. In this case, it is required to use 1 bucket per seedling. Equally important is the irrigation of the crop crown.

After watering, it is important to loosen the soil. Since the culture has a superficially located root system, this should be done to a maximum depth of 5-6 centimeters.It is necessary to loosen the culture to ensure root respiration. If this recommendation is neglected, a crust appears on the ground, which prevents proper aeration.

If peat is used as mulch, it does not need to be removed. During loosening, natural material must be mixed with the soil.

Feeding

Spruces from a container and trees fed at planting should not be fertilized in the first season. Subsequently, it is required to follow a certain scheme. So, in the spring, before the start of sap flow, 1.5-2 tablespoons of nitroammophoska should be applied under each tree. It is recommended to do this dry or when watering, mixing top dressing with water.

Once every 2 years in the same period, instead of a nitrogen substance, universal remedies should be used. The most effective means include "Aquarin", "MicroMix", "Kemira-universal". Such substances should be used twice a week.

Nitrate form nitrogen should be applied in a small amount until July. To do this, you can use potassium and calcium nitrate. Then it is worth making magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. It is worth noting that magnesium helps maintain the decorative crown.

In August and September it is recommended to use magnesia. At the same time, 1 tablespoon of the substance should be used for 1 tree. You can also feed the culture with potassium nitrate.

Do I need to trim

Formative pruning is carried out almost immediately after planting in open ground. Subsequently, this manipulation is required to be performed until mid-summer. Thanks to this, the damaged areas will have time to overgrow before the cold weather. To speed up this process, it is recommended to use garden pitch.

With the systematic implementation of forming pruning from spruce of this variety, it is possible to grow a very dense hedge. If there are two tops on the tree, it is recommended to remove one of them.

Pest control

Spruce of this variety is characterized by a fairly strong immunity. The culture is resistant to most pathologies and parasite attacks. However, with excess moisture and stagnant water in the root system, there is a risk of developing fungal infections. They can also develop with a strong thickening of plantings.

The most common pathologies that Ohlendorffy spruce encounters include:

• root rot;
• fusarium;
• shutte;
• rust;
• ulcerative cancer;
• cortical necrosis.

When detecting pathologies in the initial stages of development, it is recommended to use Bordeaux liquid, Fundazol, Alirin-B. Also, "Fitosporin-M", "Abika-Peak", "Hom" have high efficiency. When using such products, it is important to strictly follow the instructions.

Fungal diseases in advanced form cannot be cured. In this case, the affected tree must be uprooted and burned. And you need to do this away from the garden. Plants that are nearby are definitely recommended to be treated with fungicides.

Also, the culture can suffer from pest attacks. The most dangerous parasites that infect the Ohlendorffy spruce include:

• spruce Sitka aphid;
• spider mite;
• leaflet.

To cope with insects will help tools such as "Decis" and "Karbofos". Most often, insecticides are used for double treatment of plants. This is required to be done at the end of June and at the beginning of July. The interval between spraying should be 2 weeks.

Preparing for cold weather

Olendorffi spruce is considered a very frost-resistant crop.It is able to withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees. This means that in most of Russia, culture does not require preparation for the cold. However, experienced gardeners still advise warming young plants.

After abundant winter watering, it is recommended to place a thick layer of mulch 8-10 centimeters in size in the near-stem circle. Sprinkle it with coniferous bark on top, and place pine spruce branches on it.

In late February and early spring, spruces of this variety may suffer from sunburn. To avoid such problems, before the arrival of spring, the tree must be covered with a non-woven fabric. For this purpose, it is permissible to use spanbond.

Olendorffy spruce is a very common ornamental culture, which is often used to decorate summer cottages. The plant is considered very unpretentious. However, to maintain its decorative effect, it is necessary to provide the culture with full and high-quality care.It should include timely watering, fertilizing, pruning. Equally important is the quality protection of plantings from diseases and pests.

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