Eastern Spruce Aureospicata: description, planting and care, tree pests

Oriental spruce is a fairly common variety of coniferous plants. It belongs to the Pine family and is a typical mountain culture, the habitat of which is located at an altitude of 1-2.5 thousand meters above sea level. The habitat of the plant is the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Turkey. Despite the fact that this plant is thermophilic, the culture grows well in the middle lane.

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Oriental spruce is a mountain culture. It prefers shaded slopes, where it is adjacent to pine, fir, hornbeam and beech.An adult culture reaches a height of 65 meters. It has light gray smooth bark that cracks and flakes with age.

The plant is distinguished by flattened tetrahedral needles 0.4-0.8 cm in size. At a young age, the needles have a light golden color, and then become dark green. The female buds of the culture are red in color and are located at the ends of the shoots.

Aureospicata is considered one of the most common representatives of Oriental firs. However, there are other varieties. The lifespan of a culture is 400-500 years.

Popular varieties

Oriental spruce has many varieties, each of which is characterized by certain characteristics:

1. Aurea - This variety is slow growing and has a loose, conical crown. During the year, the tree grows by 15 centimeters in height and 5 centimeters in width.The maximum plant size is 12-15 meters. Young needles have a golden color, and in summer they turn green. This variety is considered very unpretentious. It withstands urban conditions well and grows well in sunny areas and partial shade.
2. Aureospicata is a variety of German selection. The maximum height of spruce is 12 meters. However, its width does not exceed 5 meters. Aureospicata is distinguished by the fact that its kidneys open rather late. At the same time, the appearance of young shoots of a golden hue is observed in June. After some time, the needles acquire a dark green color. Spruce is characterized by a dense narrow pyramidal crown and asymmetric side branches. Young buds have an unusual purple color, while mature buds turn brown.
3. Golden Start is a dwarf variety of Oriental Spruce that is slow growing. Its height does not exceed 1.5-3 meters. In this case, the width of the crown is 1.5 meters. The plant is characterized by a wide-conical crown shape.The shoots are widely spread and have a horizontal arrangement. Fresh growth is golden in color but darkens as the season progresses.
4. Summergold - a distinctive feature of this variety is considered to be a symmetrical crown. By the age of 10, spruce grows up to 2 meters. At the same time, an old tree usually does not exceed 8 meters. The young growth has a golden color, but by the end of the warm season, the needles gradually darken. Spruce of this variety grows well in sunny areas and in the shade.
5. Skylands - this variety is most often used in landscape design. Spruce has short needles. At first it has a bright yellow hue, and then it becomes golden. By the end of the season, the culture acquires a dark green color. The crown has a pyramidal crown. At the same time, the adult plant narrows and stretches.
6. Nigra Compacta - this variety has the smallest size. By the age of 10, the height of the tree does not exceed 1 meter. The plant has short needles. Young needles are golden in color, but with age they become dark green.

How to grow

In order for the Aureo Spikata spruce and other varieties of the oriental variety to grow and develop normally, it is important to carry out planting work correctly and provide the plants with proper care.

Landing

Experts advise buying spruce in a container with a closed root system. In this case, the planting of the plant is carried out by transshipment, which causes less stress for it. In addition, such trees can be planted even in summer, while the standard time is the beginning of spring or the end of autumn.

This culture develops normally in different types of soil. However, the best option is fertile light earth, which has an acidic or slightly acidic reaction. It is important to take into account that the culture does not withstand waterlogging. Therefore, it is best to plant it in a place where groundwater does not lie very close to the surface of the earth.

When planting several crops, it is worth taking into account the minimum interval between them. In order for the crown of the plant to develop, the distance between them must be at least 3 meters.

To begin with, it is recommended to dig a hole for planting. Its depth should be 70 centimeters, and its diameter should be 50. Before laying the substrate, it is worth pouring drainage from crushed stone, gravel or expanded clay to the bottom. Its thickness must be at least 15 centimeters.

To provide the tree with nutrition in the first years of life, it is recommended to apply organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil. The substrate for planting can be prepared independently. To do this, mix the following ingredients:

• 4 pieces of fertile land;
• 1 part biohumus;
• 1 piece of peat;
• 1 piece of sand.

Also, 100-150 grams of nitroammophoska should be used for 1 plant. When planting a seedling, it is important to ensure that it is located strictly vertically. In this case, the root neck should be flush with the ground.

Immediately after planting, the soil must be well compacted so that voids do not form in it. After that, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly with a solution of a growth stimulator. To do this, you can use "Epin" or "Kornevin".

After moisture has been absorbed into the soil, the near-trunk circle needs to be mulched with sawdust, needles or pine bark. This will help to avoid drying out of the soil, stop the development of weeds and create favorable conditions for the rapid development of the root system.

Care

Caring for the plant is easy enough. This requires simple steps:

1. Watering - frequency depends on weather factors. In dry weather, the culture should be moistened 1-2 times a week. This is especially true for young seedlings. 1 tree requires at least 10 liters of water.
2. Loosening - it is useful to work the soil around the tree with a manual cultivator to a depth of 5-6 centimeters. At the same time, the soil is mixed with compacted mulch. Thanks to this, the material can be turned into organic fertilizer. After that, it is recommended to update the mulch layer.
3. Feeding - fertilizer should not be applied very often. It is enough to do it 2 times during the season. It is best to use special compositions for conifers for this. At the same time, for spraying, "Chelatin" must be added to the water. Thanks to this, it is possible to compensate for the deficiency of iron in the needles.
4. Pruning - crown formation is optional. At the same time, young seedlings of the culture withstand a haircut well and quickly recover. Be sure to remove damaged and dry branches. It is best to carry out the procedure in early summer.
5. Preparing for winter - in regions with a harsh climate, young seedlings need to be insulated with spruce branches. In this case, you must first water the plants abundantly.

Possible pests

Among the parasites that often lead to the defeat of the oriental spruce, it is worth highlighting the following insects:

• gall aphid;
• spruce leaf roller;
• spider mite;
• nun silkworm caterpillars;
• Spruce Hermes.

It is possible to cope with pests with the help of insecticidal agents and acaricides. The sooner you take action, the more noticeable results you can get. In order to identify parasites in time, it is recommended to carefully examine coniferous trees once a week. This is best done with a magnifying glass.

Using as decoration for yard

According to the description, Oriental spruce is distinguished by pronounced decorative properties. It looks great on the open lawn. Also, the culture can be used as a hedge. Young plants are recommended to be cut, giving them a beautiful shape.

Compact plants go well with low conifers, bright annual flowers, ground cover plants.

Oriental spruce is an excellent ornamental plant often used in landscape design. To grow a crop successfully, it needs to provide quality care.

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