Black spruce: description, planting and care, application in landscape design

Black spruce is a fairly unpretentious plant that has pronounced decorative properties. This conifer comes from North America. In Europe, it began to grow in the eighteenth century. In order for the culture to develop normally, it is important to carry out planting work correctly and provide the plant with proper care.

What kind of tree and what does it look like

This spruce is called Picea Mariana Aurea. It literally translates to "black spruce native to Maryland". Most likely, the plant was first identified in the territory of this state.In Europe, spruce began to be planted in Germany in the first half of the eighteenth century. When describing a culture, it is worth designating the following parameters:

1. Height - spruce is considered a medium-sized crop. Its maximum size does not exceed 20-30 meters. In nature, plants are usually found with a height of no more than 10 meters. Some decorative species do not exceed 1 meter - in particular, Nana.
2. The diameter of the trunk is approximately 30-90 centimeters.
3. Conical crown - is narrow and dense. Often it has an irregular shape and has horizontal shoots. Older spruces are characterized by the fact that their lower branches are strongly bent to the ground surface.
4. Grey-brown or reddish bark. It is quite thin and has a scaly structure. Younger branches are more intense red-brown.
5. Dark blue-green needles - has a prickly structure, but a small thickness.The length of the tetrahedral needles reaches 1-1.5 centimeters, and in width - 0.5-0.7 millimeters. The needles on the shoots have a very dense arrangement. At the same time, it keeps for quite a long time - more than 8 years. The specific period depends on the conditions of growth. The needles of the plant have a pronounced aroma.
6. Small cones - have a size of 2-3 centimeters. The cones are egg-shaped. At an early stage, they have a purple color, but later darken, becoming black-brown. It is worth noting that the cones do not fall off for a long time. They can remain on trees for up to 20-30 years.

This type of spruce is characterized by slow development even in favorable conditions. At the same time, its life span reaches 350-400 years. Black spruce is a shade-tolerant plant, which is characterized by low demands on the composition of the soil. The culture has medium frost resistance parameters. It is calmly able to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees.

The main problem in growing crops is the wind. The root system does not go too deep into the soil. However, it mainly spreads across the width. Because a hurricane can uproot a plant.

Popular varieties

The plant has rather high decorative properties. This type is not too often used for decorating summer cottages. However, there are a number of varieties that are often grown in European countries and North America. These include the following:

1. Baisnery - represents a small tree whose height does not exceed 5 meters. Culture has a wide round shape. This means that it has the same dimensions in height and width. The needles are characterized by a silver-blue color. The variety is slow growing. It was bred back in 1915. This culture is perfect for decorating large gardens. There is also a dwarf variety of spruce bred by Dutch breeders - Baysnery Compacta.The height of this crop is no more than 2 meters.
2. Nana is a dwarf plant that usually reaches a maximum height of 50 centimeters. The name of the culture means "low". The tree is characterized by a round uniform crown. In addition, the variety has delicate and thin needles of a light green-blue hue. During the year, spruce grows insignificantly, but Nana develops well in a harsh climate and easily withstands frost. The variety needs to be propagated by cuttings. It can be grown outdoors or used to decorate terraces, balconies and roofs. The plant grows well in a container. It can be used to decorate flower beds and alpine slides.
3. Kobold is another undersized variety of black spruce. By the age of 20, the height of the culture reaches 1 meter. At the same time, the plant grows by a maximum of 5 centimeters per year. The culture is characterized by a spherical and rather dense crown of a dark green hue. This spruce was bred in Germany in 1951. It develops well in the middle lane and is great for creating hedges.
4. Doumeti - is a relatively small plant, the height of which does not exceed 6 meters. The culture is characterized by a wide crown of a conical crown. It has dense shoots that rise upwards. The culture has a dense crown of light blue color. Another feature of the culture are cones that grow directly on the trunk. The Doumeti variety differs from other types of black spruce by its rapid growth. The variety was obtained in France in 1855. Spruce is ideal for decorating parks and squares. It looks great as a solitaire and is often used to create all sorts of compositions.

Area

This species comes from North America. Under natural conditions, it is found in territories from Alaska to Minnesota. Culture came to the Old World in the middle of the eighteenth century. She quickly took root in European countries.

Black spruce is widespread in areas with permafrost. It is also often found in areas where sphagnum bogs are located. The tree mainly grows in the taiga. It is also sometimes found in mixed forests.

In Russia, this culture is rare. It mainly grows in forest areas. Even in favorable conditions, the culture is characterized by slow growth.

Landing

Black spruce is considered an undemanding crop. It grows well in shady places and in partial shade. However, the culture can hardly withstand the heat and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. They lead to a slowdown in the development of culture and yellowing of the needles. In addition, the immunity of the plant is weakened. Spruce is undemanding to soil nutritional parameters. It grows normally even in wetlands.

When choosing a landing site, it is important to give preference to a site with good protection from wind and draft. The roots of the tree are not deep enough to withstand powerful gusts. A hurricane can uproot a spruce tree.

It is not recommended to plant a crop near fruit or vegetable crops, as the tree will absorb many valuable components from the soil. This will reduce the quality and quantity of the crop.

When planting a plant, it is recommended to take into account a number of important features:

1. During the year, spruce is recommended to be planted in spring or autumn. It is permissible to move seedlings in containers into the ground at other times.
2. Before planting, the soil needs to be prepared. Although black spruce is not too demanding on the composition of the soil, a fertile substrate will have a good effect on the survival and development of the seedling. You can make the soil with your own hands. To do this, mix turf, leafy soil, sand and peat. It is recommended to do this in a ratio of 2:2:1:1.
3. The size of the planting hole should match the volume of the earthen clod on the roots of the plant.
4. Be sure to provide high-quality drainage at the bottom. It is best to use expanded clay. It is also permissible to use crushed stone or crushed brick. It is important that the drainage layer is 20 centimeters thick.
5. When immersing a seedling into a hole, it is important to consider that the root neck should be flush with the ground.
6. The root system of the culture should be carefully straightened. After that, it needs to be sprinkled with soil and loosely compacted.
7. To fix the seedling, it is worth using pegs. It is recommended to tie the trunk to them.
8. In conclusion, the spruce should be watered abundantly. After that, the trunk circle should be covered with a mulch layer. It may include sawdust, peat, wood chips.

Care

For full development, it is worth following some rules of agricultural technology. The root system acquires a superficial type with age. Therefore, trampling the trunk circle is not recommended. For the same reason, do not transplant a tree older than 1 year.

When caring for a crop, you should follow these rules:

1. Timely water the plants. It is recommended to irrigate young spruces abundantly enough. At the same time, 2-3 buckets of water should be used for 1 plant. The exact amount depends on the weather. Mature trees are recommended to be watered in dry weather.
2. Loosen planting. After watering, this must be done to a depth of 10 centimeters.
3. Pruning plants. It is important to remove dry and affected shoots. To thicken the crown, it is recommended to prune the plants strongly - by half.

In order to retain moisture in the soil and prevent weeds from growing, it is worth covering the trunk circle with a mulch layer. This requires the use of chips or peat. The layer of mulch should be 10 centimeters.

Methods of reproduction

It is recommended to propagate black spruce by cuttings. Breeding the crop by seed is allowed, but this method is rarely used. This is due to the fact that the process itself is labor intensive and not very efficient.

Pest control

The most common pathologies of black spruce include fungal infections - Schutte and Fusarium. Mold can also be a problem. So, the plant is prone to root rot and rust cones. To prevent problems, it is important to systematically inspect plants and remove old branches.

Before planting, the root system must be treated with fungicidal substances. When signs of disease appear, the solution is recommended to be used to water the plant.

Also, spruce can be affected by various types of insects. Of the sucking parasites, the culture is more susceptible to attacks by aphids, needle beetles, spider mites, and Hermes. Among the coniferous pests, it is worth highlighting the sawfly. There are also pests that infect shoots and cones. These include bark beetles and cone moth. Landings are recommended to be systematically inspected and, if necessary, treated with insecticides.

Application

Black spruce is considered quite a valuable plant. It is often used in the paper industry and for the manufacture of lumber. Culture is often used to make finishing materials.

The plant is great for decorating garden plots. Tall varieties can be used as a specimen or create attractive group compositions. Low-growing crops can be planted in flower beds or used to decorate alpine slides. They also look great as hedges.

Black spruce is a popular and sought-after plant that fits perfectly into a variety of compositions. In order for the culture to retain its attractiveness, it is important to adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology.

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