Spruce Serbian Nana: description and characteristics of Omoriki, planting and care

Serbian Nana Spruce is an attractive dwarf plant that has been known since the 1930s. This mutation was identified and fixed by the workers of the nursery of the Gudkade brothers, which is located in the Dutch city of Boskop. Since then, Nana has become widespread. It began to be actively grown in gardens and parks. In order for the culture to retain its decorative effect, it must be properly looked after.

Description of the tree

If the Serbian Omorica Nana is a dwarf form obtained by a natural mutation. An adult tree grows up to a maximum of 3 meters.At the same time, its crown in diameter does not exceed 2 meters. Under favorable conditions, the lifespan of a culture reaches 300 years.

This plant is slow growing. In height, its growth does not exceed 5-10 centimeters, and in width - 5. The young plant has a rounded crown. At an older age, it stretches in height and becomes wide-pin-shaped.

Nana spruce is characterized by a radial arrangement of needles, so the tree seems quite fluffy. The length of the needles of the plant is 7-8 millimeters, and the width is about 1.5. The needles are dark green above and blue below. This color scheme makes the tree even more attractive.

Sometimes elongated cones appear on spruce. They have a length of up to 6 centimeters and a lilac color. The fruits turn dark brown as they ripen.

Natural range

Spruce Picea Omorika Nana is widespread in the west of Serbia. The culture is also found in the eastern regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the high degree of resistance to frost and undemanding to the composition of the soil, the crop is grown in northern Europe and America.

Landing

Omorika Nana is considered an unpretentious crop that easily withstands development in shady places. However, it is much better to plant the plant in well-lit areas. In this case, the place must be protected on all sides.

It is recommended to buy Nana spruce seedlings in specialized nurseries. It is desirable to give preference to plants that have a closed root system. The best age is 4 years old. Such seedlings are characterized by a well-branched root system, which easily adapts to new conditions.

Planting work is recommended in the spring.In this case, it is required to prepare a recess, which is 2 times the size of the roots. In the pit, it is recommended to provide a drainage layer measuring 10 centimeters. In addition to the usual soil, it is worth adding a nutrient composition there. It should include potting soil, peat and humus.

After preparing the pits for planting, you need to install a seedling in it, sprinkle it with a nutrient substrate and compact the soil. Then the plant is recommended to be watered. After that, the trunk circle needs to be mulched. For this purpose, it is best to use needles.

Aftercare

In order for Nana spruce to retain its decorative properties, it needs to provide full and high-quality care. Immediately after planting, watering should be carried out regularly, not allowing the soil to dry out. At the same time, excess moisture is also harmful. In this case, there is a risk of rotting of the root system.

A mature tree needs to be watered less frequently. At the same time, at least 10 liters of water must be consumed for each meter of culture. Between moistening, the top layer of soil should have time to dry out. In hot weather, watering will have to be done weekly.

Krone sprinkling is of no small importance. In the heat, this procedure should be carried out every day. If there is a fogging installation on the site, there is no need for such manipulation. Sprinkling helps protect the needles from drying out and washes away dust. In addition, this procedure protects the plant from spider mites.

Serbian spruce needs to be fed from time to time. It is recommended to do this with special fertilizers for coniferous plants. In spring, products with a high nitrogen content should be used, and in summer and autumn, substances with phosphorus and potassium should be used.

Spruce absorbs trace elements best through the vegetative organs. Therefore, every 2 weeks it needs to be sprayed with a solution of top dressing for conifers. It is even better to use a chelate preparation for this purpose. At the same time, Zircon or Epin should be added to the sprayer.

During the first two seasons after planting, the crop should be loosened regularly. It is important to consider that the branches of the plant lie on the ground. Therefore, for the procedure, they need to be carefully lifted with your hands.

Subsequently loosening the soil is impractical. Nana spruce is characterized by a superficial arrangement of sucking roots, which can be easily damaged. The soil under the Nana spruce needs to be mulched with acidic peat or pine bark. This will help avoid contact with the ground and retain moisture.

The Serbian Nana spruce is characterized by a beautiful and symmetrical crown that does not require special shaping. In young plants, sanitary pruning is replaced by cleaning and sprinkling. After the culture is pulled out, the crown becomes more rare. At this stage, you can remove dry and broken branches with secateurs. This is recommended every spring.

If required, the crown can be trimmed with pruning. Serbian spruce withstands shearing well. However, to give the culture a more unusual shape, pruning should be started as early as possible.

How to breed

Propagation of Serbian spruce by vaccination is carried out only in nurseries. Thanks to this, it is possible to obtain a beautiful standard form. Variety Nana brings cones, from which it is possible to collect seeds. It is easy to germinate seed material. It is much more difficult to bring the sprouts to a transplant to a permanent site. In addition, it is far from a fact that the plant will retain varietal characteristics.

As long as the Serbian spruce gets the desired commercial properties, it has to be moved from place to place. In addition, the number of varietal trees will be small. Growing conifers by seed requires not only certain skills, but also a lot of space. It makes no sense for beginner gardeners to do this.

To propagate spruce on your own, you should resort to cuttings. However, this process is also considered quite complicated. Sometimes the plant dies 2-3 years after the rooting of the cutting. This happens quite often, so you need to prepare for this.

Cuttings can be harvested throughout the season. However, it is best to do this in the spring, so that the planting material has time to take root by the cold weather. To harvest cuttings, the shoot must be torn off with a heel. After that, you need to remove the lower needles and soak the future plant in the stimulator. Then it can be planted in perlite, sand or peat-sand soil.

Culture is recommended to provide high soil and air humidity. At the same time, it must be reliably protected from the sun. After rooting, Serbian spruce cuttings can be planted in a more nutritious substrate. Usually this is done after 2.5-3 months. To plant a plant at this stage, it is recommended to mix leaf humus and sand in equal parts. A substrate for coniferous plants can also be used for this purpose.

In the cups, it is imperative to make holes for the outflow of water and place drainage in them. After that, the Serbian spruce cuttings need to be grown until the seedling begins to branch.

Pest control

The described culture rarely suffers from attacks by parasites or the development of diseases. However, if the rules of care are violated, it may be exposed to such pests:

1. Sitka spruce aphid - infects all parts of the tree. This leads to yellowing and dropping of the needles. For the prevention and destruction of parasites, the plant is treated with garlic or onion infusion. Potassium soap can also be used.
2. Spider mites - attack spruce during the dry summer. To get rid of parasites, you need to use garlic infusion or Bordeaux liquid.

To avoid problems, you need to follow these rules:

• systematically loosen the soil;
• destroy weeds;
• maintain optimal soil moisture parameters;
• apply fungicides and insecticides in a timely manner.

Application

Serbian Nana spruce is often used in landscape design. The popularity of this plant is associated with excellent decorative properties and ease of cultivation. Culture can be used to create hedges, as an accent, or to form compositions with other conifers.

Nana is a highly sought-after coniferous plant that has an attractive appearance. This culture fits perfectly into a variety of compositions and does not require complex care.

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