Spruce Majestic Blue: description, planting and care, application in landscape design

Majestic Blue Spruce is a spectacular ornamental plant that is used to create beautiful ensembles. The culture is used as a tapeworm and in group compositions. Under natural conditions, the plant is widely distributed in North America. In order for the culture to retain its decorative properties, planting work must be carried out correctly. Of no small importance is the observance of the rules for caring for the culture.

Botanical description

Glauka Majestic Blue Prickly Spruce is a fairly attractive crop imported from the USA.The plant is considered the official state tree of the states of Utah and Colorado. It is actively used as a decorative element in the USA and European countries. The life span of the plant reaches approximately 600 years.

A distinctive feature of spruce is considered to be densely growing horizontal branches that form a conical crown. By the age of 30, the plant reaches a height of 10-50 meters. At the same time, with age, the correct shape of spruce is slightly deformed.

This variety occupies a leading position among spruces. Even young needles have an attractive blue color. In this case, the width of the tree reaches 6 meters. From above, the trunk is covered with scaly gray bark. It also features thick needles measuring 3 centimeters, which are attached to yellow-brown branches.

During the year, the shade of the needles changes somewhat. In early spring, they are almost white in color, and by autumn they become bluish-gray.On the tips of the branches of mature trees over 30 years old, cones appear. Their size is 6-15 centimeters. The culture of this variety is characterized by high frost resistance parameters. It can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees.

Why is it called that

Picea pungens Glauca Majestic Blue got its name for its appearance. It has hard needles 2-3 centimeters long. At the same time, on the lower branches they differ in larger sizes than on the upper ones.

The needles are distinguished by a tetrahedral shape and a sharp tip. This feature is associated with the presence of the word "pungens" in the title. In Latin, this word means "sharp, as in a punctured wound." Over time, the plant becomes silvery blue. That's why it's called Blue. The word glauca is Latin for carpet, and majestic means majestic.

Boarding Requirements

Blue spruce can be planted in early spring or late fall. In the first case, it is recommended to shade the culture from direct sunlight. When planting in autumn, protection from winter wind and severe frost is needed.

When buying spruce seedlings, it is required to give preference to plants with a closed root system. In order for the cultivation of a crop to be successful, a number of rules must be followed. First of all, it is worth choosing the right material for planting. Quality seedlings have a height of no more than 60 centimeters. These trees are doing great. Plus, they are more affordable.

Do not be afraid to buy spruce with a crooked trunk - over time, this disadvantage will disappear. It is much more important to follow the color and structure of the needles - it should look he althy. In addition, young seedlings tolerate transplanting much better.

To plant a crop, you need to do the following:

1. Prepare a hole twice the size of the seedling container.
2. At the bottom of the recess, organize a drainage layer. Its size should be at least 10 centimeters. Crushed stone or crushed brick can be used as drainage.
3. Connect the soil from the recess with sand, sheet soil and sod peat. These components must be taken in equal parts. Mineral top dressing should not be used during planting. They are used during the growing season of the plant as a top dressing.
4. Sprinkle the drainage layer with the prepared substrate. The thickness of this layer should be 3-5 centimeters.
5. Place the seedling in the hole, carefully pulling it out of the container. At the same time, it is important to monitor the safety of the root clod of soil.
6. Sprinkle voids around the root system with the remains of the prepared substrate. After that, it needs to be carefully tamped around the plant. When planting a crop, it is important to ensure that its root collar is flush with the ground.
7. Plentifully water the planted crop. Approximately 10 liters of water is required for 1 plant. If the soil has settled after soaking up the liquid, you need to add soil and water again.
8. Mulch the next day. This can be done with needles, cones, bark residues, chopped branches.

Care instructions

In order for a culture to develop normally, it needs to provide full and high-quality care. At the initial stage, spruce needs increased attention. But over time, she becomes more unpretentious.

When and how to water

Blue prickly spruce is considered a very moisture-loving plant. Until the age of one year, the culture needs to be watered 2 times a day. This is done in the morning and in the evening. At the same time, watering directly under the root is prohibited. It is recommended to moisten the plant by sprinkling. Particular attention should be paid to the crown of the tree so that it acquires a more attractive color.

Loosening

The soil near the Majestic Blue spruce requires regular weeding and loosening. If the trunk circle is mulched, these procedures can be omitted. The use of this method supplies the plant with oxygen, but the moisture evaporates rather weakly. In addition, the material is an excellent insulation for the winter.

Do I need to trim

Spruce of this variety can be subjected to sanitary and shaping pruning. It is recommended to form a crown at the initial stages of development. This is required to be done in early spring. Sanitary pruning is done as needed. It involves the removal of dry and damaged branches. In this case, the processing of slices can be omitted, since the tree contains a lot of its own resin.

Pest control

Culture of this variety often suffers from attacks of spider mites.These pests are most active in dry and hot weather. Also, the plant can infect aphids. To avoid deterioration of the decorative properties of spruce, it must be treated with insecticidal preparations. It is recommended to do this in early spring. To prevent pest attacks, it is worth using tools such as Match, Aktara, Actellik.

It is important to consider that Majestic Blue spruce is susceptible to many pests that can lead to the destruction of the root system. These include, in particular, scoop, Khrushchev and many others. To cope with such parasites, it is worth using tools such as Antikhrushch, Aktara, Prestige.

These substances are recommended for watering plants. It is important to process the root part of the trunk with a size of 10 centimeters. Preparation of working mixtures of preparations is required according to the instructions. It is recommended to process spruce every 1-1.5 months.

Sometimes a tree suffers from fungal infections.They are caused by a high degree of humidity, thickening of plantings, infection of the soil. Most often, spruce of this variety suffers from bark necrosis, needle rust, and ulcerative cancer. It is also prone to shutte and tracheomycosis wilt. Powdery mildew and anthracnose lead to a significant deterioration in the appearance of the needles.

At the first signs of pathology, it is necessary to get rid of the affected shoots. To avoid the development of diseases, it is required to carry out preventive spraying. To do this, use Bordeaux liquid with a concentration of 1%. If the plant is still affected, it is necessary to carry out the treatment twice a month. To do this, it is worth using "Fundazol", "Champion", "Paracelsus", "Skor" and other antifungal agents.

Application in landscape design

Majestic Blue spruce has a high degree of resistance to adverse factors. It is able to withstand the negative effects of dust, gas pollution, pollution.Due to this, the plant is often used to decorate alleys, avenues, squares. This attractive and hardy variety is often found in botanical gardens.

Although the adult spruce of this variety has a fairly impressive height, it grows rather slowly. By the age of 10, the plant does not exceed 3 meters. Therefore, it is increasingly used for landscaping suburban areas.

Culture can be used for solo plantings or group compositions. Sometimes summer residents use this culture as a hedge or a Christmas tree. This perennial culture lends itself perfectly to a haircut. Therefore, balls, pyramids and other geometric shapes can be created from it.

Majestic Blue Spruce is an attractive plant that is often used in landscape design. In order for the culture to grow and develop normally, it is important to plant it correctly. Proper tree care is essential.

Recommended