Spruce Alberta Globe: description, planting and care, application in landscape design

The appearance of the Alberta Globe spruce dates back to 1968. It was then that the gardener Streng, while working in the Dutch nursery Boskop, discovered an unusual tree on the site with Koniki. Unlike the original variety, the spruce crown was not conical, but almost round. Thanks to subsequent selection work, it was possible to consolidate and develop the traits that were provoked by a random mutation. The result was the creation of the Alberta Globe variety.

Description of the tree

The Alberta Globe Canadian Spruce was bred from a natural mutation in the Common Gray Spruce.A distinctive feature of the new variety was the original shape of the crown. It was not conical, but rounded. In botany, the new plant began to be called Alberta Globe. Sometimes the culture is referred to as Blue, Glauk or Globa. It is also often called white or gray.

An ordinary Canadian spruce can reach a height of 40 meters. However, Alberta Globe is a dwarf culture that grows up to a maximum of 1 meter. The annual growth is 1-2 centimeters. In this case, the girth of the crown increases by about 1 centimeter.

Spruces aged 10 years have an ideal rounded shape and a dense fluffy crown with soft green needles. The branches are difficult to see due to the density and density of the needles. The trunk of this shrub reaches 40 centimeters in girth. At the same time, the height of the plant does not exceed 1.2 meters.

If you do not cut the plant, after a while its rounded crown will begin to stretch upwards. In this case, it will become conical. Spruce of this variety is characterized by small cones up to 3 centimeters in size. They are light brown in color and have an elongated shape.

Young plants have light green needles. After a while, it darkens and becomes brighter and more saturated. The plant has an intense aroma, which is similar to the smell of blackcurrant. Also spruce has thin and soft needles.

This variety is characterized by a fairly high resistance to frost. With proper pruning, the shrub is distinguished by splendor. Therefore, it is possible to create beautiful hedges from it. It is often used in landscape design. The plant can be a great substitute for flowers and make the yard more attractive.

Where applicable

Canadian spruce has excellent decorative properties. The Alberta Globe variety is characterized by its compact size, which is why it is ideal for a small area. In free spaces, the plant can be used as the lower and middle tiers of landscape groups.

The Canadian Alberta Globe Spruce is characterized by slow growth and compact size. Due to this, it looks great in rock gardens, rockeries, flowerbeds and discounts. The tree perfectly complements an English or Oriental garden.

The tree grows well in the shade. Alberta Globe has not gray, but green needles. Therefore, it does not become pale in the absence of sunlight. The culture goes well with other ornamental plants, including flowers. Due to its compact size and slow growth, the tree can be planted in containers.

So, Alberta Globe spruce is used in landscape design in the following ways:

1. Solitary or single landing. Spruce can be planted in the ground or in a container. In the second case, the plant can be used to decorate different parts of the site or open terraces. On New Year's Eve, you can decorate it in the yard or bring it into the house.
2. Garden compositions. The neat silhouette of a spruce will be an excellent addition to a rocky garden - rock garden or rockery. Spruce goes well with boxwood, Thunberg barberry, flowers. It can be combined with hostas or cereals.
3. Accent. Quite often, landscapers plant two fir trees on the sides of doors or in front of a living room window.
4. Hedge. The plant has a very dense crown. Therefore, it can be used to organize a small hedge. Sometimes the culture is combined with other plants.

How to plant correctly

Alberta Globe spruce is recommended to be planted in neutral to slightly acidic soil that has good drainage. A coniferous plant does not tolerate excess moisture and stagnant water after watering. Planting this spruce variety is not easy. For the process to be successful, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Dig a hole measuring 60x70 centimeters.
2. Lay a drainage layer of expanded clay on the bottom. Its thickness should be 20 centimeters.
3. Prepare a nutrient composition of sand, peat and clay. These components must be mixed in equal parts. It is also required to add 100 grams of nitroammophoska to the soil.
4. Take a seedling straight with a clod of soil on the roots and place it in the planting hole.
5. Press the soil around the plant with your foot and form an earthen rampart near the trunk.
6. Pour the plant with a bucket of water.
7. Add a layer of sour peat under the trunk. Its thickness should be 5 centimeters.

Before planting, the root system of a seedling that is in a pot needs to be moistened and transplanted in this form. At the same time, you should not remove the burlap that covers the roots.

Care

Grey Canadian spruce requires proper feeding and regular watering. It is also necessary to loosen and mulch the soil. It is also important to clean the crown and prepare the crop for winter.

When and how to water

After being transferred to the soil, the Alberta Globe spruce seedling needs to be watered daily to keep the soil from drying out. Subsequently, the culture should be moistened 1-2 times a week. It depends on the dryness of the soil.

During irrigation, it is worth irrigating the crown. It is best to carry out such work early in the morning or in the evening. This helps prevent sunburn. It is important to take into account that fungal microorganisms and parasites actively multiply on wet needles. Therefore, excessive watering is no less harmful than lack of moisture.

Loosening and mulching

A characteristic feature of the culture is considered to be a tight fit of branches to the ground. Therefore, loosening the soil near the trees is quite difficult. Despite this, the procedure is still required to be carried out regularly. This is especially true in the first 2 years. For loosening, it is recommended to use small tools. At the same time, the lower branches should be lifted and loosened shallowly to avoid damage to the root system.

After that, it is worth pouring sour peat into the near-trunk circle and carefully cover it with sawdust, needles or foliage.The thickness of the mulching layer should be 15-20 centimeters. Thanks to this care, it is possible to retain moisture in the root area and protect the soil from pests and weeds.

Cutting

Spruce of this variety has a very attractive crown. That's why you can't cut it. However, sometimes ordinary shoots appear on trees. It is recommended to remove them immediately. Otherwise, the appearance of the plant will deteriorate.

Also keep in mind that the old Alberta Globe tree may lose its shape. Instead of a ball, it will turn into a wide cone. In this case, decorative properties must be maintained with a haircut. In this case, the shoots are recommended to be cut in early spring. This should be done before bud break.

Crown care

In order for the Alberta Globe spruce to develop normally and retain its decorative properties, it is recommended to properly care for its crown.Cleaning is an important part of care. This spruce is characterized by a fairly dense plant mass. Therefore, water and light almost do not get inside the tree. To avoid problems, the crown should be systematically thinned out and dried dead shoots removed. It is also recommended to take into account that fallen needles and dust accumulate inside.

It is recommended to clean the crown with thick rubber gloves and a respirator. The fact is that spruce is distinguished by rather sharp needles, and inside its crown there is a lot of fine wood dust, which does great harm to the lungs.

To clean the crown, it is recommended to do the following:

1. When watering or pruning, spread the branches of the plant with your hands.
2. Remove all dried or affected specimens. This should be done with garden shears or pruners.
3. Gently moisten the bole and shrub. This must be done with a spray gun.

This procedure is recommended to be carried out 3 times a year. The first time this should be done before the buds open, after winter, the second - 14 days after the spring treatment with fungicidal agents, the third - in the fall, before spraying with copper sulfate.

Preparing for frost

Canadian spruce Alberta Globe has a high degree of frost resistance. It is able to winter without shelter in zone 4. At the same time, only young plants in the year of planting need to be protected. It is recommended to cover them with spruce branches or wrap them in white agrofibre. The material is fixed with twine.

After that, the soil must be mulched with sour peat. With the onset of spring, the material is not removed, but carefully embedded in the ground. If during the growing season the soil was covered with bark, it must be raked and stored in a dry room for storage. In the spring, the mulch can be returned to its place.

In order to increase the resistance of Canadian spruce to frost, it is required to carry out autumn water-charging irrigation and apply fertilizer based on phosphorus and potassium. It is best to use a special preparation for conifers.

Pest control

Alberta Globe spruce is a hardy plant, but it is also prone to disease. Pathogenic fungi are able to infect different fragments of cultures. Shutte is considered one of the most common diseases that a plant suffers from. Its characteristic feature is the appearance of transverse stripes on yellow needles. Fungicides will help to cope with the pathology.

From pests, spruce suffers from spider mites, spruce leafworms, nun butterflies. Also, the culture can be affected by Hermes and gall aphids. To protect the plant from parasites, you need to treat it with insecticides.

How to propagate

Canadian spruce Alberta Globe can be propagated by grafting or cuttings. The seeds will form a species tree. At the same time, cultivation of culture is not suitable for beginner gardeners. To obtain a new tree, it is required to root branches from the lower part of the crown measuring 10-12 centimeters. They should be cut with a piece of bark from an older shoot.

Cuttings need to be treated with a root stimulator and placed in perlite or sand. Branches are recommended to be deepened by 2-3 centimeters. The part of the cutting that will be in the substrate must be cleared of needles. It should be planted in pots with drainage holes to remove water. They need to be removed in a cold greenhouse and watered evenly.

After rooting some of the cuttings, they need to be planted in a more nutritious soil. It may consist of sand, peat and turf. A tree needs to be transplanted to a permanent place in 4-5 years. At the same time, a whorl of kidneys should appear at the top of the spruce. Side shoots will subsequently grow from it.

Alberta Globe spruce has excellent decorative properties. In order to use culture in landscape design, it needs to be well cared for.

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