Fir Daisy White: description, planting and care, winter hardiness and use in landscape design
Canadian spruce Daisy White is a coniferous culture, which is distinguished by a cone-shaped crown and can be used to decorate rock gardens and rockeries. Also, this plant is often used as a single element of the garden. Summer residents and landscape designers appreciate this culture for its undemanding care, beautiful color and slow growth. In order for the tree to retain its decorative effect for as long as possible, it is worth providing it with competent care.
What is this
According to the description, the distinctive feature of this culture is the unusual color of the crown.Daisy White borrowed the shade of needles from the mother plant - gray or white spruce. Another feature of the culture is considered slow growth. The mature plant is small. The maximum tree height is 2 meters. The crown diameter at maturity is 80 centimeters.
Until the age of seven, spruce grows only 2-4 centimeters a year. Then this figure increases to 10 centimeters. Unlike the mother culture, Daisy White is characterized by greater sensitivity to the sun. Young plants can get sunburned.
Daisy White's crown is very dense. In this case, the branches include densely spaced internodes. Needles reach a length of 9 centimeters. They are dark at the base and light at the ends. The plant becomes especially attractive in spring and summer - during the growth of young shoots. They acquire a gray, light yellow, white-cream color.Because spruce of this variety is often used in landscape design.
Area
Canadian spruce adapts well to the Russian climate, but can hardly withstand air pollution. Under natural conditions, the culture is found in Canada. When grown in Russia, spruce is lower.
Rules of planting and care
The rules for planting the Canadian variety are the same as the mother gray spruce. It is best to plant a crop in late autumn. It is important to choose the right place for the plant:
- For planting, an area that is not illuminated by direct sunlight at noon is ideal. The plant is very sensitive to overheating. Active exposure to the sun leads to burns and a decrease in decorative effect.
- Don't plant spruce in too shady place. This will cause the needles of the plant to become paler. In addition, young needles will lose their expressiveness of color.
- Crop grows best in light, well-drained soil.
- It is important to control the depth of groundwater. It should be at least 1.5 meters. In this case, it is recommended to ensure that the root neck does not get stuck. Otherwise, the tree will die.
Before planting, preparation should be carried out at the site. First you need to dig a hole. Its width should be 60 centimeters, and the depth - 70. At the bottom of the pit, it is recommended to place a thick drainage layer measuring 20 centimeters. Brick fragments or expanded clay are suitable for its creation.
Equally important is the preparation of soil for planting spruce. In this case, it is worth using leaf humus, sand, soddy soil, clay and sour peat. It is recommended to add 150 grams of nitroammophoska to the finished substrate.
To plant a plant, the prepared recess needs to be filled with a substrate.Then the pit should be watered abundantly and left for 2 weeks. After the specified time, you can plant a crop. To do this, you need to make a hole in the recess, distribute the root system in it and sprinkle it with earth. The soil is recommended to be carefully compacted to avoid the formation of voids.
After planting, you should make sure that the root neck is not buried in the ground and does not rise above it. It should be flush with the ground. Then the plant needs to be watered. However, first you need to make a side of the earth along the edges of the hole. After watering, it is important to wait until the moisture is completely absorbed into the soil. After that, the trunk circle can be covered with a mulch layer. For this purpose, sour peat or softwood bark is ideal. This helps protect the soil from drying out.
This type of Canadian spruce requires basic care. The plant is recommended to be regularly watered and shaded from aggressive sunlight.Also, the culture well perceives sprinkling and loosening of the trunk circle. Nutrients are required to be applied 2 times a year. To do this, you should use special mineral preparations that are designed for coniferous plants.
Timely pruning is important. To do this, it is worth removing shoots damaged by infections and dry branches. It is best to prune at the end of May. At this time, active sap flow ends.
Young seedlings require special attention. In winter, it is recommended to shelter them from severe frosts, and in summer - to protect them from direct sunlight. For this purpose, it is worth using white non-woven material.
Reproduction
The best way to propagate Canadian spruce cuttings. The procedure is recommended to start in the first half of June. To do this, from the main crop, it is required to pinch off the mature lower branches 10 centimeters in size. This must be done with the so-called heel, which will be the key to good rooting and growth of the culture.
Harvested cuttings need to be treated with a growth stimulator. After that, they can be planted in the ground, deepening by 2 centimeters. During the rooting period, it is important to systematically moisten the substrate.
What can harm the plant
Canadian spruce is subject to a large number of dangerous pathologies. This plant can suffer from rust, fusarium, rot. There is also a risk of developing wound cancer and spruce vertun. In addition, Daisy White spruce may suffer from pest attacks. The most common parasites include mealybug, gall aphid, hermes.
To prevent problems, the tree needs to be systematically inspected. When identifying signs of fungal pathologies, it is recommended to use fungicides. Insecticides must be used to kill insects.
A common source of infection is the inside of the crown. It has a high density, and therefore, with age, a lot of dry needles, dust and dead branches accumulate there. In such an environment, parasites actively multiply and diseases develop.
To prevent infection, it is worth doing preventive cleaning of the inside of the crown. This procedure is recommended to be carried out at least 3 times a year. To do this, the crown must be carefully pushed apart, dry fragments removed and sprayed with nutrient compounds. Equally important is the regular sprinkling of the tree. It has a pronounced moisturizing effect and washes away the mites that have settled in the crown.
Application
Daisy White spruce is a very valuable plant that helps to purify and disinfect the air. This culture releases phytoncides and helps to cope with pathogens. When placing trees in groups, it is possible to protect the site from dust. In addition, spruce remains attractive even in winter. This helps bring the area to life.
Role in landscape design
Daisy's White firs are characterized by their small size.Because the culture is perfectly combined with other varieties of conifers. It can also be combined with herbaceous crops. Such combinations look great in flowerbeds, flower beds, rockeries and rock gardens.
This variety is adapted to growing in rocky soil. It is permissible to plant it on rocky hills, combining with other conifers. Spruce Daisy White fits perfectly into Japanese and French gardens. It should be planted in narrow ridges and used to decorate parterre lawns.
Daisy White spruce is an attractive plant that is often used to decorate summer cottages and create unusual garden compositions. In order for the culture to retain its decorative effect, it is important for it to provide competent care.
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