Konik spruce: caring for a fluffy beauty from Canada. How to grow a Christmas tree from seeds

Spruce is a coniferous plant that serves as a classic decoration for the territory. Blue spruce is one of the endangered species, therefore it is listed in the Red Book. This factor affects the cost of pine seedlings. But why spend money on buying young trees if you can grow them with your own hands? Let’s try to understand together how to grow spruce from seeds, because in addition to saving money, the gardener receives a healthy, adapted to environment plant.

Owners of country estates are massively purchasing blue spruce cuttings for further cultivation even despite the high cost. This is because not everyone has an idea of how to grow a spruce from seeds, but you will know for sure.

Features of blue needles

The main difference between this type of conifer is the color of the needles. When growing spruce at home from seeds, it is possible to obtain a tree with 30% of the spines colored noble blue, the rest acquire a classic green tint. Therefore, many are interested in the question: “How to grow spruce from seeds at home and get a high-quality seedling?”

How to get a high-quality seedling when growing at home?

There are three ways to propagate spruce trees:

vaccination;
cutting method;
growing from seeds.

Cutting method: features

This is the easiest way to grow a new coniferous tree. rooted in a greenhouse, since open ground has a bad influence on still immature coniferous plants. So, planting spruce begins with the selection of cuttings. Winter cuttings are best suited, as they produce results up to 4 times faster. The most favorable period For rooting, the moment of swelling of the buds is considered. The main thing when propagating spruce is not to forget about maintaining temperature regime and the required level of moisture.

Blue spruce grown this way reaches 1 meter in height within 5 years. At this point the tree can be transplanted to permanent place growth.

Growing needles from seeds

How to grow spruce from seeds? This process is painstaking and lengthy, and the result depends on the selection of material and how high quality it was.

Seed collection

To grow any plant with your own hands, you need selected planting material, which is better not to buy, but to get it yourself. To grow spruce seedlings, seeds obtained from the fruits of a coniferous plant - cones - are used. The cones are collected in mid-February. This perfect time to collect full-fledged spruce seeds. The cones are placed in a fabric bag and placed next to heating device or a fireplace, which facilitates quick opening and free access to grains. After a few weeks, you will be able to remove the seeds without damaging them. After the cones open, the spruce seeds in the bag are ground together to remove the lionfish. Washing under running water will help get rid of the greasy film formed due to secretion essential oils. At the final stage of preparation, the planting material is well dried.

To ensure complete protection of the seeds from bacteria, they are washed weakly and then wiped with a cloth. The prepared seeds are placed in a glass jar, which, tightly closed, is placed in the refrigerator. Terms in freezer They resemble natural ones as much as possible (in the cold season), where the seeds are kept until mid-March.

How to grow spruce from seeds yourself? It is very important to get good planting material, which, however, can be bought on the market if necessary. The main thing is to know a good manufacturer.

Setting the stage

In order for blue spruce to grow healthy from seeds at home, it is recommended to prepare the site before sowing specimens.

Important! Do not sow blue spruce seeds in areas where you grow vegetable crops- they do not take root in the beds and quickly die.

The optimal growing medium is soil from under lawn grass, mixed with soil taken from under a coniferous tree. Growing in greenhouses involves two planting methods:

directly into the ground;
into an additional container.

When planting seeds in pots, do not forget to prepare a peat mixture with the addition of limestone flour and ammophosphate in a ratio of 6: 0.035: 0.020 kg. The mixture is scattered into containers in which the spruce is planted. The pots themselves are buried deep into the earthen mound in the greenhouse.

Important! When choosing the first planting method, an additional top layer is poured on top of the soil layer - made of sawdust and peat.

Planting seeds

First, determine the most favorable date for planting a spruce tree. The seedling will feel comfortable in nature if the ambient temperature is around +19 o C (+-1-2 o C).

Important! After changing the temperature regime (i.e. after the refrigerator), they can only be stored for 50 hours.

Before the material is treated with a foundation solution: 20 g per 10 liters of water.

Spruce is planted in well-moistened soil. If the spruce will be grown in greenhouse conditions, then the containers are deepened into the ground by 1.5 cm, and a film is stretched on top. If on open ground- first they compact the soil in the hole, after which they put the seeds, covering them with a peat mixture on top and thin layer sawdust (about 1 cm).

Important! The distance between individual seeds should be at least 3.5-6 cm.

Seed germination

The first shoots can be observed after 10-14 days. If placed close to each other, there is a need to thin them out. Of the entire row of plants, only the strongest specimens are left, keeping a distance between them of up to 7.5 cm.

When fragile seedlings enter the active growth phase, it is necessary to maintain optimal conditions growing needles, which are as follows:

stop watering and introduce light spraying of seedlings with water - 2 times a day;
Maintain temperature: minimum temperature- +13 o C, maximum - +15 o C.

Important! Remember that night frosts and direct sunlight during the day have a detrimental effect on fragile young needles.

A month later, a young blue spruce seedling reaches a height of 3-4 cm. Experts note that indirect scattered sunlight has a good effect on the growth rates of specimens. Since small needles are not resistant to diseases that affect plants, namely root rot, there is a need for special protection: first, a fungicide will be required, followed by treatment with an insecticide solution.

Plant transplantation

You already know how to grow spruce seedlings from seeds, but it is impossible to do this efficiently without replanting. annual plants. The procedure is carried out in early spring. After the seedlings reach the required level, it is important to plant the specimens you have bred so as not to lose the plants.

Before transplanting, prepare holes, which are compacted and sprinkled with a layer of earthen mixture from under the coniferous plant.

How to carry out a transplant correctly?

Small fir trees are dug out of the ground, separating the intertwined roots of individual specimens. This work must be done quickly but carefully so as not to damage the root system and prevent it from drying out.

Blue spruce, grown from seeds at home, requires special care. Often these are standard rules.

Interesting! By the third year of growth, less than half of the seedlings survive.

Three years after sowing the seeds, the plants are re-planted. This is done to provide sufficient space for the spruce roots. During this period, Christmas trees are planted at a distance of 1 m from each other.

Are you wondering how long does spruce grow from seeds? And we have an answer to this question. After 5 years, you will have a full-fledged spruce exceeding 1 meter in height.

This bluish-green beauty will become a real decoration of the garden or will successfully complement landscape composition. Growing plants with your own hands is quite difficult, but since the process is entertaining and in case of a positive result, when it turns out that your efforts were not in vain, you will certainly be proud of your beautiful Christmas tree.

On the eve of the New Year, the question of the Christmas tree as the main symbol of the holiday arises more and more acutely. Opponents plastic wood in the apartment they understand that a spruce cut down in the forest is not a solution, because it costs a lot, but it will begin to crumble quite soon. The most logical solution seems to be to grow and decorate a plant in a pot for the holiday - minimum costs, no cleaning, and not a single Christmas tree will suffer due to traditions.

Is it possible to grow a spruce tree yourself?

In principle, anything that at least from a distance resembles a conifer, such as cypress or boxwood, can become a New Year's tree. For those who are looking for easy ways and strive to achieve perfection in everything, it’s time to study the question of how to grow a Christmas tree at home, because it is more than possible!

The biggest difficulty that arises when growing a Christmas tree at home is limited opportunities city apartment in terms of providing the so-called dormant period for spruce. If you pay attention to the life cycle of an ordinary forest tree, it is not difficult to notice that during the year the temperature regime that it has to endure varies from heat of +30 in the summer to frost - 30 in the winter months. Fir trees easily tolerate such temperature changes throughout the year; moreover, these coniferous trees are perfectly adapted to them, and a violation of the temperature regime only leads to diseases of the fir trees.

That is why it is better to start growing a Christmas tree in an apartment if you have a loggia or other cold and cool place. You should also be prepared that in two to three years you will have to transplant into natural conditions forests, because in nature spruce trees reach a height of several tens of meters, and for a tree of such dimensions, of course, neither a pot of soil nor the size of even the largest room is enough.

On average, a spruce lives about 300 years, but sometimes its age can reach up to 600 years. The oldest Christmas tree on Earth this moment almost a thousand years old, and it grows in Sweden. "Old Tikko" - that's the name of the tree - lives and lives in national park Fulufjellet is revered as the oldest tree organism on the planet.

How to grow spruce

You can grow a Christmas tree at home in several simple and accessible ways.

From a seed.

Christmas trees belong to gymnosperms and they arose much earlier than angiosperms () plants. Due to their characteristics, gymnosperms often displace other plants from the growing area. Most shining example such a neighborhood - these are fir trees and birches. At first, small spruce trees, loving moisture and shade, grow under the crowns of birch trees, then they become taller than them, later they shade deciduous trees and acidify the soil, thereby completely exterminating trees of other species.

Plant the seeds in a pot and place it in a cool place (preferably a refrigerator) for a couple of months.

At all Christmas trees grow and adapt to absolutely any soil, from swamps to rocky soil, from sand to clay, but spruce, of course, will grow best on fertile black soil. It will also be important to add a little soil from under the spruce tree under which you found the cone with seeds into the pot.

After two months, when the seeds are ready to germinate, you should place the pot on a windowsill where it is not too hot and not too dark.

By spring, your Christmas tree will already be about 5 cm in size, and in two or three years it will reach a height of half a meter and will beg to be transplanted into the garden.

From a seedling.

If you do not have the opportunity, desire or time to grow a Christmas tree from a seed, then you can immediately purchase a spruce seedling. This plant will certainly be in a pot with a closed root system at the age of just two or three years, that is, ready for transplanting into open ground.

Spruce sapling last years It has become popular to purchase just before the New Year in order to celebrate cheerfully, smelling the needles of a real living Christmas tree, and in the spring to transplant it into a park or forest.

Among ancient peoples, spruce was considered sacred tree, they worshiped her, looked after her in every possible way and dressed her up. Having become Christians, Europeans, however, retained a number of pagan traditions, including decorating the Christmas tree, only now for Christmas. And Peter I, wanting his state to fully comply with European canons, introduced this tradition into Russia.

By choosing this way to celebrate the New Year, you can indeed kill at least two birds with one stone: do not harm the environment by condoning the cutting down of trees for the sake of traditions, and contribute to the normalization ecological situation by planting a new tree in the spring.

In order for the seedling to take root and feel good in the open ground, you need to study the features of its existence before it came into your hands. That is, it is better to select a tree for which you already have suitable conditions. In other words, if you, for example, want to have a Christmas tree in your yard, then you need to choose a seedling according to the conditions of your yard, and not hope that a two or three year old tree will be able to adapt to the changed conditions. This is extremely unlikely, and most likely, if the light and thermal conditions and the nature of the soil are too different, the Christmas tree will begin to hurt and may even die.

If the conditions of the “birth” of the tree and those into which you are replanting it almost completely coincide, then all that remains is to immerse the Christmas tree in the hole exactly to the depth at which it was in the pot, and water it in case of a dry summer (about 10 liters of water per day). week during extreme heat).

From a twig.

Another popular way to grow a Christmas tree yourself due to its effectiveness is from a twig or cutting, as professional gardeners call it.

A branch about 20 cm long should be cut in spring or autumn from the top of a beautiful and healthy spruce tree, which is at least 5 years old, a little cleared of needles at the base and planted in the ground - in a pot at home or in a greenhouse outside. To ensure that the cutting takes root, you can soak its end for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and only then plant it in the ground. After planting, it is better to cover the cuttings with film and maintain the soil temperature at 21-26 degrees Celsius, and keep the air temperature at least 4-7 degrees. In the first days before the roots appear, you need to water the newly made seedlings several times a day, and then reduce the amount of water as they take root and become stronger in the soil. It is important to remember that Christmas trees do not like heat and straight Sun rays, but also cannot tolerate complete darkness.

How to transplant a spruce from the forest

If you have a house on your own land, and you want to start admiring the mature Christmas tree as quickly as possible and dancing round dances around it for the New Year, you can transplant the tree directly from the forest. The most important thing here is not to damage the root system of an already mature tree and when planting, mix the soil from your site with the one from which the tree was taken.

It is best to replant a tree in the fall or spring, giving it plenty of water and protecting it at first and if necessary from the scorching rays of the sun and other extreme weather events that can have a bad effect on an already stressed tree.

In general, conifers do not like frequent changes of their place of residence, so you should not rely on the idea that you can keep a Christmas tree in an apartment for some time, then plant it in open ground, and do this several times with the same tree. Sooner or later you will have to part with your pet in favor of conditions that are more natural for her.

But there is also an option when not an ordinary forest Christmas tree grows at home, but a specially bred breed. You can watch the video below about growing such specimens.

How to grow spruce at home (video)

Nearing completion new year holidays, and it’s a pity to throw away their main symbol - the fragrant living Christmas tree. Flora lovers in many countries liked a successful alternative - a Christmas tree in a pot. It can be stored indoors until warmer weather sets in, followed by replanting on a plot of land.

In order for the plant to take root and develop normally, you should study and adhere to the basic rules for its acquisition and care.

Plant selection

When purchasing a variety of coniferous tree seedling, you need to take into account its adaptability to life in the cold conditions of our country. climate zone. Best suited:

regular spruce or pine;
dwarf spruce konika in a pot;
prickly spruce, Serbian;
decorative blue spruce Dutch, Danish, North American or Russian varieties;
fir growing in Siberia, Korea or the Caucasus mountains;
columnar

When choosing a seedling, you need to make sure that it was not transplanted into a pot or tub yesterday. To do this, just gently move the trunk, rake upper layer soil. If in doubt, ask the seller to carefully pull out the plant, inspect the root ball and the condition of the root system. It should be intact and densely branched.

Spruce trees love being kept in acidified peat-based soil mixtures. If the tree was grown in one container from the very beginning, the roots of the plant will be evenly distributed throughout the pot. Its size should be proportional to the crown of a living Christmas tree in a pot. Miniature tubs and pots most often indicate the use of various growth stimulants and the low probability of successful further transplantation of such coniferous plants on summer cottage near the house.

Dense, one-colored needles, strengthened root system indicates the health of the seedling and good prospects for its further growth.

Reliable places to buy spruce are nurseries and specialized gardening stores. Now in big cities The most humane way to use Christmas trees began to emerge. After being grown in special nurseries, they are offered to buyers to rent for New Year’s celebrations for a period of 17 days. After this, the tenant returns the plant to the nursery, where it is cared for by experienced specialists, and with the onset of warmer weather, spruce trees are planted in forest parks, alleys, and other designated places.

To avoid damaging the branches and trunk of the tree, do not overload it with toys, decorations and garlands.

Christmas tree in a pot: how to care for it in an apartment

Ornamental coniferous plants are capricious and sensitive to lighting, moisture, and maintenance at the optimal temperature.

After purchasing, you should not immediately install the tree in a warm place of honor for the New Year. A few days in a cool room with sufficient air flow will allow him to better adapt to the new conditions. For the holiday, place the Christmas tree away from radiators and other heating devices.

After the New Year and Christmas, it is better to immediately move the Christmas tree to a glazed balcony.

Spruce in a pot at home requires careful care. The soil for its maintenance must be regularly kept moist, avoiding drying out or waterlogging. Treat needles and twigs constantly (at least 5 times a day) with a water spray. Low humidity can lead to drying out and death. ornamental plant. To ensure that the tree is evenly illuminated, it is recommended to periodically rotate it around its axis. This will ensure uniform color of the needles and reduce the risk of disease. To avoid burns, the plant should be protected from direct sunlight.

Spruce trees are especially susceptible to temperature changes. It is necessary to ensure their constant maintenance at a temperature of 0 to 10 degrees Celsius, constant influx fresh air. If it becomes very cold on the balcony, you can additionally wrap the tree warm blanket, straw, hay.

In winter, potted Christmas trees are dormant, so you should not fertilize or feed them.

Features of individual varieties

Serbian (Balkan) spruce is considered the most slender among conifer lovers.

Her decorative varieties Gnome (up to 1.5 meters in height when fully grown) and Nana (up to 3 meters in height) look great at a New Year's party.

Among blue (thorny) spruce trees in a pot, decorative varieties are in great demand:

semi-dwarf Edith with harmonious forms and blue-gray needles;
Fat Albert with bright colors and regular crown;
green and blue Glauka Globoza with a spherical crown.

Many Russian florists know how to care for the popular Canadian Christmas tree Konica in a pot. It grows very slowly, the annual growth is up to 5 centimeters. Even in adulthood, the height of the plant rarely reaches one meter. Nutrient soil for the plant is earthen turf mixed with leaves, a small amount of peat and sand. Konica is less capricious than other varieties of coniferous plants. It can grow in a tub (pot) for several years.

An analogue of the variety is the decorative Canadian cone-shaped Christmas tree in a pot, Sanders Blue. The spruce has soft, bluish-blue needles, with an annual growth of up to 7 centimeters. With proper care, it grows for 50 years, reaching a maximum height of 3 meters. Loves light, moist, fertile soil. In open ground it can withstand frosts up to 40 degrees.

Miniature varieties of Korean fir fit well into the interior:

Caucasian and Danish varieties of fir are distinguished by their strict conical shape and soft fluffy green needles. For the New Year, golden, erect, bluish varieties fir

Farmers from Denmark have successfully mastered growing beautiful Nordmann fir in tubs, which is in great demand in capital cities on New Year's days.

Firs are easy to care for and durable. Home care consists of regular watering (without waterlogging), sufficient soil drainage. When planted in open ground, they grow 30 centimeters annually and can live up to 100 years.

Compacta mountain fir with flat needles and glossy silvery iridescence of needles is in great demand. Along with its proportional conical shape, its unusual color shades have made it a top seller of live spruce in pots in many regions.

The brightest of blues prickly spruce trees, Hoopsie, leader of New Year's celebrations in Europe. Its main advantages are the strict cone of the crown and silver-blue needles. Loves light, is frost-resistant, unpretentious in conditions of increased urban gas and air pollution.

Among the series of varieties of ordinary Christmas trees in a pot, the German spruce Kupressina stands out. It has an original narrowed ovoid crown, emerald green color of needle-shaped needles. The variety showed good resistance to blizzards and snowfalls.

Spring transplant

With the onset of warmth and sufficient thawing of the soil, you can transplant your winter beauty from the pot into open ground. It is advisable to do this before the plant begins to flow sap. A free, well-lit place is best suited for planting. We carry out the transplant sequentially:

When planting, fertilizer is used individually, taking into account the characteristics of the variety and the health status of your tree.

Gradually after each New Year on personal plot a new coniferous seedling will appear. Christmas tree alley long time will please your eyes and warm your soul.

How to care for a Christmas tree in an apartment - video

How to care for a live Christmas tree in a pot, where to store it, how to replant it, where to replant it and whether it is worth doing it.

Last year we were given live Christmas tree on New Year in a pot. The Christmas tree was somewhere around 40 cm. The pot was small, but the roots were not visible, and the tree was entwined New Year's garland on batteries. They carried her, and she shimmered all over.

I didn’t think about replanting it, since there is a lot of negative warning information on the Internet. And I didn’t have time to look after her. But, after standing on my kitchen windowsill for 10 days, it produced young light green shoots. To be honest, I didn’t know what to do with it, I watered it a little, but the pot was so small that the water immediately flowed out and maybe that’s why it began to turn yellow at the ends of the shoots, however, the sun was still shining directly on it through the window. Having decided that this is not after all indoor plant, and outdoors, I took it out to the balcony and sprinkled the pot with snow.

Our winter was warm, when snow fell, I sprinkled new snow on the Christmas tree, then the snow melted and of itself slightly moistened the ground under the Christmas tree. Spring has come. As it turned out, the balcony is not the place where Christmas trees can grow. My balcony faces east and in the afternoon the spring sun scorches the young pine needles, watering is also a problem, well, I don’t feel like going out on the balcony in early spring and gardening, besides, the pot is just a child’s one for such a Christmas tree. And in the spring, at the end of March, I gave the Christmas tree to a private house. She was taken out of the pot and planted near the house. And, lo and behold! The Christmas tree began to grow, and now it has been standing in this place for almost a year. That is, it was planted last spring in March 2015, and now it is January 2016. She grew by 7 cm. Here is our Christmas tree.

Fortunately, unexpectedly for myself, I managed to fulfill all the conditions for caring for a Christmas tree in a pot.

Recommendations for choosing and caring for a Christmas tree in a container, tub or pot

You need to buy from a reliable garden center or a store. Because Christmas trees grow directly in pots or tubs, so their root system is formed in the limited space of the pot and when transplanted, the earthen ball with all the roots retains its integrity.
A growing Christmas tree can be kept warm in the house for no more than 2 weeks.
Moderate watering, without drying out or flooding.
After 10-14 days, the forest beauty should be taken out to the balcony, terrace or yard, and the pot and some of the branches should be covered with snow, the most reliable covering material of all times.

Christmas trees are planted in acidic soil.
Plant no deeper than the root collar.
When planting, take into account the orientation of the Christmas tree.

Our New Year tree was planted like this:

The hole for the green guest was dug much larger than the earthen lump itself potted tree, expanded clay and broken brick were poured into the bottom of the hole (don’t forget that spruce grows on rocky soil), then they mixed fertilizer for conifers (bought at a garden center) with soil and poured it on top broken bricks. Then they carefully took the Christmas tree out of the pot and placed it in the hole.

And when burying it, they took the trouble not to cover it with soil above its root collar. In other words, they buried it exactly the same depth along the stem as it was buried in the pot.

The only mistake that the new owner of the green treasure made was the orientation of the tree in space. He said that he “changed the orientation of the tree” :). Turns out Christmas trees have more fluffy needles from the south side, and this fact must also be taken into account when planting. But our Christmas tree was not offended and began to grow with its fluffy side to the east. So smart.

Storing the green guest on the balcony until spring will incredibly decorate the balcony; you can continue to decorate the Christmas tree outside.

The story of one New Year's Living Tree

But I found this story of a Christmas tree in a pot on cybergooch.com

Recommendations from a professional florist on how to care for Christmas trees and other conifers purchased in pots at the store.

Konika spruce (glauka) is a small coniferous tree that is only gaining popularity among Russian gardeners. The tree looks organic both on modern stylish sites and in simple traditional front gardens. Today you will learn about the features of this plant How to plant it on your site and provide proper care.

Description of the coniferous plant

An interesting dwarf Christmas tree was discovered in Canada at the beginning of the last century. After a series of studies, scientists came to the conclusion that this tree appeared because Picea glauca (Canadian gray spruce) mutated. By appearance Canadian spruce conica looks like this:

the crown is cone-shaped, very dense and fluffy;
needles up to 1 cm in length of a light green shade densely cover the branches;
in the lower (widest) tier the crown diameter averages 80 cm;
The roots are not long, located close to the surface.

The growth of conika is very slow, young “individuals” add about 6-8 cm per year. At the age of 10-12 years, the height of the seedling is approximately 1 meter. After this peak, the growth rate noticeably decreases, and each year the height increases by only 2-3 cm. A Christmas tree can live for about 300-500 years.

Buying a seedling in a pot

Modern trends dictate the fashion for preserving natural green spaces, so you can decorate your room for the New Year by buying a konica spruce in a pot. In order not to spoil the holiday, you should adhere to some rules.

When installing a conic as a New Year's tree, you should find a place that will be removed from all active heat sources.
The tree only occasionally needs to be turned towards the light.
If the room where the Canadian guest is standing is heated, it is necessary to spray the crown from time to time.
Wood requires increased air humidity, so it is better to place a bowl of water near it.

At the end of the holidays, be sure to put the spruce on the balcony or loggia, since in winter this plant requires a temperature of no more than +10 degrees, and this is extremely difficult to achieve at home. Cover the top of the crown with burlap to create an optimal humidity regime for the tree. Wrap the pot with insulation to prevent the soil from freezing.
Dwarf Canadian blue spruce conika can grow at home for the first 3-4 years so that it can finally get stronger. After this, the tree is ready to be transplanted into the open ground of the site.

Planting a seedling on the site

Glauca conica spruce, like all representatives of its genus, cannot tolerate drying out of the roots, so when purchasing, pay attention to seedlings that are sold in a container with moistened soil. Planting koniki spruce is the most crucial moment on which the further growth and development of the tree depends. When planting, you should adhere to the following rules:

Planting conics in the garden should be done on a cloudy day at the end of spring.
Choose a sunny place without drafts. In the shadow correct form the crown may become distorted, and the tree will become less attractive.
The hole for planting must be prepared in advance. The bottom should be covered with a layer of broken brick or crushed stone.
The soil mixture should also be prepared in advance. For this purpose, a mixture of sand, garden soil, humus and peat in proportions of 1/2/1/1 is suitable. It wouldn't hurt to add a little mineral fertilizers, for example: Zircon, Epin.

The landing process looks like this:

Soil is poured into the hole on top of the drainage in such an amount that the soil from the container can then fit. Waters well.
The plant is carefully removed from the container and immersed in the prepared hole.
The trunk is well aligned on all sides.
The free space is filled with the prepared soil mixture.
The filled hole is well watered; this will require about 10 liters of water.
Finally, a small hole is created near the trunk for further watering, and the trunk itself is covered with a 5-centimeter layer of mulch (pebbles, gravel and other covering materials).
It is better to cover the tree at first so that the unaccustomed needles do not get burned in the sun.

Caring for decorative spruce

If you are wondering how to care for konica spruce, then care can be characterized as minimal. House conika does not require pruning, replanting or additional crown maintenance. Despite its unpretentiousness, insignificant proper care will additionally ensure the preservation of the beauty of the conica Christmas tree.

In not very hot and dry summers, moisture is provided by natural precipitation.
On hot days, water the plant regularly (as the top layer dries), while spraying the crown.
The first two months require weekly watering. If a crust forms on top of the soil, be sure to loosen the top layer.

Attention! The tree's roots are located close to the surface of the earth. Therefore, the plant cannot easily tolerate soil compaction or trampling of the earth in an area with a diameter of 1 m around the crown.

Sonica is resistant to frost, but, nevertheless, the first couple of years should be thoroughly mulched for the winter in the area near the trunk.

Important! Even though the tree can be grown in open ground, in the spring it can receive significant sunburn. Burns manifest themselves as browning of needles. Professional gardeners recommend wrapping the crown with material in the spring so that it diffuses the sun's rays and does not interfere with the passage of air.

Where is the best place to plant a Christmas tree?

Decorative spruce konika in open ground looks most advantageous in the most prominent areas:

near the gazebo;
at the entrance to the house;
At the playground.

The dwarf guest looks great, both in single compositions and in group plantings in combination with coniferous trees other types. The trees are especially interesting in the off-season, when there is a green lawn at the foot, or contrasting ones.

The plant looks beautiful when new shoots appear, as the tree turns into a bright green cone of fabulous beauty. In Russian latitudes, this period falls in May.

The most common diseases of Canadian spruce

Decorative conika spruce can be affected by various infections, and only timely detection of sores and their immediate treatment can save it.

Rust—orange growths begin to appear on the branches, and the needles quickly turn yellow and fall off. The photo shows how badly the tree can suffer. Treatment of the crown with special preparations such as “Vectra” and “Glyokladin” for a month, once a week, is suitable as a treatment.

Schutte's disease is caused by a fungus. The needles darken, then become covered with a whitish coating and fall off. Initially, you can save the tree by spraying it with a solution of copper sulfate, then treating it with Trichodermin and Alirin-B, and in advanced situations all that remains is to dig up and burn the seedling.

How much does a tree cost?

The price of an ornamental tree depends on its size and age.

A 3-year-old seedling 13-18 cm in height costs about 200 rubles;
you can buy a 6-year-old plant 65-75 cm in height for 1,500 rubles;
the cost of a 13-year-old mature seedling 155 cm in height is about 6,000 rubles.