Spruce, planted on the site, always looks quite impressive and gives it a special style. She is one of the favorite trees of landscape designers. These plants look especially beautiful against the background of a green lawn. In addition, they delight the eye not only in the warm season, they were especially good at winter. There are so many varieties of them. Blue spruce is the most common species among them.
Botanical tree description
Blue prickly spruce Majestic Blue (Picea pungens Glauca Majestic Blue) - the plant is not native in origin. This evergreen beauty was brought to us from the United States. This is the official state tree of the states of Colorado and Utah. It is widely used as a decorative element in the USA and Europe, lives about 600 years.
The densely growing horizontal branches of the tree form a conical crown 10–50 meters high by 30 years of age, with age its regular shape is slightly deformed.
This variety is a champion among fir trees. Even young needles have a pleasant blue tint, which indicates the compliance of the plant with the highest grade. Moreover, the width reaches about 6 meters. The trunk bark has a scaly structure of a gray shade, and three-centimeter thick waxy needles are attached to yellowish-brown branches. Experts say that this is the most beautiful view of blue spruce from unvaccinated forms.
When describing the spruce of this variety, it is worth noting that during the year the color of its needles changes - from almost white in early spring to gray-blue autumn. At the ends of branches of adult trees (over 30 years old) cones ripen up to 6-15 cm. Glauca Majestic Blue has excellent frost resistance - up to -40 ° C.Did you know? The chemical composition of spruce needles contains a shock dose of vitamin C. The famous explorer Cook saved his crew from scurvy with wine made from it.
Origin of name
Got its name Picea pungens Glauca Majestic Blue for the leaves - these are rigid needles 2-3 cm long (on the lower branches they are longer than on the upper ones). They have a 4-sided shape and a sharp tip.
It was this property that served as the name of the tree, "pungens" from the Latin expression - "sharp, like a puncture wound." In addition, over the years, it takes on a spectacular silver-blue color, for which it is called blue - Blue. Glauca in Latin - carpet. Majestic is magnificent.
Landing
Picea pungens Glauca Majestic Blue can be planted both in early spring and late autumn. In the case of spring planting, he will need a shade from direct sunlight, and in the autumn, he will need protection from winter winds and severe frosts.
Important! Spruce seedlings need to be purchased only with a closed root system.
For the successful cultivation of this spruce, it is necessary to observe some planting rules:
Choose planting material. The key to a successful planting is choosing a good seedling. In this regard, you need to know that the height of the planting plant is not higher than 60 cm, which is considered optimal. Such spruce trees take root better and cost less. Do not focus on the ideal shape of the barrel, even if it is crooked, time will fix it. You need to pay more attention to the color and structure of the needles and the condition of the plant - it should have a healthy look. At the same time, it is worth considering that the younger the seedling, the better it will tolerate the transplant. It is most rational to purchase Glauk Majestic Blue seedlings in nurseries or on specialized trading floors.
Plant a seedling:
- first you should prepare a hole twice the size of the container in which the seedling grew;
- at the bottom of it, create a drainage with a height of at least 10 cm;
- the excavated soil must be mixed with sand (if the soil is not sandy), peat turf or sheet soil in equal proportions. It is better for this purpose to purchase a ready-made mixture suitable for this variety. The soil taken in the coniferous forest where the spruces grow is well suited. It is better not to use mineral fertilizers during planting; they are used in the process of plant vegetation for top dressing;
- sprinkle drainage with prepared earth mixture 3-5 cm;
- place the seedling in the hole, carefully removing it from the container, monitor the safety of the root earthen coma;
- fill the voids around the root with the remaining prepared soil, carefully ramming it around. When planting, make sure that the root neck does not go deep (the surface of the earth should coincide with the surface of the container substrate);
- water the planted plant abundantly (about 10 liters of water). If, after absorbing moisture, the earth sags, add soil to the planting hole, water again;
- the next day, mulch the trunk circle approximately 10-15 cm, depending on the size of the seedling. For this purpose, needles, the remains of bark or cones, shredded branches are ideal.
Spruce care
For the development of a beautiful tree with dense needles with the inherent grade of Glauka Majestic Blue steel, sometimes even a white shade, proper care is important. At the initial stage of growing, spruce requires increased attention, but over time, this beauty becomes absolutely unpretentious.
Watering and feeding
Blue prickly spruce - the plant is very hygrophilous, up to a year of age it should be watered twice a day (morning and evening). Moreover, the method of watering directly under the root is unacceptable. It must be produced by sprinkling, at the same time it is necessary to irrigate the crown of the tree (for the best color of the needles).
Feeding it is only up to the age of five. This should be done once a year after the first snow has fallen. For these purposes, it is recommended to use exclusively mineral fertilizers (the use of organic infusions, especially manure or litter, is strictly forbidden).
Experts recommend periodically acidifying the soil under the tree using garden sulfur, citric or phosphoric acid, an electrolyte.
To support growth, it is enough to scatter a complex of balanced fertilizers (special for conifers or universal) in the near-stem circle according to the norm on the packaging, and close them with a garden tool to a depth of several centimeters.
Important! Turn over a container with a seedling upon purchase. If the soil pours out, then the seller just placed a seedling in it before selling. Even if the plant has a healthy appearance, it is doomed to death. The root should hold tightly in the container.
Loosening and mulching
Like every plant, Majestic Blue should be weeded and loosened as needed. If the tree trunk circle is well mulched by the tree bark, then these manipulations are practically reduced to zero.
Since with this method, oxygen is well supplied to the tree, while moisture evaporates weakly. For the same reason, this material serves as an excellent insulation of the root system for the winter.
Pruning
To this grade of spruce, sanitary and shaping trimmings are used. Forming is carried out in the early stages of development, for the formation of the crown in early spring. Sanitary pruning is carried out as necessary to remove dry and damaged branches. At the same time, it is not necessary to process the slices, since the tree contains a sufficient amount of its own resin.
Did you know? Each spruce cone contains about 100 seeds.
Possible diseases and pests
One of the most dangerous pests of this crop is the spider mite. It is most active in dry, hot weather. It can also be affected by aphids. Such diseases as anthracosis or powdery mildew can significantly worsen the beauty of pine needles.
To avoid deterioration of decorative qualities, they ate in the early spring, and then in the middle of summer, trees should be treated with such preparations as “Aktara”, “Angio”, “Actellik”, “Match” (for pest control) and “Maxim”, “Skor” , “Switch”, “Chorus”, “Radomil”, “Quadris” and others (for the fight against diseases).
To combat pests that can destroy the root system - Khrushchev, scoop, etc. - “Aktara”, “Antichrush”, “Prestige”. It is necessary to water with a solution of these drugs so that the root part of the trunk is processed at a height of about 10 cm. The solutions must be diluted according to the instructions on the packaging, processing is carried out once every one and a half months.
The use of wood in landscape design
Glauca Majestic Blue is great for forming malls. In the urban economy, they are often planted at office buildings or monuments. Despite the fact that it is a fairly tall tree, it grows very slowly, and its height at the age of 10 reaches only about 3 meters, so in recent years these solemn beauties have gradually moved to private courtyards.
