For lovers of conifers, a valuable example is the dwarf spruce Waldbrunn. To grow a beauty in your area, you need to study the conditions of tree growth, planting rules and the features of caring for her.
History and description of the variety
Spruce Waldbrunn (picea pungens Waldbrunn) refers to a species of blue or prickly spruce. The habitat of the species is the western part of North America. Waldbrunn variety was bred in Germany in 1984 by breeder Rolf Friedrich.. The brand name comes from the German city where the nursery is located.
The original variety of the evergreen dwarf plant attracts attention with the bright blue needles and the flat, pillow-shaped crown shape. The shoots of the tree are dense, short and grow to the sides. In a young seedling, the crown resembles a nest, but with age it is slightly extended upward and becomes conical. The maximum height of an adult plant is 0.8 m, in width it is much larger - up to 1 m.
Growth in the early years is very slow. Annual growths on branches from 2 to 5 cm are bluish-gray. Needles in a tree up to 2.5 cm long. They are distinguished by density of germination, softness, blue-green color. The tree loves sunny areas, but it belongs to shade-hardy ones. The color of the needles in the shaded areas is brighter. Prefers moist, slightly acidic, fertile soil.. It does not tolerate moisture stagnation, but can tolerate a slight drought. Refers to winter-hardy plants. Withstands temperatures up to -34 ° C.
Did you know? Peter the Great introduced the custom to celebrate the New Year with the decorated spruce in Russia, which contributed to the massive deforestation of forest beauties. Now for this holiday, trees are specially grown in nurseries.
In landscape design
Miniature Blue Spruce Waldbrunn - ideal for small gardens and rocky landscapes. The tree gained its popularity due to the unusual crown, which holds the decorative form well.
- Spruce Waldbrunn in landscape design has several advantages:
- easily tolerates winter frosts;
- It is a bright accent for a decorated flowerbed;
- tolerates partial shade, but prefers the sun.
When growing spruce, you need to consider some of its features. First, the trunk must be tied up to form an even crown. Secondly, the plant needs moist soils, but does not tolerate moisture stagnation.
In landscape design, spruce is grown in rock gardens, parks, single and modular compositions, heather gardens. The attractiveness of the form is that the tree practically does not need a haircut. Only dry and diseased branches should be removed. This is best done in early spring before the period of active sap flow.
Growth conditions
A spruce tree grows well if:
- The soil is well-drained, slightly acidic, moderately fertile.
- The landing area will be sunny or slightly shaded.
Did you know? The Soviet breeder Kovtunenko I.P. devoted more than 15 years of his work to the selection of blue spruce and in 1952 he was awarded the Stalin Prize for it. He found that seedlings develop well in soils fertilized with fresh spruce and pine cones.
These conditions must be adhered to when choosing a place to land. It should be remembered that stagnation of water contributes to rotting and death of the plant. Acidity and fertility of the soil should be supported by the application of fertilizers for conifers.
Landing rules
With proper planting, moisture must not be allowed to stagnate near the plant and contribute to soil compaction. Therefore, in the recess for planting, it is necessary to make a drainage layer. For this purpose, sand or broken brick is used.
The distance between seedlings should be at least 2 meters. Before removing the seedling from the container, it is necessary to water it well. This will help to get the plant without harming the roots. The landing pit should be twice the size of the container. It should be covered with purchased soil for conifers. To fill the holes, you can prepare the soil mixture yourself: fallen leaves (2 parts), turf land (2 parts), peat (1 part) and sand (1 part). A simplified version: peat and land in a ratio of 1: 1.
Phased landing
To plant seedlings of spruce-tree prickly Waldbrunn, it is necessary:
- Pour seedlings in a container abundantly.
- Dig the pits to the required depth, keeping the distance between the plants.
- Make a drainage layer up to 20 cm thick.
- Remove the plants from the container and place in the wells.
- Fill the pits with special soil for conifers or with the prepared mixture.
- Make sure that the root neck is at ground level.
- It’s good to pour 4-5 buckets onto a tree.
Care Features
The variety is absolutely hardy to adverse environmental conditions: gas pollution, temperature extremes and spring frosts. In winter does not need shelter from the cold. White agrofabric can be used to shelter the crown from icing and a spring burn.
Important! The cause of spring burns is the intense reflection of sunlight from snow. In the needles, the process of photosynthesis is actively undergoing, due to which moisture is consumed, but it does not come from the roots due to the fact that they are in hibernation.
The formed ice lens can burn out the inside of the spruce in a few days. To avoid the formation of ice, from February to March, the crown of the tree should be shaken off from the snow. If ice has formed on the inside of the ball and it is impossible to remove it without damaging the needles, you should sprinkle the frozen branches with earth. On the first sunny day, the icing will melt. A hedge of fir need to be cut in late May - early June.
Video: General tips for caring for conifers
Watering and fertilizer
The tree has a compact root system. This prevents him from consuming the necessary nutrients from the soil in the first year after planting. Therefore, Waldbrunn spruce should be watered more often and periodically fed with fertilizers for conifers. Watering should be carried out once a week. Moisture rate - one bucket per tree. Liquid fertilizers for conifers are applied 2 times in the summer according to the instructions.
Loosening and mulching
The plant does not tolerate heavy saline soils. Therefore, after watering, the soil around the trunk needs a shallow loosening (up to 5 cm). To preserve moisture and protect the ground cover from the formation of crust, the pericarp circle can be mulched. The most suitable material for mulch from a decorative point of view is bark, needles and pine cones.
In dry weather, you can use inorganic mulch: stones, gravel, pebbles. In winter, peat is better suited, sprinkled with a layer of a thickness of at least 5 cm. After the snow has melted, it is not necessary to remove it, just dig it up.
Disease Prevention and Pest Protection
Spruce trees can get sunburn, get sick with fungal and bacterial diseases, be affected by pests and lose their decorative effect when poorly maintained.
If during the inspection of a tree you notice yellowed or dried up needles, dry branches, bald patches in the crown or an abundance of pests, this indicates a problem. But it is better not to allow this, that is, to implement preventive measures. The plant must be healthy and strong to cope with diseases..
For this, proper care must be taken:
- moisten the soil in time;
- carry out timely fertilizer according to the instructions;
- loosen the soil and mulch the periostemal circle;
- remove affected and broken branches;
- to prepare for winter.
Video: Diseases of conifers
Of the drugs, it is worth using new ones. They have a wide range of effects. For instance, Foreshortening - two-component fungicide for the protection of conifers. It is used in the prevention and treatment. For preventive purposes, the tree is sprayed with a solution during the growing season. To prepare the working fluid, 4 ml of the drug must be diluted in 5 liters of water. The fluid flow rate per tree is from 2 to 5 liters. Gates - fungicide preventive action. It protects a healthy tree from mushrooms. Fundazole - universal drug, but with low efficiency.
Important! At the first sign of damage, the tree must be treated with a fungicide (to kill parasitic fungi) or an insecticide (to kill harmful insects).
Aktara - an insecticide designed to control pests. In the body of an insect, it affects the receptors of the nervous system, after which it ceases to eat. It can be used by spraying or applying to the soil under the root in dilute form according to the instructions. The protective effect lasts 14-21 days when sprayed and 40-60 days when applied to the soil. In preventive measures, the tree is sprayed during the growing season.
Preventive measures during the care of spruce need to be carried out in stages:
- Buy healthy planting material. Damaged trees purchased at discounted prices need treatment and quarantine.
- Perform a fungicide preventative treatment before boarding. For this, a solution diluted according to the instructions, it is necessary to spray the plant.
- Inspect the plant periodically and start the fight at the slightest suspicion of a disease.
If you have studied all the intricacies of planting and caring for Waldbrunn spruce, then it will not be difficult to grow it on your site. The main thing is a healthy seedling, observing the rules for planting it, timely care, preventive measures in the fight against diseases and pests, time for growing it - and you will get an adult tree that can surprise you with its beauty.
