Not every amateur gardener wants to grow on his own personal plot decorative spruce. Since this business cannot be called simple, since the coniferous tree requires special care. And it will take a very long time to wait until they become large and can decorate the garden with their beauty. Spruce can be a great find for those gardeners who live in the northern latitudes. All its species are not susceptible to severe frosts and dark, cloudy days. You can try to grow such a tree with seeds, seedlings or cuttings.

Which variety to choose for growing

If you create competent growing conditions for the spruce, then it will be a beauty on your site. We will talk about these parameters below. But it is worth remembering that the success of this case depends on the choice of the variety. Currently, more and more different varieties of spruce have been bred, which can be grown in almost any climatic zone. When choosing a particular type, you should focus on its decorative properties and the maximum size of the tree. In the event that you have a very small personal plot, then you should not grow tall varieties, since the spruce, after it grows, will take up the entire plot. For growing ornamental varieties, low, small spruces are best suited. And there are a lot of them. Now we present to your attention the most suitable types of spruce that will be suitable for private cultivation on a personal plot:

Norway spruce (European). With proper care, a spruce tree can reach up to 30 meters in length. The diameter of the needles is 5 meters. There are varieties that are significantly smaller in size (up to eight meters), and dwarf (no more than one meter). Representatives of this species are best suited for creating hedges. They are able to bring severe frosts and lack of sunlight... Beautiful in appearance, ornamental varieties of spruce of this variety - Columnaris, Inversa, Compact, Elegance, Nana, Gregoriana, Clan-Brassiliana, Echinamoris.

Colorado spruce (blue). It is a fairly popular type for landscaping personal plots. Spruce has the shape of a pyramid, and sharp needles are 2-3 cm long. It can reach 25 meters in height. Representatives of this species prefer light and are not subject to severe frosts. You should pay attention to such varieties prickly spruce- Hoopsii, Glauca, Iseli Fastigiata.

Serbian spruce (Balkan). Trees with a low-growing crown. They can grow up to 30 meters in length. They can grow excellently in the shade and tolerate drought well. As its branches grow, the shoots of the new growth begin to hang down in the form of a beautiful fringe. Due to this, the spruce looks quite original. The most famous varieties are, Gnom, Karel, Pendula Bruns.

Canadian spruce (gray, white). It is the most winter-hardy, early-growing variety. Not picky about the ground. In the wild, it can reach a height of up to 30 meters. Currently, many undersized decorative varieties have already been bred - Albertiana, Pendula, Conica, Alberta Globe.

Siberian spruce. This type of spruce can perfectly adapt to the harsh northern conditions. The crown of the tree has a conical shape. And bright dark green needles can decorate any garden. The most popular of all the decorative varieties in existence is Glauca.

Tien Shan spruce. This type of spruce has a narrow crown. It comes from China. The tips of the branches drooping. The needles reach a length of 4 cm. Spruce prefers high humidity and lots of sunshine. In our country, the decorative variety of Globosa spruce is popular.

Where to plant a spruce

After reading this article, you can learn how to grow a spruce in the country. The choice of the landing site is very important in this case. If possible, you can set aside an illuminated area for the cultivation of this type of spruce. It can take root well in the shade, but it reaches intensive growth only in the light - under these conditions, the crown of a small tree will develop a crown of the correct shape. And highly decorative miniature spruce varieties cannot do without the sun at all. You should first make sure that the soil in the garden plot is perfectly aerated and drained, since a young tree may simply die from an excess amount of moisture. Spruce, like all other gymnosperms, love alkaline soils (pH 4.5-6.0), where various fungi reproduce very actively. If there is increased acidity in the soil, then various bacteria will form there, which will negatively affect future development. coniferous tree... The soil must be rich in various trace elements. Then the plant will be able to take root even in scarce areas ..

Growing spruce from seeds

It is very difficult to try to grow a fir tree from seeds. This growing method is not very popular among amateur gardeners. But if they can provide the necessary care for the plantings, then the plant will be able to sprout and grow well on the site. You can buy this planting material at any specialized store without any problems. But in this case, there are risks to buy not very high-quality seeds, which simply will not sprout. For this reason, if you have time to spare, pick the buds yourself and prepare the seeds for sowing.

The seeds were eaten.

1. Seed collection should be done in late October, early November. It is necessary to dry the collected cones at home and get the seeds out of them. The next step is to do the following:
2. The collected seeds should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and placed in a container with calcined sand, to a depth of about 1.5-2 cm.
3. The pot must be refrigerated. This way you will be able to create for the seeds optimal conditions for their germination.

In early March, you can briefly take out the container with seeds and put it in a lighted, warm place. For these purposes, a window sill will be a great place. In a warm place, the seeds of ate should give their first shoots no later than a month later. Throughout this period, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly. After the first shoots appear, it will be possible to reduce the watering regime of the young spruce. To ensure protection, you need to protect the plant from various diseases and pests. Before you decide to plant a plant in open ground, the site can be treated with insecticides and fertilized.

Spruce sprout.

You can move a young spruce to its permanent place of growth in early May, when the weather is warm outside. It is necessary to prepare a hole in advance for planting a Christmas tree. The depth of this fossa will depend on how many centimeters in length the sprout stretches. Various mineral fertilizers and compost should be poured into the bottom of the hole. Next, place a seedling in the prepared hole and sprinkle it lightly with earth. In order for the tree to take root faster in new conditions for it, cover the seedling with polyethylene or a plastic bottle. Every laziness should open this mini greenhouse. After one week, you need to remove it altogether.

Growing spruce seedlings

Trying to grow a fir tree from a seedling is much easier. But you should be prepared for high financial costs - in specialized nurseries, good quality planting material is very expensive. They are usually sold in pots. It is best to plant them on an area with a lump of native soil. The main indicators of a healthy seedling:

• The needles on the spruce should be shiny and smooth.
• The soil in the container is slightly moistened.
• The roots should not protrude beyond the container.

Plant a seedling in May, and already with the onset of winter, he will be able to get used to the new conditions for himself. It is necessary to prepare a hole, up to 60 cm deep. on its bottom you need to lay drainage (pebbles or broken brick), and a layer of nutrient substrate (peat, turf and leaf soil, sand). The substrate will occupy approximately 2/3 of the hole. In the event that you purchased several seedlings at once, then you should place them at a distance of 2.5 m from each other, since after a couple, three years, the Christmas tree will grow. The only exceptions can be dwarf varieties if you can plant them no more than one meter apart. The plant should be deeply deepened into the hole so that the root bud remains at the soil level. After planting, you should sprinkle the trunk with peat and water the soil.

Growing spruce cuttings

Spruce can be grown in two ways. But in any case, there should be competent landing in the open field and good care... In addition to growing spruce from seed, it can be grown by cuttings. Spruce cuttings are the most popular propagation method among gardeners. The cost of planting material is not very expensive. And you can pick a branch in the nearest park or forest. Lignified shoots that are one or two years old can perfectly take root. You should pay attention to the fact that there must be an apical bud on the handle. Unfortunately, without her, a small tree will not grow to heights. Shoot length - 7-10 cm.

Spruce cuttings.

Disembarkation should be done immediately after cutting cuttings - in autumn or in the spring. All needles should be cut off from the bottom and placed in a special solution for good strengthening. After a day, you can plant the cutting in a nutritious substrate, which is made from perlite, sand and peat. The cutting must be deepened into the ground by 4-5 cm at an angle of 30 degrees. Next, the twig can be watered a little for two weeks to create greenhouse conditions for it, covering it with polyethylene or plastic bottle... After two, three years, from a slightly grown tree, you can cut off cuttings and increase the area of ​​spruce plantations.

Growing spruce: care rules

Young planting will require proper care from you, since even perfectly rooted seedlings in the absence necessary conditions content may simply die. The basics for growing and caring for young spruces are as follows:

Watering. Spruce can tolerate dry weather well and live without moisture for several weeks. But the WTO with regard to highly decorative varieties of trees, they will not tolerate such an attitude towards themselves. They need 10-12 liters of water every week. When watering seedlings, try to avoid moisture getting on the needles. To be able to provide sufficient moisture and avoid rotting of the root system, it is better to mulch the trunks of young Christmas trees. You can use bark or coniferous sawdust as mulch.

Spruce stones were used to mulch tree trunks.

Top dressing. If you provide the necessary care for the spruce, it can develop well without fertilization. You can feed highly decorative varieties once a season with various complex fertilizers. Freshly planted seedlings must be constantly watered with growth stimulants.

Pruning. It is imperative to form a crown. This procedure can have a positive effect not only on the appearance of the Christmas tree, but also on its health. In autumn and spring, it is necessary to remove diseased branches from the tree. Carrying out this procedure, you should not get too carried away - excessive pruning can simply ruin a young spruce.

Transfer. The tree will not always grow in the place allotted to it - occasionally, the Christmas trees should be transplanted to another part of the garden. If we take into account the fact that as it grows, the Christmas tree forms a fungus root in the soil (the bark system of the tree is combined with fungi), the transplant should be done together with a lump of soil. The most important thing is not to damage this very fragile system during transplantation. You will not need to prepare a very deep hole for planting, as the roots will develop in breadth. On the new site of the Christmas tree, special care will be required - constant watering of the soil and shading. A large number of spruce is not afraid of very severe frosts. But still, decorative varieties will need to be protected in winter - twigs can sag under heavy snow and ice. And young Christmas tree seedlings will require mandatory shelter. Trunk circles must be well mulled in late autumn, in order to root system was completely covered. You can cover the crown of the tree with non-woven material or kraft paper.

Diseases and pests ate

To make the spruce beautiful, use proper care and competent cultivation in order to prevent disease in plants. Even highly decorative spruce varieties can be safely attributed to resistant plants. They very rarely can be afflicted by diseases and attacked by various pests. But despite this, there is still a danger of damage conifers, especially with illiterate care for them. Below we will tell you about the most dangerous fungal diseases:

Schütte. The needles of a tree affected by this fungus begin to turn brown and fall off. You will be able to identify this disease without any problems by the very dark color of the cross stripes on the needles.

Gray mold. Most often it affects young plants of dwarf forms. This disease begins to manifest itself by the appearance of a gray-white bloom on the branches. If the necessary measures are not taken, the fungus can completely cover the entire crown of the tree. As a rule, fungi begin to develop due to excess moisture. It is her that the spruce does not like. Do not allow excessive neglect of plantings and do not overflow young trees with water. In the event that you have sewn traces of damage, it is necessary to treat the crown of the spruce with fungicides.

Among the pests, the most dangerous are:

Spruce mite. It is very difficult to see a bug in the lush needles, since it is very small. The tree starts to lose its appearance... The needles turn brown. Mechanical methods of struggle in this case will be powerless, since it is impossible to remove all the bugs and larvae on their own due to their small size. Here special drugs, acaricides, can help you.

Hermes. This insect promotes the growth of needles into galls. In these galls, aphids begin to develop rapidly. You can fight Hermes by cutting off the formed galls and treating the plant with insecticides.

Spruce sawfly. A very dangerous pest. He is able to hit young Christmas trees. The needles turn brown and the branches are covered with mud. In order to completely get rid of the sawfly, you will need to treat the affected spruce branches with an insecticide at least three times.

Bark beetle. It is quite difficult to combat these pests. Much easier in practice to use effective ways prevention. It is necessary to constantly monitor the health of your Christmas trees, as bugs begin to infect only weakened plants. With the onset of spring, it is imperative to treat the planting with insecticides.

Spruce aphid. You can detect these insects with the naked eye. This pest is a small green bug. The aphid begins to feed on the needles of the spruce, sucking all the juices from it. As a result, the branches begin to bare. The use of insecticides also shows itself well in practice in the fight against aphids.

Finally

Now you understand the technology of growing spruce. Try to take care of the planted Christmas tree, and then no pests and diseases can prevent it from growing and developing well!

How to grow a Christmas tree from seeds for the New Year yourself.

Let not for this New Year, and not next, but in three or four years it is quite possible to grow yourself a real Christmas tree about half a meter high.

The tree will grow from the seeds of a fir cone, at home. For this you need:

1. Find a bump.

The bump should not be open yet. It is better to look for it after the snow has melted, although the right time for collecting is already from the beginning of December, and lasts until spring.

2. Prepare the seeds.

First you need to dry the bud and wait for it to fully open. A regular battery is suitable for drying, as well as any dry, warm place, for example, near the stove.

How to prepare seeds:

pour snow into a suitable container;
place all the seeds obtained from the cone there;
put the container in the freezer;
wait, from a week to a month, depending on your patience;
move the container for several hours from the freezer to the refrigerator;
soak the seeds in potassium permanganate, in a weak solution.

After that, the seeds are ready to be planted in the soil for germination.

3. Prepare the soil.

The soil can be collected in the forest, or you can buy special soil for conifers. Coconut flakes, which are used in hydroponics, are also suitable. You will also need sawdust or needles of needles to sprinkle already planted seeds with them.

4. Plant seeds and create conditions for growth.

When the soil and seeds are ready, it's time to combine them. The seeds are sown shallowly, no more than a centimeter, and they are covered with a mixture of soil with sawdust, or with coniferous needles.

The planted seeds need coolness and moisture. To do this, make a greenhouse from toothpicks placed in the soil and a film laid on top. The soil should be periodically sprayed and well lit, but not kept in direct sunlight.

5. Transplant small Christmas trees and wait.

The first transplant is done when the sprouts reach two centimeters.

Fir-trees are planted in individual pots, with the same conditions - a greenhouse and periodic spraying. It is better to keep the seedlings on the balcony, and if the tree is kept indoors, then away from heating systems and closer to any container with water.

The second transplant is a year later, in cold weather.

The next transplant is in about three years.

Time flies by, and soon on New Year you will grow your own, live Christmas tree. You can even hang some tinsel and a couple of light toys on it. And the rest of the time, a home tree will enrich the air with useful phytoncides and oxygen, and simply delight with green branches and coniferous aroma.

Blue spruce - with a noble color. The plant is necessarily planted in European squares and near private cottages. They planted the "noble" and near our office buildings.

Not everyone can afford to purchase a ready-made one - this species of coniferous tree is referred to as endangered species... The price for a one-meter copy ranges from 4 to 7 thousand rubles, a two-meter one costs four times more. Skillful summer residents manage to grow blue spruce from seeds from mature cones found in the park at the end of winter.

Important! The shade of the sown spruce ranges from bright blue to bluish green and green. It takes a lot of effort to grow a real blue Christmas tree. 2/3 seedlings instead of noble blue get green.

Brief characteristics of the plant

Blue spruce is rightfully called the most prominent species of the coniferous family. In the field and enjoys tremendous popularity. A slow-growing tree with a bluish color of thorny needles has its own characteristics.

In our area, the "noble" coniferous tree reaches a maximum height of 15 m . The thickness of the Christmas tree crown is from 6 to 8 m. At the ancestral home coniferous these figures are twice as high. The crown is conical or cylindrical.

Depending on the variety and temperature conditions in the locality, the needles of the branches vary in color from deep blue to grayish-green. Cones young tree shimmer in red or purple, mature ones - light brown.

Representatives of the elite breed have a high level of resistance to strong frosty winds and arid soil. This allows us to grow varieties in different climate zones of our regions. The frost resistance index is up to -30 ° C.

Coniferous branches do not suffer from the smog of megacities. An exquisite silvery bloom is clearly visible on the needles. In addition to its decorative qualities, it retains moisture and provides a barrier against the ingress of dirty air. Therefore, you can grow a spruce from seeds at home for gardening a backyard in the city.

How blue spruce is often propagated

There are two ways to propagate blue spruce: by sowing seeds from cones or by cuttings. It is difficult to grow a breed of "noble" needles with a blue color in the first way. Both blue and green plantings grow from cone seeds of the same tree.

Important! It is possible to determine the color of a young spruce only in the second year of life. Only 30% of trees grow blue from seeds.

Subsequently, the seeds are planted in the soil. There the sprouts spend the first year of life. In the second year, in the middle of the spring season after the end of frost, the seedlings are planted in open ground.

Spruce of an elite variety, grown by cuttings, retains the full range of characteristics of the mother tree. Lateral shoots up to 10 cm in length are selected, together with the heel, as a cutting. They are cut during the April sap flow in a coniferous tree.

Growing features

Observing a dormant period in refrigerated conditions for planting seeds creates an analogue condition to nature. Observing all the recommendations, you can grow a beautiful formed spruce sprout. For the first 3-4 years, spruce sprouts need individual supervision.

Landing dates

Before planting a blue spruce from seeds, they are pre-prepared, then planted in April. A prepared substrate is used as a planting substrate. Its key components: and sod land. Before direct planting, the soil and cone seeds are processed. The optimum planting depth for spruce seeds is 1 to 2 cm.

After 2-3 weeks, the first shoots of seedlings appear. The seedlings are thinned out, I get rid of the weakest specimens. The distance between them is about 7 cm. Shoots are protected from frost and direct sunlight. The optimum temperature for the germination procedure is + 15 ° C. Young trees are moistened by spraying instead of direct watering at the base of the trunk. At first, the procedure is repeated twice a day.

Conditions for growth

The sprout grows up to 3-4 cm in the first month of growth. It is important to monitor the soil moisture level. Staying coniferous in a well-lit area will ensure intensive growth of sprouts. Young seedlings are not recommended to often be transplanted from container to container. it is difficult to tolerate frequent transplants. This promises a significant obstacle to the growth and development of the crown and trunk of the plant.

The procedure for transplanting into another container is done exclusively in the spring. When changing the pot, the roots are protected from exposure, preserving the soil lump. In the first year of life, the seedling reaches a height of 15 to 25 cm.

In winter time shoots are moistened according to the following scheme:

• Once a month at zero air temperature in the greenhouse;
• 1 time in 2-3 weeks at positive air temperature;
• when wintering in the house, spruce is sprayed.

How to choose planting material

Spruce cones are harvested in February for placement in a linen bag. Over time, after drying in an apartment, the cones will open slightly for trouble-free extraction of seeds with transparent wings. To remove the wings, the seeds are ground, then removed from debris and essential oil.

After the final stage of drying, the sowing material is placed under a layer of snow for two months. A similar technique for apartment storage is placing in the refrigerator for better hardening until mid-March. In gardening shops, you can buy processed and selected seeds for planting. It is advisable to give preference to a good manufacturer.

Did you know?The blue needles planted in our parks belong to different types imported from North America-prickly American, Canadian and Engelmann's variety.

Sowing technology

The seedling quality of seedlings largely depends on the choice of location. A well-lit place is chosen for planting. Adult blue spruce grows on any type of soil and is undemanding to moisture. Seedlings of blue spruce trees are bred in greenhouse conditions for six months. In an apartment, a tree can be planted in a special container.

Seed preparation

To grow a blue spruce from a cone, the planting seeds are strengthened by placing them under snow. They are kept in a humid environment at zero temperature for about two months. The easiest way is to bury the future sprout material in a deep snowdrift.

A similar effect can be achieved by soaking in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 24 hours. The proportion of the liquid solution is 10 g of potassium permanganate per 1 liter of water. At proper preparation before planting the seeds, the first seedlings will sprout in the soil within 15 days.

Sowing scheme

The best soil for sowing conifers is weaned soil. It can be mixed with fertilized soil taken under mature conifers. Be very careful with the date of sowing of the cone seeds. After changing temperatures, chilled seeds lose their soybean properties after 50 hours.

The soil in the greenhouse is well moistened before starting work. In pots, seeds are buried up to 1.5 cm from above. Blue needles are not sown in open ground, for a start it is thoroughly rammed. Material for future sprouts is laid on top and covered with a layer of peat-sawdust mixture 1 cm thick.The optimal distance between individual seeds is about 3-5 cm.

Further care

The first shoots appear in 10-15 days. If you find a frequent arrangement of seedlings, it is advisable to thin out the plants. Only strong specimens are left. The ideal distance between them is 6-7 cm.

Seedling care

In the first two to three weeks, it is important to ensure optimal conditions of detention:

• not sprouts, only spray the seedlings twice a day;
• the seedling pots are kept in temperature conditions from + 13̊C to + 15C °;
• seedlings of seedlings need to be shaded, they will burn in the open sun.

After a month, blue needles seedlings reach a height of 3-4 cm. To prevent formation, the soil is cultivated. The plant itself is treated with a solution.

How to care for seedlings

In hot dry weather, the trees are watered once a week (a bucket of water per plant). The roots of young plants (up to 3 years old) are very close to the surface of the earth. During the period of drought, they require increased moisture.

Did you know?The life span of coniferous needles is about 7 years. The needles on the branches are replaced gradually. With the onset of the next autumn season, 1/7 of the modified dry leaves of the tree fall off.

The planted spruce is pruned periodically. The procedure for the formation of the correct crown is carried out after the end of the natural growth of decorative plantings, when the coniferous needles are completely straightened. The shoots protruding beyond the edge of the form are “twisted” with special care to acquire the correct shape of the spruce.

V winter period there are two threats to a young spruce:

• breaking off a branch under the weight of snow;
• burns from UV rays, followed by shedding of needles.

To protect fragile branches in winter, they are tied to the trunk with a small net. In order to avoid the harmful effects of direct sunlight on the southern side of the site in the first years, the crowns are covered with cotton cloth or agrofibre.

Transplanting a plant to a permanent place

When choosing ready-made seedlings for planting, pay attention to color annual plant... In greenhouse conditions, a blue Christmas tree will outgrow a meter barrier. The site for permanent planting is cleared of. Then dig up landing pit larger than the volume of the roots of the tree. Watch out for the softness of the soil - it is difficult for young roots to break down. Plants remain at risk of death if the soil is not treated before planting. To protect against 14 days before planting, the soil is cultivated.

The tree is dug from the greenhouse area or container. A little "native" soil is poured onto the bottom of the prepared pit. If possible, a little earth is added to the recess from under the mature needles. The seedling is placed in the hole so that the ground levels on the trunk coincide. Planting too deep will harm the rhizome.

The remaining space around the spruce trunk is covered with soil, tamped well to avoid drying out the roots. Then coniferous plant well watered so that the roots straighten faster and penetrate into the surrounding soil. Although this type of coniferous tree belongs to the group, it is still planted in the sun. In the shade, the crown becomes friable, loses color saturation.

Did you know? After 10-15 years, the main root of the coniferous tree dies off. Its functions are performed by a branched system of many smaller roots. In the event of the final death of the plant, a spruce-clone can grow from the rhizome. Swedish scientists have observed a similar phenomenon. In one of the country's city parks, pine needles are growing, which are more than 9.5 thousand years old. It is the oldest plant organism in the entire world.

In the middle climatic zone, the propagation of blue spruce by seeds is carried out in two periods - at the end of April and in the last days of June. In the south, it is not recommended to plant plants in the summer. Shoots burn from heat and heat.

Walking through the forest or in the nearest city park, we enjoy admiring the graceful Christmas trees that remind us of the holiday, parental home, and eternity. What prevents us from indulging in happy memories on cozy warm evenings at home? Take your favorite pine cone with you and grow a real wonderful Christmas tree in a pot from its seeds.

Your Christmas tree will grow from seeds, it will definitely grow! And the most important thing is not at all in meticulous adherence to all recommendations, although this is undoubtedly important, but in a persistent desire to achieve a goal, in a desire to please yourself and loved ones with a beautiful tree.

Pine cone picking time

To plant and grow a tree from seeds, you will need a cone that has not yet opened, which is better to collect in the park than in the forest. The most favorable time for collection from the beginning of December to the very spring. Moreover, best harvest is obtained from cones that are harvested after the winter snow has melted. Collect a lot of cones from different trees.

Seed preparation

Before tackling the seeds directly, dry the bud to fully open up. This can be done on a regular battery or simply put it in a dry, warm place, next to gas stove, for example.

Seeds for germination must first be prepared. To do this, take a regular container, pour snow into it, put a few dozen seeds from the cone there and hide in the freezer. For a month, but not necessarily, if you want to speed up the process, a couple of days is enough. After the freezer, just keep in the refrigerator and place the swollen seeds on the windowsill in the prepared soil for further germination. Before planting in the ground, the grains can be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

We advise you to read: Christmas tree in a pot (tub) for the New Year>

First shoots

Prepare the soil for a home tree from seeds in advance. You can do it yourself, pick it up in the forest, or buy ready-made soil for conifers. A substrate used in hydroponics, such as coke shavings, will work. After planting the seeds in the ground, sprinkle on top with a mixture of soil with pine needles or sawdust.

Cover the seed pot with foil, they really need moisture and coolness. In order not to damage the unexpectedly appeared sprouts, build something like a mini greenhouse. This can be done with toothpicks, evenly placing them in the soil. Protect the seedlings from direct sunlight, while remembering good lighting. Spray them often, but do not over-wet the soil.

When the sprouts have risen a couple of centimeters, pick the strongest ones. Transplant them into separate pots, keeping the same conditions and creating a mini greenhouse for each future tree. When she takes root in a new place, do the first feeding.

For better germination, young Christmas trees need coolness, so do not worry, and feel free to put the seedlings on the balcony. If your home tree, grown from seeds, is indoors, place dishes with water next to it and rid it of the heat radiation from heating systems.

It is prudent to do the first transplant in a year, in the cold season, the next one in three years. Time flies quickly, and in four years you will be able to admire a real half-meter tree.

Growing spruce in the country can be called an elite occupation, because not many take on such painstaking work, and not many are good at it. The thing is that the cultivation of these trees is different from the cultivation of others; a special approach is needed here.

Planting a Christmas tree can occur in several ways - from seeds, from cuttings and seedlings. But, since seedlings are quite expensive, not every summer resident decides to buy them. This is where the idea arises to grow a tree from seeds, or at least try to do it.

Growing spruce from seeds

Today we will walk you through the process of growing these conifers from seeds from start to finish. The process is complicated, let's not argue, but if you want to achieve a result, you have to work a little.

Collection of spruce seeds

It is advisable not to use purchased seeds, because you never know what will be sold to you and in what condition these seeds were stored all the time before purchase. It is quite possible that their germination rate will be very low. Therefore, we recommend using fresh seeds that you have harvested yourself. Thus, you can not only properly prepare the material for planting, but also at the very beginning, choose seeds from the tree that you liked the most.

Seed material is required to be harvested in the fall, around October-November. To do this, you will have to make a trip to a forest or park where these plants are available, and collect cones from trees. The trophies brought home are laid out on dry newspapers near the heaters so that they can dry out a little and release seeds.

Preparing and planting tree seeds

Finished seeds are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then placed in a pot with well-calcined sand. It is necessary to close the seeds in the sand to a depth of 1.5 cm. Now the pot is placed on the refrigerator door in order to create more or less natural conditions for the seeds, because at about this moment the seeds in the forest are in the cold.

Seed stratification stimulates germination, and this has been proven many times over. If you just plant the seeds in the sand, then it is far from the fact that they will sprout.

After 3 months, that is, around March, the pot of seeds will need to be removed from the refrigerator and placed in a warm place, closer to the light, for example, on a window. During this period, daylight hours are gradually increasing, and therefore we can safely consider such conditions as favorable.

Seed care: how to water

Now that the seeds in the pot are placed on the window and are ready to sprout, they should be watered abundantly, creating natural conditions for them again. It is during this period that the snows melt in the forests, and therefore you should give the seeds more moisture, but not overflow. Do not forget about the warmth, that is, the pots must be kept on a warm window.

After 10-15 days, the seeds should sprout, and right now it will be necessary to properly ration watering, giving exactly as much moisture as is necessary for easy soil moisture, otherwise young plantings can rot from overflow.

Spruce seedling care

So, again, we remind you that watering should already be moderate, only to maintain moisture, but you also need to fertilize the soil, about once or twice before planting in the ground, do not forget and loosen the top layer of the soil. In addition, it will be necessary to treat with weak insecticides so as not to burn the plants, but also prevent them from dying from adversity.

Landing in the ground

Growing seedlings of spruce in a pot (or pots) occurs until stable warming outside, and it will be possible to plant them in open ground by the end of May, when the period of night frosts has passed.

Before planting Christmas trees in the ground, it is necessary to prepare a hole for the seedling - pour compost there and add stimulating mineral fertilizers... This will be the first and last fertilizer for the plant, if you adhere to the right conditions cultivation.

After preparing the hole, we place the seedling there, cover it with earth and lightly ram the soil afterwards, water and cover the seedling with a cut plastic bottle from under any drink. Thus, you will create a greenhouse effect for the spruce, due to which the seedlings will acclimatize faster.

Do not forget that this type of greenhouse must be opened every day to ventilate and remove condensate, and after 6-8 days, the bottle cuts can be removed altogether, and the soil around the seedlings can be covered with mulch.

Growing spruce at home is not an easy task, especially at first, but if you choose spruce seedlings for planting, already more or less adults, then the task may become a little easier.

Growing spruce seedlings

If you want to grow spruce with seedlings, it will cost you a little more in terms of initial costs, but you will bypass the process of germinating seeds and save a little time, that is, you will get an adult plant in the country faster. But remember that it all depends on agricultural technology, correct planting and conditions for further maintenance, otherwise even adult and healthy seedlings can be quickly lost.

Growing common spruce begins with planting in the ground in the right place, then only stable care follows, pruning and preparation for the winter period are important.

Planting spruce in the ground

A Christmas tree, like any coniferous plant, is planted in the ground in early May (approximate time for planting) so that the earth is already warmed up, but the weather is not very hot. If it is generally cool outside, it is advisable to postpone the planting to the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.

It is necessary to plant spruce in the right place (depending on the variety), in prepared pits located at a distance of at least 2-2.5 meters from each other and 50-60 cm deep.The bottom of the pit should be covered with drainage from broken bricks (15 see will be enough). Further, the pit is 2/3 filled with a nutritious substrate, which consists of sand, peat, leaf and sod land in proportions 1: 1: 2: 2. It is necessary to add 120-150 g of nitroammophoska to the same mixture, and mix well with the composition.

The seedling is planted so that the root bud remains at the level of the soil, then you will have to constantly monitor its correct level (so that the bud is not exposed or goes under the soil). When the seedling is planted in a hole, watering and backfilling with a layer of peat, 5-7 cm, is performed.

Seedlings purchased in special containers are planted in the soil at the same depth as they were in the container.

Spruce growing and care

Young plantings must be properly watered and fed. If the weather is hot and dry outside, then each plant will need 10-12 liters of water weekly, and sprinkling of the crowns will not interfere. After each watering, it is highly advisable to loosen the soil in the trunks or mulch it.

As we said earlier, after planting, the spruce does not need additional feeding, however, they will react quite positively to the early spring introduction of Kemira-wagon into the soil (about 100 g per plant).

Spruce pruning

It is also necessary to take care of the crowns of trees, when in spring and autumn, diseased branches, dry and broken branches are removed from them. You can also form a crown if Christmas trees are grown for landscape design site and take a serious role in it.

How to prepare plants for winter?

Ate must be protected not only from the scorching summer rays of the sun, but also from frost during the cold period. For this, the trunk circles are well mulched with peat, while the needles are covered with kraft paper or non-woven materials.

Growing from cuttings

There is another, rather popular method of growing spruce on summer cottage- from cuttings. But here, as in other methods, you will need to observe some special conditions in order to get a beautiful, strong and healthy plant.

Cuttings are most often planted almost immediately after cutting, and the cut is done in spring and autumn. Sometimes even summer ones give positive results. Cuttings from Christmas trees 5-8 years old, from which annual shoots are cut off, take root perfectly.

Shoots should be used from the top of the crown, cut off only 15-25 cm of the plant, peel the needles at the end of the cutting (3-5 cm) and plant in a greenhouse. It is advisable to use a greenhouse with fogging installations, but it is possible to work in a standard greenhouse.

The stalk is planted in a prepared hole: drainage 4-5 cm, 10 cm of nutrient soil, 5 cm of sand (all in layers). Next, the seedling is prepared by treatment with growth stimulants or a weak solution of potassium permanganate, planted in ready-made composition to a depth of 3-5 cm, always at an angle of 30 °. The planting interval is 10 cm. Immediately after planting, the plants are watered and covered with a film, the height of which should be no more than 30 cm from the topsoil (in our case, sand). The soil temperature in the greenhouse should be at + 21 + 27 ° C, and the air temperature 4-7 ° lower. It's pretty good if the greenhouse has soil heating.

In spring and summer, there is daily watering, in hot weather up to several times a day. Watering is necessary from a watering can, until the soil is slightly moistened. All this time, the plants must be shaded; by the end of August, the shading can be removed.

Growing spruce at home (whichever method you choose) is a process that is somewhat difficult, and therefore we recommend that you start this activity only if you are fully prepared for such difficulties.

Growing spruce trees in a nursery: an interesting way of planting (video)

Growing canadian spruce, blue or prickly winter-hardy - this is always interesting, but rather difficult. As you can see, you need to take care of the plant almost every day in order to get the expected result. If you are ready for this, you can safely proceed by choosing the most acceptable growing method for yourself. Give the plant your love and care, and it will surely repay you with the beauty and scent of magnificent pine needles.