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Spruce Canadian Alberta Glob appeared half a century ago. Gardener K. Streng, working in the nursery in Boskop (Holland) on the site with Konik, in 1968 discovered an unusual tree. Unlike the original variety, the spruce crown was not conical, but almost round. Further selection consolidated and developed traits caused by accidental mutation. As a result, a new, quickly gaining popularity, Canadian spruce variety, Alberta Glob, appeared.
Description of spruce Albert Globe
All dwarf forms of conifers have appeared as a result of mutation. Previously, gardeners and breeders carefully examined species trees and existing varieties, in the hope of finding the starting material for creating a new cultivar. Since the middle of the last century, they figured out the mechanism of mutation, and they cause it artificially. True, people have not yet succeeded in surpassing nature.
The variety of Canadian, Gray or White Spruce (Picea glauca) by Alberta Globe is obtained as a result of natural mutation, like the original form - Konica. They have in common with a species plant - the features of care and requirements for growing conditions, the main difference is in size. If a wild-growing Canadian spruce stretches up to 40 m in height with a trunk diameter of 0.6-1.2 m, then the Alberta Glob variety is a real baby.
By the age of 30, the tree reaches 0.7-1 m with a width of 1 m. The Canadian Albert Globe spruce grows very slowly. In the first years, it increases by 2-4 cm in height and width. Around the 6-7th season, a jump may occur, when the growth is about 10 cm. It is possible that this will continue until 12-15 years.
By the age of 10, the crown of the Canadian spruce Alberta Globe has an almost ideal rounded shape and a diameter of about 40 cm. Further, the variety grows very slowly, adding 1-2 cm every season, but without haircuts, the tree often becomes broadly conical.
The crown of Albert Glob is very dense, since with a decrease in size, in comparison with the species spruce, the Canadian branches on the plant did not become smaller, just the internodes became short. Due to the abundance of needles, thin shoots are difficult to see, but their color is light brown.
The needles when budding are light, by the end of the season they become bright green. To the touch, it is much softer than that of Canadian Konica spruce, and thinner, from 6 to 9 mm long. If you rub the needles of Albert Globe in your hands, you can feel a scent similar to blackcurrant. Some people think the smell is not very pleasant, but this is a matter of taste.
Cones rarely appear on this dwarf Canadian spruce variety. They are located at the ends of the shoots, have the shape of a cylinder, are colored light brown and are much smaller than that of the original species.
Use in landscape design
Now domestic gardeners have finally come to understand that coniferous crops do not carry negative energy to the site, but they are able to improve the air and saturate it with phytoncides. In addition, in a cold and cool climate, where deciduous trees are bare for almost six months, and flowers are even less pleasing, only evergreens are able to revive the landscape.
Dwarf trees such as Alberta Globe's Canadian spruce are especially popular. For a small garden, they are simply irreplaceable, and in a large garden they are used as the middle and lower tier of landscape groups.
Due to its slow growth, small size and beautiful shape, the Canadian spruce Alberta Globe looks great in rockeries, rock gardens, in any flower bed or discountcontaining not too moisture-loving plants. The tree will be appropriate in an English or oriental garden. But it is especially beautiful, as can be seen in the photo, that Albert Glob's spruce looks on a plot of regular style.
Those who do not like or cannot grow thuja because of the climate successfully replace spherical dwarf varieties with Canadian Albert Globe spruce.
The tree can grow in the shade. Unlike the Canadian Konik spruce, Albert Globe's needles are green, not bluish or bluish, they do not fade in the absence of sunlight. And since the choice of crops that not only can be grown in the shade, but also do not lose decorativeness there, the variety becomes even more in demand.
Alberta Globe goes well with other ornamental plants, including flowers, as long as they do not block fresh air from the Canadian spruce. And do not put their branches, flowers or large leaves on the tree.
Planting and caring for spruce gray Alberta Glob
In the description of Albert Glob ate with gray gray, they often write that the plant almost does not need to be looked after. This is not entirely true. To keep the tree alive, it is really enough just to water it in the heat. But without tears it will be impossible to look at him. Dry brown needles on half of the spruce, bare branches, a cloud of dust flying out from the middle of the plant with every touch of the crown. And this is if the caterpillars have not eaten the tree earlier.
In order for the Canadian spruce of Albert Globe to be healthy and serve as an adornment of the site, you will have to tinker, but the result is worth it.
Seedling and planting plot preparation
Canadian spruce grows best in a cool, shaded place, although the sun tolerates well. She does not like strong winds, close standing groundwater, dense, dry or saline soils. Alberta Globe suffers a slight temporary waterlogging of the soil, but will die when the root collar is blocked.
Best of all, Canadian spruce grows on loose, moderately fertile, permeable to water and air, acidic or slightly acidic sandy loam or loam. It is good if Alberta Globe on the south side will be at least a little shaded by a larger plant, especially in late winter or early spring. Otherwise, the spruce will need to be protected from the sun with white lutrastil or agrofibre.
A planting hole is dug with a diameter of 60 cm, a depth of at least 70 cm. Be sure to make a drainage layer of at least 20 cm from broken red brick or expanded clay. A fertile mixture is best prepared from sod land, sand, clay and sour (red) peat. For Canadian spruce, the addition of leaf humus is allowed. A starting fertilizer is added to each planting pit - 100-150 g of nitroamofoska.
It is better to buy Albert Glob saplings in the nursery, 4-5 years old, when the lateral branches began to form. The Canadian spruce should be dug out with an earthen lump and sheathed with burlap, or the root should be dipped in a clay mash and wrapped tightly with foil.
In retail chains, you should choose container plants. Alberta Globe has soft needles with a green, not gray color, this will help determine varietal compliance.
Pre-planting preparation consists in watering container spruce, and preventing the root from drying out in the soil grown.
Landing rules
After the planting hole has been dug, it is covered with 2/3 fertile mixture, filled with water and allowed to settle. When at least 2 weeks have passed, you can start planting Albert Glob's Canadian spruce:
- So much soil is taken out of the hole so that the root collar of the seedling installed in the center is level with its edge.
- The spruce root is poured, constantly compacting the soil. If Alberta Globe was dug up with a clod of earth and sewn into sacking, the protective material is not removed.
- After planting is complete, the soil is carefully squeezed with a foot, checked, and if necessary, the position of the spruce root collar is corrected.
- An earthen roller is formed around the trunk circle and the tree is watered abundantly, spending at least a bucket of water per tree.
- When the liquid is absorbed, the soil is mulched with sour peat with a layer of 5 cm or more.
Watering and feeding
The first two weeks after planting Canadian spruce, it is often watered, preventing the soil from drying out. In the future, the soil is moistened less often. However, do not forget that most of the spruce roots are close to the soil surface, and the culture itself is quite hygrophilous. In hot summers, watering may be needed every week.
Alberta Glob's Canadian spruce needs high air humidity. It would be ideal to plant it next to the fountain, but it is not available in all areas, as well as the fogging installation. Spruce Albert Globe should be doused with a hose at every watering, even if the soil under other plants is moistened.
This should be done early in the morning or at 17-18 hours so that the crown has time to dry before the sun's rays can burn the delicate needles, or before dark. In the evening, the needles dry more slowly, and fungal diseases can develop on a long wet spruce.
A young plant should be fed regularly. It is better to use special fertilizers intended for conifers. They are released for each season separately, keeping the balance of nutrients needed by evergreens at different periods of development. It is necessary to apply such fertilizers, strictly adhering to the instructions. If the dosage is indicated on the package for 1 sq. m, it should be equated to 1 m of spruce height.
Trace elements necessary for the life of plants, including the maintenance of the decorative effect of needles, are better absorbed with foliar dressing. They are called fast and are carried out no more than once every 2 weeks. It is better to use chelate complexes, adding magnesium sulfate to the cylinder and alternately in an ampoule of epin or zircon.
Mulching and loosening
Loosening the soil under the Albert Globe spruce is problematic - its lower branches practically lie on the ground. But the first year or two after planting, it is necessary to do this, especially after watering. A miniature tool is sold in shops for gardeners - these are not toys, but devices designed for such occasions. With one hand, you should lift the spruce branches, and with the other, gently loosen the soil to a shallow depth so as not to disturb the sucking roots that are close to the surface.
Under the mature Albert Globe spruce, it is better to mulch the ground with acidic peat or bark of coniferous trees treated with fungicides. This not only conserves moisture and protects against weeds, but also will not allow the branches to lie on bare soil, and protect them from infection.
Pruning
The Canadian spruce of the Albert Glob variety has a crown so beautiful that it does not need pruning. But sometimes (very rarely) an ordinary shoot appears on the tree. It should be removed immediately, otherwise it will not only spoil the appearance, but also quickly take a dominant position, turning the varietal plant into an ordinary Canadian spruce.
The old tree of Albert Globe can lose its shape and, instead of a ball, become a wide cone. Then the decorativeness is supported by a haircut, cutting off the shoots in early spring, before bud break.
Crown cleaning
The crown of Albert Glob's Canadian spruce is very dense and poorly ventilated. Almost no water gets there during treatments, dousing the crown and during rain.A lot of dust collects inside the crown of Albert Globe spruce, dryness contributes to the spread of ticks, which consider such conditions ideal. Therefore, during processing or moistening the tree, you should push the branches apart with your hands, be sure to moisten the stem and adjacent branches.
The sun's rays cannot illuminate the inner part of the crown of the Albert Globe spruce, the needles there quickly dry out, like some of the branches. Cutting them is almost impossible. Firstly, it is inconvenient - with one hand you need to move the shoots covered with needles, and with the other, work with a pruner. Secondly, there are so many dried branches that it can take all day to remove them. But if someone has the time and desire, you can do sanitary pruning - this will only benefit the tree.
Busy gardeners should regularly peel the canopy of Albert Globe's Canadian fir. To do this, you should wear armbands, a respirator, goggles and gloves (preferably with rubberized pimples on your palms and fingers). Why such precautions, anyone who has ever cleaned the Canadian fir-trees Konik or Albert Globe will understand - dust flies into the eyes, clogs the nasopharynx, the needles scratch and irritate the skin.
The branches are gently pushed apart by the tree, and all the dry needles are cleaned off with their hands. Everything! Of course, it will take a lot of time, and it is difficult to call the procedure pleasant. But this must be done, and at least three times per season:
- first time immediately after winter, before bud break, before carrying out the first preventive treatment with copper-containing preparations;
- second time - 10-14 days after spring fungicide treatment;
- third time - in the fall, before spraying the Canadian spruce with copper preparations.
And this is the minimum! Each time after cleaning, the Albert Glob spruce is treated with a fungicide that contains better copper, and special attention is paid to the inside of the crown - it should be blue from the drug.
And now a word of caution. If cleansing is ignored, the Canadian Alberta Globe spruce will become a breeding ground for mites that will spread to other crops. And it is difficult to remove these microscopic pests. The spruce will lose its decorative effect. People who are near the ephedra will not inhale phytoncides, but dust in half with mites.
Preparing for winter
Alberta Glob's Canadian spruce is quite frost-resistant, it winters well without shelter in zone 4, and according to the reviews of Russian gardeners, even in 3a. Protection is needed only for young plants in the year of planting - they are covered with spruce branches or wrapped in white agrofibre, which is fixed with twine.
Further, the soil is mulched with a layer of sour peat, in the spring it is not removed, but shallowly embedded in the soil. If the soil has been covered with bark during the growing season, it is raked up and stored in a dry room. In the spring, the mulch is returned to its place.
Among the measures that increase the frost resistance of Canadian spruce are the autumn water charging and feeding with a phosphorus-potassium complex (autumn fertilizer for conifers), mandatory for all crops.
Sunburn protection
Spruce Canadian varieties Alberta Glob suffers from sunburn less than Konica. But all the same it is necessary, starting from February, to cover it with white lutrastil or agrofibre. Better yet, plant a fir tree under the shade of larger plants that provide light shade even in spring.
In summer, the tree also suffers from overheating, albeit less than in spring, when the needles actively evaporate moisture, and the roots in the frozen soil are not able to make up for its shortage. The southern side of the spruce is especially affected. The needles turn yellow, turn brown, dry up and fall off. This does not give the tree a decorative effect. Albert Glob's spruce tree, which is constantly in the sun, can be covered with lutrastil until autumn, of course, but it looks unattractive, and the tree grows on the site to decorate it.
Proper care, sufficient, but not excessive feeding and watering, and irrigation of the crown can help. But the main thing is that once every 2 weeks the tree is treated with epin. This will help protect the spruce from burns, and if the trouble has already happened, it will quickly grow new needles.
Reproduction
Alberta Globe's Canadian spruce is propagated by grafting or cuttings. A species tree will grow from the seeds. Grafting and grafting of conifers is not a task for amateurs. Gardeners can try to root twigs from the bottom of the crown, 10-12 cm long, cut with a piece of the bark of an older shoot.
The cuttings are treated with a root formation stimulant, planted in perlite, sand, or a mixture of turf and sand to a depth of 2-3 cm. Part of the shoot that will be in the substrate is freed from needles. Containers should have drainage holes for water outflow. They are placed in a cold greenhouse, protected from the sun, and watered evenly.
Some of the cuttings will take root, they are transplanted into a more nutritious mixture, consisting of sand, peat and turf. They are transplanted to a permanent place after 4-5 years, when a whorl of buds appears on the top of the Albert Globe spruce, from which lateral branches will develop.
Diseases and pests
The biggest problem (albeit not the most noticeable) of Alberta Glob ate is a spider mite, which starts on conifers when there is a lack of moisture in the air. The dense crown does not allow water to pass through, and if the tree is not cleaned (and regularly), and if water procedures are ignored, you can get a breeding ground for pests and diseases on the site.
Other insects include:
- spruce sawer;
- caterpillars of the Nun's butterfly;
- gall aphids;
- hermes;
- spruce leaf roll.
The most common diseases of Canadian spruce:
- fusarium;
- snow and ordinary shute;
- rot;
- bark necrosis;
- wound cancer;
- rust;
- spruce whirligig.
Pests are fought with the help of insecticides, acaricides are better against ticks. For diseases, fungicides are used. Be sure to carry out preventive treatments of spruce with Canadian preparations containing copper in the spring and autumn. Particular attention should be paid to the inside of the crown.
Conclusion
Canadian spruce Alberta Glob is a very beautiful miniature coniferous tree. Taking care of it is not so easy, but all the efforts spent on the plant will pay off handsomely. To simplify your life and not waste time on treatment and putting the crown in order, you just need to follow all the rules of agricultural technology.
