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Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis) is one of 40, and according to some sources, 50 species belonging to the genus Pine spruce. It is a typical mountain plant, the habitat of which is 1000-2500 m above sea level. The area of Eastern Spruce is the Caucasus, Turkey, Asia Minor Although this species is thermophilic, the culture grows well in the Middle zone and some areas of the North-West, belonging to the 4th frost resistance zone.
Description of oriental spruce
Eastern spruce is an evergreen coniferous tree with a conical crown, sometimes it is called Caucasian due to its wide distribution in the region. This species grows very slowly, especially at a young age (7-10 years), but over time it reaches a height of 65 m, and a trunk diameter of 2 m.
Oriental spruce grown from seeds for 3-4 years of life forms a whorl on the crown, consisting of several buds directed to the sides and one apical. At the beginning of the next season, lateral branches and a single vertical shoot with a new ring of buds grow from them.
The bark of the eastern spruce is light gray in color, smooth at a young age, cracks and exfoliates with age. The needles, like in other species, are tetrahedral, but much shorter and noticeably flattened. Its length is 4-8 mm, the color of the annual growth is golden, in subsequent seasons the color changes to dark green. The shoots of the eastern spruce are densely covered with needles, which in natural conditions live for 5-7 years, in culture - 3-4.
Female cones are first red, then chestnut or brown, up to 8 cm long, about 2 cm wide, resinous, fusiform. They are located at the ends of the branches in groups. The scales are almost round, shiny, the seeds are black, up to 4 mm, the wing size is twice as large. The male cones of Eastern spruce are yellowish, located inside the crown, bloom in late spring or early summer and release a lot of pollen. It scatters a great distance, painting everything yellow.
The cones stay on the tree for a long time. At first they are green and the size of a pea, in the second season they fertilize and ripen, reaching their maximum size. At the beginning of the third year, the cones reveal their scales and fall from the tree. Ripening time in the mountains is October-November, on the plains - August-September.
The Eastern Spruce has a lifespan of 400-500 years.
Varieties
Eastern spruce is sensitive to severe frosts, most cultivars are grown in zones 4-7. The species shows low resistance to urban conditions. Therefore, the selection is aimed not only at breeding low-growing varieties with an original crown shape, but also at increasing the endurance to anthropogenic factors.
Oriental spruce Aurea
It is a slowly growing variety of oriental spruce with a loose crown of irregular conical shape. In a year, the tree grows 15 cm in height and adds 5 cm to its width. The maximum spruce size is 12, sometimes 15 m, the crown diameter is up to 5.5 m. By the age of 30, the plant height is from 6 to 8 m.
When blooming, the needles are colored golden, in summer they turn green, and by winter they become dark green. Skeletal branches of spruce are lifted up, the shoots extending from them are drooping.
This is a rather unpretentious variety that tolerates urban conditions well, capable of growing in the sun and in partial shade. But the winter hardiness of the Aurea spruce is low (zone 5); the needles darken in severe winters.
The variety tolerates haircuts and can be used to create hedges. Recommended for medium to large areas.
Eastern spruce Aureospicata
A variety of German selection. The maximum size of spruce is 12 m in height and 5 m in width.By 10 years old, it reaches 2.5 and 1.5 m, respectively, at 30 years old it grows up to 6-8 m.On the other varieties, Eastern Aureospicata spruce differs in late bud opening - golden young shoots appear in June. Over time, the needles become dark green.
The spruce crown is dense, narrow pyramidal, the lateral branches are asymmetric, with drooping processes. Annual growth - no more than 20 cm. Young purple cones, ripe - brown, narrow, beautiful, up to 10 cm long.
The variety tolerates a haircut well at a young age, is grown in a frost resistance zone of at least 5.
Eastern spruce Golden Start
It is a dwarf variety of oriental spruce, growing very slowly, reaching a height of 1.5-3 m with a width of 1.5 m with age. Its crown shape is broadly conical. The branches are widely spread, horizontal. In a young spruce tree, the height is usually the same as the diameter of the crown, the old one stretches, the tips of the shoots hang.
The growth of the new year is golden, gradually darkens during the season and becomes dark green by winter. The needles are short, tough, cones up to 8 cm long, first purple, then chestnut.
Spruce Golden Start is light-requiring, but it tolerates shading well. With a lack of sunlight, the golden color of young needles is less pronounced or completely absent. The frost resistance zone in which the variety can grow without shelter is at least 5.
Golden Start tolerates haircuts and is recommended for patios, rocky or oriental-designed gardens. This spruce will be appropriate in small areas.
Oriental spruce Summergold
This variety differs from others in a symmetrical crown. By the age of 10, the spruce reaches 2 m, the old tree does not exceed 8 m. The young growth is golden, by the end of the warm season the needles gradually become dark green.
Spruce grows well in the sun and in small shade. Recommended for medium to large areas.
Eastern Skylands spruce
This is one of the most popular oriental spruce varieties in landscape design. It was bred in 1952 on farms in New Jersey. Spruce with short needles, which is bright yellow at first, then turns golden, and only by the end of the season acquires a dark green color. The crown is pyramidal, in an adult plant it narrows and stretches.
Landscape designers often play on the contrast of light yellow young needles and dark green old needles.
Eastern spruce Nigra Compacta
Perhaps this oriental spruce variety is the most compact, which is reflected in the name. At the age of 10 years, the tree may not reach a height of 1 m. The needles are shorter than those of other varieties, the young one is golden, with age it traditionally darkens and turns green.
Nigra Compact winters well without shelter in the frost resistance zone 4. Landscape designers often cut off the top of the tree to create a more interesting crown, which makes the spruce look like a pillow. If you maintain this shape, the plant will direct all its forces to the development of lateral branches.By stopping pruning, you can end up with a tree with several vertices and a crown so dense that it will not look like a cone, but a large egg or ball. This can be clearly seen in the photo of the eastern Nigra Compacta spruce.
Planting and caring for oriental spruce
At a young age, the spruce is quite picky, when the tree grows, there are much less worries with it. The eastern one suffers most of all due to dry air and gas pollution - these factors affect the lifespan of the needles, therefore, the decorativeness of the culture.
Seedling and planting plot preparation
Gardeners want to grow a beautiful oriental spruce, which will not only decorate the site, but also purify the air and saturate it with phytoncides. To do this, they must carefully approach the selection of a site and a seedling.
Selection of seedlings
Oriental spruce seedlings are best bought in nurseries, where they will be dug up in the presence of the future owner, or grown in containers. This requirement is due to the fact that all conifers die slowly, their needles remain green for a long time.
For example, spruce and pine trees for sale on New Year's Eve are harvested without permission in October or early November, and sometimes even in September. At that time, environmental and other regulatory authorities have not yet begun to conduct raids aimed at saving forests from illegal logging. Spruces and pines are stored in dark, damp hangars, and the needles remain green all this time. If, when buying a New Year's tree, the tips of the thorns are yellow or brown - this is a clear sign, then the plant was felled several months ago.
And what about the time of digging ate? A tree with an open root system taken out of the ground, if stored in a damp place, will retain its attractive appearance for a long time. After planting, the spruce may die, or take root badly, lose most of the needles, and subsequently constantly get sick. It is difficult to make claims to the trading organization - usually the complete death of the ephedra, accompanied by drying out of the branches and complete shedding of the needles, occurs only in the next season.
For planting, you can choose an adult tree grown in a container, or dug out with an earthen clod tied with burlap, or a 3-4-year-old seedling with a crown that has begun to form. Previously, it makes no sense to buy a spruce - it is a single branch, it is impossible to even get an approximate idea of varietal compliance. All representatives of the species have short needles and yellow or golden young growth.
All this you need to know when buying a spruce, since even young varietal trees are not cheap, and adults can hurt the pocket of even non-poor people.
Site selection and preparation
Young oriental spruce should be protected from direct sunlight at noon for at least the first few years of life. Subsequently, the tree becomes light-loving, and even loses in the shade the golden color of the growth of the current year. Lack of sun does not affect the health of the oriental spruce, but only reduces its decorative effect. The illumination of the tree should not be less than 6 hours a day, although the species is considered one of the most shade-tolerant.
Groundwater should not approach the soil surface closer than 1.5 m. In extreme cases, a drainage layer is made of broken red brick or expanded clay at least 20 cm.
The soil for planting should be well permeable to water and air. Spruce does not even tolerate trampling of the soil. Moderately fertile, slightly acidic loams and sandy loams are well suited. High-moor (red) peat should be added to alkaline soils.
Landing rules
It is better to plant oriental spruce in autumn, and in all regions. In the south, it is generally recommended to place it on the site after the first frost, and throughout the winter. Only in zone 4 is it better to postpone the planting of spruce until spring (although not necessary).
The planting hole is dug in advance and allowed to settle for at least 2 weeks. Its diameter should be about a meter, depth - at least 60 cm.On dense soils or where water comes close to the surface, a drainage layer of at least 20 cm must be made.
To plant the oriental spruce correctly, you need to prepare a special mixture. It consists of turf, sand and clay. Where the soil is alkaline, neutral, or contains a lot of salts, sour (high moor) peat is immediately added. A special fertilizer for conifers is poured into each pit according to the instructions, in extreme cases - 100-150 g of nitroammophoska.
The hole is filled 2/3 with the prepared mixture, watered abundantly, and allowed to settle. Before planting, the root of the Eastern spruce should not dry out. It depends on how quickly the tree will take root and what its health will be in the future. If the root is sewn into burlap, you do not need to remove it, the container (when the ephedra grew in it) is carefully removed before planting.
The operation is carried out in the following sequence:
- A part of the soil is taken out of the hole so that the root collar of the spruce is at ground level.
- The seedling is placed in the center and carefully covered with the prepared nutrient mixture, constantly compacting it.
- Check and correct the position of the root collar.
- The eastern spruce is abundantly watered, spending at least 2 buckets of water per planting pit.
- The trunk circle is mulched with sour (red peat). The layer thickness must be at least 5 cm.
Watering and feeding
Eastern spruce does not tolerate dry soil. Young trees are especially demanding for watering. The soil around them is regularly moistened not only immediately after planting, but also for several years, pouring 10-12 liters of liquid weekly under each spruce in dry weather.
After 10 years, the tree becomes, on the one hand, less sensitive to lack of water, and on the other hand, it begins to grow faster. This requires moisture. So the eastern spruce always needs regular watering.
Dry air can also damage the tree. It is good if there is a fogging installation on the site. If not, in hot dry weather, oriental spruce should be doused with water from a hose at least once a week. Only it is better to do this after 5-6 pm, if a sharp drop in temperature is not expected at night. Once on the branches in the morning, the water can work like a lens and burn the needles. If the spruce is poured late in the evening, the tree will not be able to dry for a long time, there is a risk of developing fungal infections.
If the planting pit was well filled with fertilizers, the tree does not need to be fed for the first 2-3 years, then they should be applied at the root and through the needles several times per season. The need for intensive feeding is due to the fact that the eastern spruce does not tolerate urban conditions. To maintain the crown and root system, it needs nutrients and water. Without the introduction of macro and microelements, the tree hibernates poorly, quickly loses needles and absorbs moisture worse.
It is better to use fertilizers for conifers, and in accordance with the season: there are special fertilizers for spring and early summer, containing a large amount of nitrogen. At the end of the warm season and in autumn, they need phosphorus and potassium. Special fertilizers for each group of plants contain a balanced complex of substances necessary for a crop in a given period.
Now it is no longer necessary to buy expensive Western brands, domestic manufacturers have launched inexpensive specialized feedings on the market. You need to use them in accordance with the instructions. If the dosage is indicated on the package for 1 sq. m, it must be equated to 1 running meter of tree growth.
For oriental spruce, poorly adapted to urban conditions, foliar feeding is of great importance, since the trace elements necessary for the plant are better absorbed through the needles. It is better to use a chelate complex to which magnesium sulfate is added, and alternately epin or zircon.
Mulching and loosening
The root system of young Eastern spruce first grows in depth. Then the taproot dies off, but many horizontal processes appear. The sucking roots are located close to the surface of the soil; it is impossible to disturb them unnecessarily.
It is necessary to loosen the soil shallowly, no more than 5-7 cm, and only in the first years after planting. In the future, they are replaced by mulching the soil with sour peat. Fallen needles can be used as bedding, but it is often infested with pest larvae, fungal spores and other pathogens. It is almost impossible to completely disinfect it at home, as well as to guarantee that the needles collected somewhere are healthy, even though they seem clean.
In garden centers, you can buy already processed bark of coniferous trees of different fractions. It perfectly covers the soil, conserves moisture and slightly acidifies the soil. The dyed bark may look beautiful, but during watering and rains it clogs and clogs the ground.
Pruning
Oriental spruce tolerates pruning at a young age. After 10 years, cardinal crown correction without special need is not recommended - you should maintain the shape that was given to the tree earlier, or leave it alone.
Competent pruning of conifers is akin to art. It is much easier to care for a spruce than to put in order other evergreen trees - the crown of the culture is already beautiful. It is better to call a specialist to create a hedge. He will carry out the initial haircut, and give advice on keeping in shape.
Basic rules for pruning Eastern spruce:
- the first haircut cannot be done in the year of planting;
- the procedure is carried out in early spring, before the kidneys open;
- even with cardinal pruning, more than 30% of the green mass of the spruce should not be removed;
- the instrument should be used sharp and sterile;
- you cannot leave bare branches - they will dry out anyway;
- the cut must be done above the kidney, at an angle of 45 °, stepping back 2 mm;
- if the branch grows up, the cut is made over the downward bud, and vice versa;
- you need to remove all dry and broken shoots;
- the old branch is cut with a file, holding it so that it does not collapse, damaging the bark;
- wound surfaces with a diameter of more than 0.5 cm are treated with garden varnish or covered with special paint.
Preparing for winter
When buying eastern spruce, residents of the North-West, the Urals and Siberia should be interested in what kind of frost resistance zone the variety is intended for growing. The species tree hibernates in the fourth. If the plant will be located in its "own" zone, it should be covered only in the first year or two after planting. To do this, it is enough to throw spruce branches on the seedling or tie it with white agrofibre or lutrastil. In the spring, remember to remove the shelter before bud break.
In the future, you can limit yourself to mulching the soil with sour peat. By the beginning of the season, you should not remove it from the site, you just need to embed it shallowly into the soil.
Reproduction
Oriental spruce is propagated by seeds that have good germination. But at the same time varietal characteristics are not inherited by the tree. Garden forms are often bred by cuttings, rarely by grafting.
Before sowing in cold greenhouses, the seeds of Eastern spruce must undergo stratification for 2-3 months - this significantly increases germination. Without treatment with low temperatures, the planting material is soaked for a day in settled water. Seeds germinate in the year of planting. For the first 3-4 years, the oriental spruce does not form whorls, from which lateral branches grow.
The tree can be propagated by cuttings throughout the season, but spring plants take root best of all - in 4-5 months. Autumn takes twice as long to take root. Cuttings are taken from the upper or middle part of the crown of the tree - they should be with yellowish bark, 15-20 cm. Shoots that are not cut off, but torn off together with the heel (a piece of bark of an older branch), take root. For better rooting, the wound surface is treated with a growth stimulator.
The Eastern spruce can also be propagated by grafting, but specialists must do this.
Diseases and pests
Reviews of the oriental spruce show that, planted in the right place, with a complete replacement of the soil, a carefully groomed tree is sick and rarely affected by pests.
Most diseases of Eastern spruce can be avoided by conducting preventive treatments with copper-containing preparations at the beginning and end of the season. The most common ones are:
- snow shute;
- fusarium;
- rot of the trunk and root system;
- shute;
- bark necrosis;
- ulcerative cancer;
- rust of needles and cones;
- spruce twirl.
Among the pests of oriental spruce, one should highlight:
- red and yellow gall aphids;
- caterpillars of the nun silkworm butterfly;
- spruce leaf roll;
- spruce-fir hermes;
- spider mite;
- common spruce sawyer.
Diseases are fought with the help of fungicides, pests are destroyed with insecticides and acaricides. The earlier treatment is started, the more successful it will be. Once a week, conifers should be carefully examined with a magnifying glass.
Conclusion
The Eastern spruce is one of the most beautiful coniferous crops. The species tree grows tall and does not tolerate urban conditions well. The varieties are better suited for growing in private plots. They remain small for a long time, and for a small spruce it is easy to build a shelter that can protect it even in cool or cold climates.
