Spruce Canadian horse. What is unusual about Konika spruce: choosing the best for the site

Konik spruce is a short, pyramidal form of Canadian gray spruce. It has been growing in our area for over ten years. This time was enough for the tiny Christmas tree to turn into a beautiful coniferous tree, and I gained experience in caring for it.

Spruce Konik at home

The story of my Konika's life began on New Year's holidays, when I received a tiny coniferous tree as a gift. He was not even visible under the shell of shiny tinsel. For greater "beauty" the needles were strewn artificial snow. At first, I kept a pot of Konika at home. Of course, all jewelry was removed from her, and the needles were carefully washed from the "snow". The herringbone had a hard time: the roots suffered in a cramped flower pot with a coconut fiber substrate. In the dry warm air, part of the needles crumbled. I had to transfer to a larger pot with normal soil and rearrange Konika on a glazed loggia. There, the Christmas tree lived in a flower pot almost until May. During this time, she did not grow up, but she got prettier and stronger.

Spruce Konik on the site

As soon as it got warmer, I transplanted Konika to a plot closer to the entrance to the house. She was so small and defenseless that at first she needed our constant attention. We studied scientific and popular science literature with interest, trying to understand the features of this unusual spruce. It turns out that a bonsai tree with a sail-like silhouette is a long-liver that retains such best qualities of Canadian gray spruce as frost resistance and resistance to strong winds. You can plant Konika in a sunny place and in the shade. In May and early summer, Konika is especially good. It is at this time that young shoots grow, and the emerald needles seem very soft and fluffy.

Caring for Konika

This tree is easy to care for. However, it is necessary to take into account a number of its features. The slow-growing dwarf prefers loams, to which peat, sand and well-decomposed humus are added. It reacts poorly to calcareous soils. Loves moisture, but does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging. She loves a water shower, which is obtained using a spray nozzle on a hose.

Prefers partial shade, although it also grows in full sun. It is better to feed with special fertilizers for conifers. You can "salt" the soil with Kemira along the periphery of the crown.

Inherited high winter hardiness allows spruce to winter without additional shelter. But it is winter that is the most dangerous period for Konika. During this season and early spring, many spruces get terrible burns.

Shelter Koniki for the winter

Most Konika owners cover their Christmas trees for the winter in order to protect the crown from sunburn. In late February - early March, solar activity increases. The sun's rays reflect off the white snow, becoming even brighter. If the fir trees do not have shading, then burns appear on the needles. Especially on the open part of the crown facing the sun. Trees can be protected with burlap, thick lutrasil, cardboard shields, kraft paper or cloth. The lower part, which is under the snow, is not closed to avoid damping. They also shade with spruce branches. When harvesting spruce branches, you can not take branches with small green formations, so as not to bring in Hermes, the scourge of conifers.

Our Konika wintered well for many years under several layers of old lutrasil. Until the store persuaded me to purchase a roll of a special covering imported non-woven material (green). On its packaging were some bushes, roses and Koniks wrapped in this cloth. She almost ruined the Christmas tree: the needles under it strongly rotted and crumbled. By the way, the roses also suffered greatly. After that unfortunate winter, I began to cover Konika with snow. Only at the end of February I put some fabric on top of it.

Help for Konika, who received sunburn

Once I read on one of the forums (I don’t remember which one) a phrase that somewhat rudely, but very accurately describes spruces with burnt needles: “Konik has a classic look for this year: they all look like punks, with red-dyed tufts.” Even such a badly burned Christmas tree is worth trying to reanimate. To do this, at the end of April or in May, gently shake off the crumbling needles or wash it off with a strong jet from a hose. The crown of the tree should be moistened as often as possible with water from a watering can or hose. It will take quite a bit of time, and young shoots will appear on bare branches from living buds. The affected areas will gradually tighten. I am convinced: “You should not rush to cut branches with browned needles, and even those that were left completely without needles. All is not yet lost. It is better to take a watering can with water instead of secateurs.

Spruce Konik and other dwarf spruces

In Canada, a very beautiful gray spruce (Picea glauca) grows with a slender conical crown. The height of the gray fir tree is about 35 meters. This spruce is planted in middle lane Russia. Far from its homeland, the gray spruce feels good, but grows more slowly.

In 1904 in Canada there was historical event- North American dendrologists discovered and described a short mutant of Canadian spruce. The height of the pyramidal crown of this adult tree was no higher than four meters. So, an accidental discovery on the shore of a Canadian lake gave the world one of the most decorative fir trees with a dense conical crown. Konica (Picea glauca Conica) began to be cultivated in all countries. Numerous Koniks are descendants of the same natural dwarf spruce with gray. They have less prickly needles than other spruces.

Most amateurs consider all undersized pyramidal spruces to be Koniki. They may have a different color of needles (green, blue, gray and golden). These spruces are often sold under common name"Konika", although they are not her, but various forms ate gray. Here brief information about some dwarf firs that are sold in garden centers near Moscow.

"Elegance Compacta". Conical crown, stronger growth than 'Konica'. Young shoots and buds are yellow-brown, needles are light green, 8-10 mm long.

"Dwarf". Strict conical shape. The needles are gray-green, 8 - 10 mm long.

Gracilis Compacta. Dwarf with a conical crown. Very dense and hard gray-green needles 7 - 10 mm long.

"Laurin". Dwarf form with weak growth. The crown is very dense. The needles are dark green.

"Rainbow's End". In summer, from mid-June to September, the needles have bright yellow tips.

Zuckerhut. Tree height up to 1.5 m. Dense conical crown with a noticeably pointed top. Soft bright green needles. Grows very slowly.

To ennoble the site, one of the most popular coniferous trees is conic. Decorative variety of evergreen beauty great for decoration personal plot, creating all kinds of garden compositions and landscaping. Such a tree will become the highlight of your garden due to the color of the needles and the correct shape of the crown. Konik spruce is popular due to the fact that it grows well both in open ground and in a pot, all year round rejoicing in their beauty.

What is Canadian Spruce Konik

This tree is an ornamental form of Canadian spruce, which can be called in another way as “gray conic spruce”, “glauca conic spruce”, “white conic spruce”. All these names characterize the appearance of a tree with needles, which is characterized by a bluish tint. It is an evergreen ornamental plant botanical description belongs to the genus Spruce of the Pine family.

Canadian conic spruce is a miniature copy of the gray spruce and is great for creating landscape design of the site. The first mention of it was recorded in 1904, when this type of evergreen was discovered in the mountains of Canada. Then the conica quickly spread to many countries of the world. This is due to the decorative effect of such a Christmas tree, which can be entered into any suburban area. Today it is represented by several mutant varieties, which include: Gnome, Alberta-Globe, Laurin and Elegance Compacta.

Description

Konika belongs to the category of coniferous evergreen trees. Its decorative value is not only the correct shape of the crown, but also a relatively small height, due to which it is widely used to decorate gardens and adjoining areas. Detailed description:

The height of the conic reaches 1 m, which is considered ideal for home growing. At favorable conditions reaches 3 m. The diameter of the tree does not exceed 2 m.
Growing decorative spruce slowly. For the first 10 years of life, its growth is only 6–10 cm per year, after which it decreases to 1.3–3 cm.
The tree is considered long-lived. In one place, it grows for about 300-500 years.
An ornamental variety of Canadian gray spruce has correct form crown, which in appearance is similar to a narrow cone. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the crown practically does not need to be looked after - it takes its shape naturally.
The root system of spruce is superficial, so when loosening the soil around it, you must be extremely careful.
Cones on a tree are formed very rarely. They have an oblong conical shape, and their length reaches 6 cm.
Konika has a very dense crown with short needle-shaped needles of a bluish-green hue, the length of which is about 1 cm. The needles do not prick, so the tree is absolutely safe.

The Canadian plant is considered one of the most popular types of conifers used in landscape design. It looks great in both group and single placement. A young seedling of optimal height becomes an excellent decoration for a mixborder - a kind of flower garden, which is created from multi-tiered and multi-row planted plants. Other uses in landscape design:

You can often find konika in pots and containers on balconies, terraces, alleys, rooftops, etc. At the same time, they can be easily moved indoors in winter. The advantage of growing in pots is the possibility of using such a Christmas tree on new year holidays.
A decorative Christmas tree can be planted in different garden compositions like rockeries or rock gardens. It will serve as an excellent backdrop for flowering plants.
Decorative spruce looks great as a small one hedge when group planting, especially for its crown does not require care.

Reproduction methods

There are two ways to propagate an ornamental evergreen tree. In any case, the propagation of ornamental spruce is a long and laborious undertaking. Ways:

seeds;
cuttings.

seeds

This method of reproduction decorative Christmas tree is used extremely rarely. It is considered unreliable, tk. a Christmas tree grown in this way can lose almost all the decorative features of the mother tree. Only a couple of seeds can inherit them from one cone, but despite this, this method has the right to exist. Seed propagation technology:

First, collect the seeds. Use only well-ripened buds for this. The optimal collection period is autumn-winter.
Then you need to carefully prepare nutrient soil with high levels of acidity. For this purpose, combine leafy soil, sand, soddy soil and peat in equal proportions. Fill a container of a suitable size with the resulting soil mixture.
Sow prepared planting material required to a depth of no more than 1 cm.
After sowing, place the container in a cool place that will resemble natural conditions conic growth.
AT optimal conditions the first shoots will begin to appear in early spring. If you properly care for the seedlings, then in just a year they will reach a height of 20 cm.
A young mini-spruce can be grown at home or transplanted into the ground after growing. The seed method of reproduction is almost always successful, because. this type of evergreen tree has a high level of similarity.

cuttings

This method of propagation of an ornamental tree is more common. It can be used to achieve high results, because young plants will have all the characteristics of the mother tree. At the same time, the process is long - it will take more than one year until you have a seedling suitable for planting in open ground. It is recommended to breed and grow undersized Canadian spruce in the open air so that the conditions are as close as possible to natural ones. detailed instructions:

Carry out cuttings in June. This is necessary so that the cut on the cuttings has time to overgrow in a few months and the tree after that becomes actively rooted.
When preparing cuttings for propagation, cut only the lowest branches. The length of the planting material should not exceed 10–12 cm.
Separate the cuttings from the mother tree correctly: they must have a heel, i.e. separation should be carried out together with part of the bark, otherwise the seedling will die.
Having prepared required amount cuttings, place them in a solution of a growth stimulator, for example, Kornevin. To do this, fill the container with liquid and place the planting material in it for at least a couple of hours.
In the future, you can dilute the remaining solution with water. Use the resulting composition to water the cuttings.
Carefully prepare a fertile substrate for growing conica. To do this, you can mix sand, leafy soil, peat and soddy soil.
Bury the cuttings into the soil 2.5 cm (maximum).
Further care will consist only of moderate watering and maintaining the required humidity.
After 4-5 years, the seedling will need to be planted on permanent place into open ground.

How to choose a conic spruce for planting

To get beautiful and healthy evergreens, you need to choose the right seedlings. When buying them in specialized nurseries, you will be sure that you are getting really worthwhile planting material - although there is always a risk of encountering a bad product. For this reason, when choosing a seedling, pay attention to a few important points:

It is best to purchase a seedling in a pot with a closed root system, because. in the future, you can plant it in open ground at any time from spring to autumn. If you bought a spruce with an open root system, then you will need to plant it immediately.
Be sure to pay attention to the root system, which should be with an earthy clod. Also, make sure it's covered with burlap to prevent damage to the roots.
Carefully inspect the entire seedling - it should not have dried and damaged branches.
Sometimes a plant is healthy in appearance, but in fact it is no longer viable. In this regard, check the needles. Dead needles turn yellow at the edges, and during pressure they bend to the side. Living needles are elastic, and if you press on them, they will simply bend.
The age of the seedlings also plays an important role. The younger they are, the easier it is to take root in a new place.

Landing work

Grow Konik spruce at home in own garden or at adjoining area relatively simple, but you will have to be patient. Before you start digging a hole of suitable size, you will need to choose the best place. Then you need to prepare the soil mixture, and only after that start planting a Canadian decorative Christmas tree. Next, you will need to feed, water, loosen and mulch the soil. In gratitude, the conic will become a noticeable decoration of your site.

Choosing a landing site

In the first step, find appropriate place for planting an evergreen tree. When searching, follow a few rules:

The preferred place for the growth and development of Konik spruce are open sunny areas with slight shading (partial shade), because the plant is susceptible sunburn. If you plant it only in the shade, then the coniferous tree will quickly lose both the color of the needles and its decorative qualities.
It is very important that the selected piece of land is protected from wind and ground water did not lie close to the surface - the decorative form of Canadian spruce does not tolerate stagnant water.
Please note that near the landing site should not be big trees. Otherwise, there will be little space for the horse and the likelihood that it will lose its decorative properties, will increase significantly.
Plant in the city stunted spruce not recommended, because it can die due to intolerance to air pollution.
When choosing a final site, take into account the desired compositional placement or ideas for the landscape of a particular area.

Soil preparation and planting

Canadian spruce is not particularly picky and will grow on almost any more or less suitable soil. To keep her decorative features and bright color crowns, it is recommended to pick up fertile land. The selected soil should be light and loose, and have good water and air permeability. It will be even better if the prepared soil is enriched with organic matter. The earth should be carefully dug up before planting. Boarding process:

Planting seedlings in spring and autumn should be with open roots. When planting in the summer, they must be with a clod of earth, because. there is a risk of damage to the root system. The roots of the horse do not tolerate hot dry air.
Planting should begin with soil preparation. Suitable for horses soil mix, consisting of sand, sod land, leaf land and peat in equal proportions. Add some organic matter if you like.
Then dig landing pit. Its size will depend on the size of the seedling and its root system.
At the bottom of the prepared pit, lay a drainage layer consisting of crushed stone or broken brick.
Then pour in part of the prepared soil mixture with humus or compost - you can supplement it with a small amount of complex fertilizer.
Place planting material on this soil and sprinkle it with the remaining earth.
After planting, be sure to water the seedling. One tree should account for 10 to 12 liters of water.
At the end, mulch the trunk circle to retain moisture. Peat is fine as mulch.

Konik spruce care

Further care for the decorative form of the Canadian Christmas tree does not require much effort or any complicated actions. The main thing is to pay attention to the tree, so that in the future it will always delight you with the bright color of its needles and surprisingly beautiful crown. If timely moistening and protection from sunlight is required, fertilizing, as well as loosening and mulching the soil, is also important.

For normal development, the tree requires 10 hours of daylight - the plant prefers bright but diffused light. It is important to protect young seedlings from sunlight, because. they can get burned and eventually die. Use burlap and cardboard for protection. Poor care will provoke the appearance of various diseases and negatively affect the appearance of the evergreen. The restoration of the horse will take a long period of time.

Watering, loosening and mulching the soil

It is necessary to water an ornamental tree constantly, but moderately. Great importance this event takes place during the drought period, when young seedlings need to be watered twice a week with 10 liters of water. This tree also loves sprinkling, so it is advisable to spray its needles 1-2 times weekly using a watering can or hose. Be careful not to flood the root system - a strong excess of moisture will lead to decay of the upper roots.

Periodically, it is recommended to loosen the trunk circle - this should be done very carefully, because. the root system of the tree is located close to the surface of the earth, and therefore it can be easily damaged. After loosening, be sure to mulch the soil. Compost or peat is suitable as mulch. A layer of such a mulch will protect your coniferous beauty from the appearance of a large number of weeds and possible drying out.

top dressing

If during planting you supplemented the soil for the seedling with organic matter and complex fertilizers, then at first young plant will not need feeding. You need to feed a coniferous tree in early spring or late autumn. For this purpose, use complex fertilizers that contain a lot of nitrogen: it is better to purchase products specifically designed for coniferous plants. You need to fertilize at the base of the tree, trying not to damage the roots - then water the soil well. For one top dressing, 15-20 g of complex fertilizers will be enough.

pruning

decorative shape Canadian coniferous tree has a conical crown, which almost does not need pruning. In the autumn and spring season, it is recommended to perform sanitary pruning. During this event Carefully remove any dead, broken, or damaged branches. You don’t need to do anything else - such pruning will help make the plant more neat and attractive in appearance.

Preparing for the winter

coniferous plant easily tolerates severe winter frosts, only recently planted and young specimens can suffer from the cold, because. their root system is not yet fully established in the ground. It is recommended to wrap such plants with twine or net. This should be done carefully so that the branches do not break off. If on winter period If you decide to cover your coniferous beauty with lutrasil, then make sure that its thickness is at least 60 microns, otherwise there will be a risk of frostbite of the needles. It is not necessary to cover old trees. You can water them well in late autumn.

If the seedling is planted in a tub, then in winter time you need to create conditions for it close to natural during the dormant period. The seedling should be placed in a bright and well-ventilated place, for example, on a glazed loggia. The optimum temperature at this time is 5-10 degrees. The tree can withstand minus temperature, the main thing is that the soil in the tub does not freeze. If the value is above 10 degrees, then this will disturb the natural rest of the plant and cause the needles to dry out.

Pest and disease control

Konik throughout his life cycle exposed to certain diseases and insects. In order for the coniferous beauty to remain healthy and attractive, timely control of all pests is required. Problems and ways to solve them:

Photo

Extraordinarily beautiful decorative Konika- a dwarf form of Canadian gray spruce. It was her attractive appearance that opened the door to the world of gardening for this little beauty, where she was joyfully and unconditionally accepted. Today, this mini-Christmas tree adorns the most different corners of the Earth.

It grows well in the middle zone of our country. Winter hardiness, spruce Canadian Konica can grow wherever ordinary spruces grow. A small growth turned out to be a great advantage, allowing the tree to settle even in a small area.

Description of Canadian spruce Konik

Konika is a decorative form. Under favorable conditions, the height can be up to 3 m, but more often it grows up to 1 m.

The crown is narrow-cone-shaped, dense. The needles are bluish-green, soft, thin and short. The root system of Koniki is represented by a compact, weakly expressed tap root. The predominant part of the roots is located close enough to the soil surface, so loosening should be careful.

This tree grows very slowly - only 3-4 cm per year. But some specimens can still add up to 10 cm in height per year. At the age of five, the height of the Christmas tree reaches only 20 cm, but already at this age it differs in decorativeness from the same-aged seedlings of common spruce. By the age of 10, the Christmas tree grows up to 80 cm. Good growth persists up to 10-15 years, when the plant height is about 1 m. Later, the growth rate decreases and is only 2-3 cm per year. This growth will continue into old age. By the age of 20, the height is 150 cm, the crown in diameter at the base is about a meter.

Spruce Canadian Konica Maygold (Maygold) - a variety of gray spruce, which is characterized by yellow growths. In other characteristics, the variety is similar to Konika and Daisy White.

How to Care for a Canadian Konik Spruce

This spruce variety is convenient in that its care is minimal. Konika does not need crown care - it does not need pruning. Pretty natural enough. soil fertility and natural precipitation. But if the Canadian spruce Konik grows on the site, care for it, albeit minimal, should still be. This will only enhance its decorative properties.

In case of excessive drought, irrigation through the crown is useful. After 1-2 days after this, it is advisable to loosen the soil under the tree shallowly. With the advent of summer, you need to feed the spruce. To do this, you can add 5 kg of rotted organic matter to the root zone and mix it with the soil. With the advent of October, it is recommended to mulch with a layer of peat compost 5 cm thick.

So the plant will overwinter better. In early spring mulch is embedded in the soil. To prevent spring browning (burning in the sun), Christmas trees should be wrapped with burlap or some other material that will protect from the sun without disturbing ventilation.

Spring browning of needles is not a disease. This is just a reaction of the plant to spring solar activity against the background of frozen soil. In other words, the seasonal vegetation begins at the tree, and the soil that has not melted is not yet able to provide the roots with the necessary nutrition, so the needles begin to turn brown. But at the beginning of the movement of juice and with sufficiency in nutrition, the color of the needles tends to recover.

Planting a Canadian Spruce Konik

Throughout growing season Canadian spruce can be transplanted. The horse, landing of which is not so difficult, still requires compliance with certain requirements. So, at the beginning of spring and in autumn period the best is a transplant with an open root system.

In the summer, it is recommended to transfer the plant on its roots with a clod of earth. It is best to do this on a cloudy day. Within 2 weeks after planting, the Christmas tree needs protection from direct sunlight and maintaining the soil at an optimal level of moisture. The transplant is better tolerated at a young age.

Application of Konika

Spruce Canadian Сonica is very popular in the landscape design environment. She is good both in a single performance on the lawn and in a group. Due to its slow growth, it is practically not used in flower beds, but when it reaches a certain height, the tree looks great in mixborders.

Spruce Canadian pygmy Konika is spectacular in the most different compositions. It can often be found in a container on the roof ("green" roof), terraces, near houses, when decorating gardens. The decorative form is good in large rock gardens. Looks great on background flower arrangements, and also harmoniously combines with the rest of the conifers of low stature. Konika looks especially beautiful on a flat mowed lawn.

Spruce Canadian Konika in a pot in the photo

Growing spruce in a pot is not at all difficult, if you know the technology. To start a “home” Christmas tree, you can buy a ready-made one in the store, you can grow it from seeds or dig a seedling in the forest. Whichever method is chosen, the seedling must be very carefully transplanted into a container. It is important to ensure that root neck plants remained at ground level. Do not allow the root system to dry out. By the way, a Christmas tree bought in a store needs to change the ground.

For all types of spruces, the soil should have the following recommended composition: leafy soil, soddy soil, sand, peat in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. It is desirable to lay drainage (gravel, coarse sand, expanded clay) at the bottom of the container or pot with a layer of 10 cm. When planting / transplanting, it is desirable to apply fertilizer at the rate of 100 g / m 2. General top dressing is applied at the rate of 15-20 g per container 2 times per season.

Although spruces are shade-tolerant, an optimal light regime is still recommended. In winter, gray spruce Konika requires sufficient humidity (80-90%) and optimal temperature+5-15 °С. The tree does not tolerate dry soil, but waterlogging is not recommended. To maintain an optimal level of humidity, mulching with peat can be carried out, the layer of which will be 5-6 cm. Periodically, it is mixed with the ground, and mulched on top with new one. Spruce Canadian dwarf Konika grows slowly and does not need pruning, you can only remove diseased and dry branches.

In summer, it is better to take out a pot or container under trees or shrubs. Irrigation is recommended to carry out drip. Every year, the Christmas tree needs to be transplanted into a pot. bigger size and special compost.

The advantage of dwarf forms is that under favorable conditions they can live for a long time in pots and containers. An ordinary spruce in a container can live no more than 3-4 years.

Konika in a pot for the New Year

Today it is considered very fashionable to have a pot culture as a Christmas tree.

For such a New Year's tree, you need to choose a place away from radiators and other heat sources. It is best to place the pot on a cold window, but given the "New Year's" purpose, this is not always possible. In addition, the south window is not an option, as the young plant is afraid of direct sunlight. Wherever the pot is placed, it is necessary to rotate it periodically in relation to the light.

When keeping Koniki in a heated room, it is necessary to spray the crown. It would be better to try to increase the humidity of the air near the tree itself. To do this, you can place containers of water around the pot. Another way to increase humidity: put the edge of the towel in the supplied container with water, and hang the other edge on the battery. With this method, you will have to constantly add water, as the water will quickly evaporate.

Have you ever seen a small, decorative Konik spruce? If yes, then you were probably surprised by its unusual appearance, because the plant does not exceed 30 cm in height. Today, Konika is used for decoration, as it fits perfectly into any landscape design, gives it sophistication and beauty. The topic of this article is spruce canadian horse: planting and in open ground and care. It will help you create the most suitable conditions for the plant so that it takes place in your territory as quickly as possible.

Spruce Canadian horse: planting in open ground and care.

Spruce Canadian Konika - how to plant?

The peculiarity of this spruce is its conical shape, thanks to which it is possible to create an elegant appearance to the adjacent area. Fluffy, dense branches of bright green color will add brightness to your autumn and winter landscape. The fluffiness of the plant allows it to reach a diameter of more than 80 cm. Does spruce grow quickly? Unfortunately, there are no gardeners. Each year, its growth is about 10 cm. Not much, but the plant is long-lived and easy care, which will be within the power of anyone, even a novice summer resident.

Is it difficult to grow Konika? No. The main condition is the creation of an optimal temperature regime. Spruce cannot be grown in the northern regions, where the winter temperature drops below -15 degrees. The plant simply cannot withstand such sudden changes, so pay attention to this important aspect. What to do in this case? Better solution- grow Konika in a decorative pot that you can easily bring indoors for the winter.

Because the plant is small, it won't take up much precious space. At home, you only need to provide everything the necessary conditions: regular watering, application of quality fertilizers and a small amount of diffused light. Direct ultra-violet rays can cause damage to the plant, due to which the needles will acquire a dark purple hue.

Rules for planting Canadian Konika in open ground:

Planting material (seedling) must be prepared for planting: grow to the desired size (10-15 cm), soak for a while.
The landing site is chosen very carefully. The plant does not like direct sunlight and does not tolerate neighborhood with tall trees or shrubs. The best option- choose a darkened area for spruce, without drafts, unfavorable neighbors and groundwater.
The soil should not be acidic, so it is recommended to mix it with a small amount of ash. In order for Konika to take root and begin to grow actively, it is important to create for her the most suitable soil. It can be purchased in specialized stores or mixed garden soil, turf, peat and sand.
Planting time is selected depending on the soil system. Plants with open system planted at any time of the year, except for winter, with closed - in spring or autumn. Landing should be done on a cloudy, non-hot day, and the plant itself should be covered with some material for a couple of days to protect delicate needles that are not accustomed to the sun.

Caring for Konika is a simple task

Konika will please those who do not have time for long care. Spruce grows beautifully without your attention. It tolerates drought very well, as long as you provide it with a shady spot. The only thing that can upset you is the attack of pests or diseases. To prevent problems, it is recommended to use special preparations that will protect your plant. It could be inkstone, trichodermin or alirin. In the case when the spruce is badly affected, you should not save it - it may be useless. Much better to burn it.

So, spruce canadian horse, landing in open ground and care behind which is simple, will be a great addition to your landscape area. We hope that our advice will be useful to you.

How to plant Japanese quince in open ground? Rules…

Spruce Konica is a miniature coniferous tree, which is a dwarf variety of Canadian spruce. Due to its compact size and decorative effect, this mini-Christmas tree is successfully used in landscape design for coniferous gardening. small plots, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich does not allow the placement of trees of large species.

Outwardly, the tree looks extremely attractive - the lush crown has the shape of a cone, the length of soft bluish-green needles is from 6 to 10 mm. Growing in diameter up to 75–80 cm, Konika grows very slowly in height, adding about 6–8 cm per year. As a rule, active growth is observed in the first 10 years of a tree’s life, growth slows down over time, and the height of an adult plant rarely exceeds 180 -250 cm. The root system of the Christmas tree is located in top layer soil, which greatly facilitates its transplantation. In addition, the baby is undemanding in care and has a high frost resistance. To ensure a comfortable stay of the tree on the garden plot, suitable conditions should be created for it.

Location

For planting Koniki, fertile loamy soils are suitable that retain moisture well, and the acidity of the soil in this case does not matter, but the tree reacts extremely painfully to excessive alkalization.

As a "place of residence" for a miniature beauty, a shady place protected from the wind should be determined, while avoiding hills and swampy lowlands. It does not build to plant Konika in places with groundwater close to the surface.

Dwarf spruce looks great as a single landing, as well as in the group. Thuja, juniper and other conifers are suitable as neighboring species for Konika. In combination with them, miniature Christmas trees are used to create "dense" coniferous corners on the site. Geometric group plantings of mini-spruces look very impressive in the design of a trimmed lawn. A single baby Christmas tree will decorate the front lawn, and during the winter holidays it will perfectly cope with the role of a Christmas tree.

Landing

Christmas trees that have reached the age of 3-4 years are subject to transplantation into the ground, all this time they are kept in pots to form the root system. However, Konik should not be grown as a home potted plant; with age, it is difficult to tolerate room conditions.

It is recommended to plant a mini-Christmas tree in cloudy cool weather. Planting dates are determined depending on the form in which the seedling was purchased - a closed root system allows planting from early spring to late autumn, including summer months, and a plant with open roots can be planted in the ground only in autumn and spring.

Before planting, the soil must be well moistened. In order for the baby to recover faster after transplantation, you can add half a bucket of rotted organic matter to the soil or feed the seedling complex fertilizer for coniferous crops. For several days, the newly planted tree should be sheltered from direct sunlight.

Care

Due to the unpretentiousness of Konika, serious care is not required for her; for her well-being, it is enough to take the following measures:

Watering- the soil under the baby Christmas trees should always be well moistened, its drying out is highly undesirable, since Konika does not tolerate a lack of moisture. In dry periods, it is recommended to water the tree through the crown, especially such a shower is shown to young Christmas trees. 2-3 days after the procedure, the soil of the near-stem circle should be loosened, preventing the formation of a dried crust on the surface of the soil, blocking the access of air to the roots.
top dressing- in the first days of spring, it is recommended to feed the plant with a complex fertilizer suitable for conifers ("Epin", "Zircon") or sprinkle the trunk circle with rotted peat compost. It should be remembered that the roots of the mini-Christmas tree are located in the upper layer of soil, therefore, in no case should you tamp the soil of the near-stem circle.
Shelter for the winter- despite the excellent winter hardiness of Koniki, the most dangerous period for her is the end of winter and early spring. It was at this time that the first hot rays of the sun, reflected from the snowy surface, strongly burn the soft needles of the fir trees. To avoid the unpleasant consequences of exposure to the sun, it is customary to shelter Konika for the winter, using burlap, lutrasil, wooden and cardboard shields for this purpose. It should be ensured that the covering material does not cover the spruce too tightly, since the inside of the structure must remain natural circulation air. The surface of the near-stem circle of Koniki is mulched with peat for the winter (layer thickness is about 5 cm). In the spring, the mulch is buried in the ground, providing the tree with additional nutrition.

Important! The plant retains its beautiful pyramidal shape on its own, so no additional work cutting and shaping is not required.

Pests and diseases

If Koniki is affected by tracheomycosis, it will not be possible to cure it, at this moment all actions should be aimed at saving neighboring plants from infection. The diseased tree is dug up by the roots and burned.
Schutte's disease is a fungal infection that affects needles. Treatment is carried out with the help of copper-containing preparations.
Rust - in this case, pathogenic myceliums, similar to orange growths, settle on spruce branches. To save the ephedra, fungicidal sprays are used.

The activities discussed above are quite enough for the full development of the dwarf Christmas tree, however, their absence or untimely implementation can affect the health and appearance of Konika in the most negative way.

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