Blue spruce Glauka: how to plant and decorate the site

Features of Glauka spruce

Gray spruce (Picea glauca), or Glauka, or Canadian spruce belongs to the genus Spruce (Picea), which is part of the Pine family. Blue spruce (Picea pungens) also belongs to the genus Spruce, but this tree is larger, and its needles often have a rich blue color.

Glauka spruce is a coniferous evergreen tree, the average height of which varies from 15 to 20 meters. However, there are also larger specimens, the height of which can reach up to 40 meters. On the surface of the trunk there is a thin, scaly bark, and its diameter, as a rule, is no more than 100 cm. While the tree is young, its crown has a narrow conical shape, elongated upward. Over time it becomes cylindrical. The needles are quite prickly to the touch, their length is from 1.2 to 2 cm, and has a diamond-shaped cross-section. The front surface of the needles is greenish-blue, and the back surface is white.

The fruit is a cylindrical cone, which reaches about 25 mm in diameter and up to 70 mm in length. It can be colored green or pale red. A completely dried cone has a brown color. The black-colored seeds reach from 0.2 to 0.3 cm in length. They have wings about 0.8 cm long, pale brown in color.

Prickly spruce Glauka Globoza / Spruce planting and care / conifers

Botanical description

The species of gray spruce (lat. Picea glauca), also known as Glauka, also known as Canadian spruce, belongs to the genus Spruce (lat. Picea) of the Pine family (lat. Pinaceae). Another representative of the genus is blue spruce (lat. Picea pungens), distinguished by its larger size and the shade of its needles, sometimes taking on a bright blue color.

Canadian Glauka spruces are evergreen coniferous trees, on average 15-20 m, but sometimes stretching up to 40 m in height. The trunks do not exceed 1 m in diameter and are covered with thin scaly bark. Young trees have a narrow conical crown stretched upward, and then it gradually becomes cylindrical. The needles, diamond-shaped in cross-section and prickly to the touch, are blue-green on the front side and whitish on the back, reaching 12-20 mm in length.

The fruit is a cylindrical cone up to 7 cm long and up to 2.5 cm in diameter, it can be reddish or green, but after drying it turns brown. Black seeds 2-3 mm long have light brown wings up to 8 mm long.

Types of Glauka spruce with photos

Dwarf spruce trees are excellent for decorating recreation areas and flower beds. At the same time, one of the most decorative varieties is blue spruce (Picea pungens Glauca Globosa) on a trunk. This variety does not reach a height of more than three meters, while its silver-blue needles are about 15 mm long. After some time, a compact crown with a cone shape forms on a trunk that has no branches. However, if desired, it can be given a spherical shape by trimming. Seedlings of such a tree rarely appear on sale, because it takes a relatively long time to obtain sellable specimens.

Below we will describe those varieties and varieties of fir trees that are most often used to decorate parks and gardens. They were created through selection specifically to solve a variety of design problems.

Spruce Glauka Globosa (not Picea pungens, but Picea glauca Globosa)

A breeder from Holland developed this dwarf tree in 1937. As a rule, the maximum height of this cushion spruce is about 200 cm, while in young specimens the crown has an almost spherical shape. The annual growth is relatively small - about 100 mm. Over time, the crown takes on a conical shape. The length of the bluish-blue needles is approximately 40 mm, they have a beautiful silvery tint. The color of the pine needles does not fade throughout the year. The branches are densely covered with needles, making them appear fluffy.

Spruce Glauka Conica (Picea glauca Conica)

The height of this low-growing tree is about 4 meters. Its branches are densely covered with soft needles. This plant is shade-loving and frost-resistant (down to minus 29 degrees). This variety is widespread in culture, and it is used to decorate a wide variety of shaded and sunny areas. It is also cultivated in tubs on balconies and terraces. However, in indoor conditions without a regular supply of fresh air, the tree dies.

Spruce Glauka Compacta (Picea glauca Compacta)

This compact plant has a wide pyramidal dense crown of high density. At the age of ten, the tree has a height of approximately 100 cm, while the diameter of the crown reaches the same size. The branches are located horizontally relative to the trunk. Tough, silver-blue needles grow in a spiral pattern around the branch. The tree tolerates formative pruning well. It grows best in a well-lit location with well-drained, nutrient-rich soil.

Spruce Glauka Procumbens (Picea glauca procumbens)

This decorative dwarf tree has a very wide, flattened crown. This coniferous crop can be easily confused with a shrub. At the age of ten, the tree has a height of about half a meter, while its diameter can reach up to 1.2 m. However, by the age of 30, its height reaches 300 cm. This spruce can withstand frosts down to minus 29 degrees.

At the market you can also find seedlings of blue spruce "Glauca Procumbens" (Picea pungens "Glauca Procumbens"). It is shade-loving and drought-resistant. The very wide crown of a flat-spread shape at the age of ten reaches 1.2 m in diameter and 0.2 m in height. The short greenish-blue needles have increased rigidity. The variety is used to decorate balconies, rockeries and roofs.

Glauca Arizona (Picea glauca arizonica)

Seedlings of this Canadian variety on the market are often labeled “Spruce Glauka “Kaibab”. An adult tree can reach a height of 150 to 200 cm, while the crown in diameter can be from 200 to 300 cm. Compared to other varieties, this variety has very dense branches. The short needles reach about 1.2 cm in length. The silver-blue needles of the plant are very thick and prickly. When grown in a shady area, the needles change their color to dark green. The tree is light-loving and drought-resistant.

Spruce Glauka Ducharme (Picea glauca Ducharme)

This cultivar has a dwarf crown of an irregularly spherical shape. This highly branched plant has short branches that are decorated with grayish-blue needles. At the age of ten, the width and height of the plant reaches about 0.3 m. The annual growth of the tree is less than 25 mm. This variety propagates very well from cuttings, unlike other varieties.

Spruce Glauka Perfecta (Picea glauca Perfecta)

The plant has a regular symmetrical crown, shaped like a cone with a clearly visible pointed crown. When the tree reaches 10 years of age, its height will be about 100 cm. Over time, it can grow up to 400 cm. Its growth per year is a maximum of 40 mm.

As a rule, young needles are colored greenish, but over time the color becomes darker. The needles are relatively soft to the touch. This highly branching tree has branches growing vertically upward, while they are located at an acute angle to the trunk. The variety needs a lot of light.

Spruce Lila (Picea pungens Lila)

This highly decorative variety looks like a flowering shrub. The soft green glossy needles are distinguished by their high density. In the last weeks of summer, red-crimson cones are formed on the plant, ranging in length from 10 to 15 centimeters. Asymmetrical crown. The annual growth is about 100 mm. In this regard, at ten years the tree reaches a maximum height of 100 cm. This light-loving plant grows best on sandy loam and sandy soil. It reacts negatively to the presence of lime in the soil and to stagnation of water in the roots.

Norway spruce Virgata (Picea abies Virgata)

The variety has an unusual appearance and is somewhat similar to a fairy-tale tree. An adult plant has a height of 6 to 8 meters. While the tree is young, it grows rapidly (growth is about 0.4 m per year). The cone-shaped crown consists of drooping very long serpentine-shaped branches, as well as weakly branched horizontal ones. In the upper part of the crown, the branches are directed upward. Bud formation occurs only at the tips of the shoots. The length of the dark green thick pointed needles is up to 20 mm. The color of young growth is greenish. The variety is characterized by increased moisture-loving properties and requires high air humidity.

Varieties of Spruce spruce. Coniferous plants.

Spruce Glauka Globoza in landscape design

The prickly spruce of the Glauka Globoza variety is loved by landscape designers, property owners and gardeners. This rare unanimity is caused not only by the fact that the plant is very attractive. Compared to other types of fir trees, it is easy to care for, and errors in placement do not have a fatal effect on the health or appearance of the tree.

Due to its small size and slow growth, Glauka Globoza looks attractive in single and group plantings. It goes well with other conifers, flowers and tree crops. The variety grows in rock gardens and rockeries; it can be planted in flower beds and in the foreground of landscape groups.

The Glauka Globoza spruce grafted on a trunk is expensive, but it looks impressive. It tolerates pruning well and can be shaped into a ball, umbrella or cone. This tree is often grown in a flower bed or container.

Spreading

In nature, Canadian spruce is most widespread in the northern part of North America. Here it is found over a wide area from northern Montana to northern Alaska. Today, cultivated varieties with spectacular needles are very popular in European countries. They often decorate private garden plots and public parks.

Brief information about the variety

• Color : silver-blue needles.
• Height : 1.5-2 m
• Crown diameter : 2-3 m.
• Growing regions : tolerates temperatures down to -35°C) suitable for the south of Russia, as well as for the middle and central zones.
• Planting features : scheme - 1x1.2 m. Loves a sunny place with slight shade.
• Immunity : high frost resistance (up to -35°C), weak resistance to disease.
• Life expectancy : 400-500 years.

Planting and care

It is best to plant Glauka spruce in open ground in the middle of spring. However, this can be done in the last days of August. A distance of at least 200 cm should be maintained between planting holes, and this applies even to dwarf varieties. The fact is that this plant reacts negatively to thickening. When inspecting seedlings whose age is from three to six years, you need to pay attention to the fact that there should be no damage on them, and no signs of rotting on the root system.

The depth and width of the planting holes should be about 0.6 m. At the bottom you need to make a drainage layer about 15 centimeters thick; for this you can use fine gravel or broken ceramics. When preparing a planting hole, the soil must be thrown aside and then combined with peat and humus. The seedlings are planted so that the root collar is flush with the soil. After planting, the tree trunk circle should be mulched with sand, peat, crushed bark or pine needles, because Glauka spruce does not react well to too much compaction of the soil. Planted seedlings need to be watered abundantly: 2 buckets of water per plant.

Spruce Glauka does not require special care. Additionally, only those varieties that are moisture-loving need to be watered. For other varieties, natural precipitation is sufficient. Since the annual growth of dwarf varieties is only a few centimeters, they do not need regular feeding. If, when planting a tree, nutritious soil was used to fill the hole, then the plant is fed for the first time only after 2 or 3 years. Next, a mineral complex for coniferous crops is used for fertilizing.

PLANTING A LARGE FIRE. How to Plant Blue Spruce

Can konica be considered a house plant?

The main suppliers of coniferous potted plants are Denmark, Holland, Poland. These are countries where the flower business is on stream and they can grow even the most complex crops in a pot.

Coniferous plants are considered almost unsuitable for growing indoors, since they need a long period of hibernation and low temperatures during this time. And all the Christmas trees that are sold in pots are grown only for temporary use. Konica is no exception, but just a dwarf hybrid of ordinary gray spruce, formed as a result of mutation.

The Christmas tree will stay warm for two weeks, and then in 90% of cases the plant will die. But there is still a 10% chance of keeping the conic until spring, and then planting it outside, and in exceptional cases, taming it to the home climate. If you were given a prickly dwarf beauty for the New Year, get ready to fight for her life. This is not a houseplant, and its life cycle must be consistent with the temperatures and humidity in which the spruce grows naturally.

The miniature Glauca conica spruce attracts buyers with its compact cone-shaped crown, which was formed as a result of mutation, without human intervention

Reproduction methods

Reproduction of Glauka spruce in nurseries is carried out in 3 ways: cuttings, seeds and grafting. Thanks to grafting, breeders manage to obtain the most spectacular varieties of blue spruce on a standard or Glauka spruce. However, only specialists can vaccinate correctly, and even they regularly lose some of the planting material.

Seed collection is carried out in the autumn, using fully ripe cones. They are then subjected to stratification for two months. Then the seeds are sown in peat to a depth of about 20 mm. The crops are placed in a mini-greenhouse and provided with a large amount of light. When the first seedlings appear, the shelter needs to be removed. After which they are grown in a greenhouse for three years. After this, you can transplant the seedling to a permanent place.

To take cuttings, choose a plant that is more than eight years old. To do this, cut off the tops of the shoots with a piece of bark, and the length of the segment should be about 10 centimeters. The lower part of the cutting is treated with a means that stimulates root growth, after which it is planted in a substrate of peat, sand and perlite. Next, the plantings are placed in a mini-greenhouse, located in partial shade and warmth. After the roots grow, the seedling is left in the greenhouse for another 4 years. Then it is planted in a permanent place.

REPRODUCTION OF BLUE SPRUCE. The simplest but most effective way to propagate blue spruce is by cuttings.

Technique for replanting grown seedlings

Those seedlings that have reached four years of age need to be transplanted to a permanent location. In order for the plant to take root faster, it needs to be planted together with a lump of earth:

• It is necessary to provide a good drainage layer at the bottom of the planting hole if the soil for planting has a heavy structure.
• The volume of the hole should be 2 times larger than the earthen ball of the plant.
• For clay soils, the depth should be at least 1 meter (including 20 cm of drainage layer). If the soil is sandy, then the depth should be 80 cm.
• The following soil composition is placed in the recess: sand and chernozem layer in equal proportions. For a better effect, sand can be mixed with pine sawdust.
• An earthen ball along with a mesh or bag is immersed in the prepared hole (this will help maintain the integrity of the ball). Over time, these materials will decompose.
• The spruce root system is gradually covered with soil, trampling and watering each layer.
• The entire seedling lump should be covered with soil.

After transplantation, watering should be plentiful and frequent. In summer, the plant is watered 2 times a week. At other times of the year, just wetting the soil will be enough. You should always remember that the taller the spruce gets, the more moisture it needs: 10 liters per 1 meter, 15 per 1.5 and 30 liters per 2.5 meters. If the tree is taller than three meters, then you need to take at least 50 liters of water.

Diseases and pests

Glauka spruce is characterized by fairly high resistance to pests and diseases. However, if the area is poorly ventilated, in rainy weather or when moisture stagnates in the soil, the plant can be affected by a fungal disease: brown schute, fusarium. It is necessary to treat the tree with a fungicidal preparation, for example, Fundazol, Topaz, etc., as soon as possible.

For such a crop, the greatest danger is posed by gall and spruce aphids, spider mites and leaf rollers. To combat them, acaricidal and insecticidal agents are used, for example: Konfidor, Aktaru, Fitoverm. To achieve the result, you will need several treatments with the drug with a break of 1 week. For preventive purposes, at the beginning of spring, the tree is treated with a one percent Bordeaux mixture.

Attacks of harmful insects

And although the tree is quite resistant to diseases and attacks of harmful insects, an unfavorable growing environment and improper care can undermine its immunity and the spruce can get sick.

Trees are often affected by the following diseases:

When a fungal infection occurs, the needles turn yellow and fall off, and then the branches dry out - as a result, the tree dies completely.

To treat the Christmas tree, fungicides based on copper and sulfur are used. Before using the medicine, damaged branches are removed and burned.

The appearance of a spider mite can be detected by the presence of thin cobwebs on spruce needles. The pest drinks the sap of the plant, which negatively affects the condition of the needles. In this case, spraying with acaricidal preparations helps.

Stem parasites can thoroughly damage the bark, gnaw small holes in it and lay eggs there. In this case, treatment begins immediately with insecticidal agents.

Small aphids adhere to the needles in a strong mass, which has an extremely adverse effect on its appearance and well-being. To get rid of this disease, all affected branches are cut off, and the remaining ones are treated with a soap solution.

To prevent diseases, careful care of the spruce is required, its periodic inspection and spraying twice a year with preparations containing copper.

Application and meaning

Glauka spruce is excellent for growing in urban environments, as it is not afraid of air polluted by industrial emissions and automobile exhaust. At the same time, it is highly decorative. This plant is often used for planting near a fence as a barrier, and it is also planted between fruit bushes and trees in a checkerboard pattern. The crown has a high density and the ability to trap most of the dust, which can be washed off with a hose or wait for rain. In addition, such a conifer fills the air around itself with useful phytoncides.

Application in landscape design

A coniferous tree such as Glauka spruce is very often used to decorate rock gardens and rockeries, and it is planted between large stones with other conifers. Dwarf varieties in tubs and containers can decorate a driveway, terrace, balcony and any open space.

Glauka also looks great in a single planting in the middle of a flower bed or on a lawn. Suitable for creating a hedge near a fence or house, and it turns out to be very dense. A spruce tree on a trunk can decorate any garden plot, gazebo or recreation area.

Blue spruce crown formation. Beautiful and well-groomed coniferous plants

Advantages

El Glauka has the following positive aspects:

• Aesthetic appearance.
• Undemanding to environmental conditions.
• Frost resistance.
• Easy to care for.
• Unpretentiousness to the soil.
• Long lifespan.

Many landscape decorators are attracted by the thick, dense crown, noble color and amazing beauty of blue spruce. A Christmas tree can grow for up to five hundred years.

Video instruction: setting up a fir fence

Coniferous plants older than 2-3 years must be replanted only with a clod of earth

(or from containers) so as not to damage the root system of the plant along with the mycorrhiza that has developed on the roots - a fungus
vital for conifers
.
This is why pine and spruce trees dug up from the forest often do not take root in a new place. Preserving the integrity of the earth clod is the key to transplant success!

Planting hole.

If the soil on your site is heavy and clayey, then when planting, you need to put a layer of broken brick or crushed stone (20 cm) at the bottom of the hole, and pour sand on top, since many types of conifers do not tolerate stagnant water in the soil. If you have sandy and sandy loam soils, drainage is not required.

The planting pit is prepared with a size of 1.5 times larger than the coma and a depth of:

• 100 cm - if you have clay or black soil, drainage depth is 20 cm
• 80cm - if there is sand or sandy loam.

There is no point in digging holes deeper than 80 cm, since all conifers have a superficial root system and fertile soil deeper than 80 cm will almost not be used by the plant.

The finished planting hole is filled with the prepared mixture (read about preparing the earthen mixture below).

How to plant.

Lower the root ball into the hole without removing the mesh and burlap (in 2-3 years they will decompose on their own). When planting container plants, the container must be removed.

Turn the spruce with its most beautiful side to the most visible place. Align the trunk vertically with the horizon. Keep it in this position until the end of planting.

Fill the hole with earthen mixture in parts (20-30 cm each), pouring or compacting it evenly on all sides. Make sure there are no voids left under the lump or on the sides.

You fall asleep to the level - the upper level of coma.

The root collar is not buried when planting (when deepened, the bark on the trunk dies and food stops being supplied to the plant - the spruce dies).

Watering during transplantation.

Do not forget that the older the transplanted plant with a lump, the more difficult it is for it to adapt. Its root system is small and requires more frequent watering in the first year. Once a week in spring and autumn, 2 times a week in summer.

For one plant:

• up to 1m. - 10l. Water
• up to 1.5m. - 15-20l. Water.
• up to 2.5m. - 20-30l. Water.
• up to 5m. - 30-40l. Water.

Reviews from gardeners

Everyone who has been growing this crop for more than one year leaves only positive reviews about it.

dwarf needles are not afraid of gas pollution, severe frosts, and do not require shaping haircuts - this greatly facilitates their care and makes it possible to grow them anywhere, regardless of climatic conditions;

The evergreen plant pleases with its beauty all year round and serves as a good replacement for other perennials that have lost their decorative value in the off-season;

Good compatibility with different vegetation allows you to create the most unusual and original compositions in landscape design.