Cuttings of firs. Spruce propagation: cuttings and seeds

The height of most trees reaches 25-30 m and practically does not change, although sometimes there are almost twice as large giants. The average height of common spruce varieties at the turn of ten years is no more than 4 meters.

Breeders have bred many varieties of this tree - more than seventy species. These include both classic massive trees and low-growing fluffy forms that creep along the ground. A number of varieties have been transformed from a tree into a bush that is up to two meters wide and rises half a meter above the ground.

Sharp knife or pruning shears Rubbing alcohol or chlorine bleach 3 "pots with drain holes Universal fertilizer with slow release Shallow bark Peat moss Pencil Root hormone Plastic bags Rubber bands or twist nuts 6" pots with drain holes Garden soil Peat moss. Spreading cuttings of deciduous trees from many evergreens can be done at home in a simple frame filled with sand. To make such a frame, simply make a square or rectangular frame using 2 "by 6" boards.

Artificially bred varieties of blue spruce remain extremely frost-resistant. This is quite unusual for plants that a person had a hand in the appearance of. Almost all full-size and dwarf tree variations can easily withstand temperatures down to -35 ºС.

Popular varieties

For most decorative and domestic tasks, several dozen varieties of blue spruce are used. Many of the tree varieties available can be grown on their own or purchased as seedlings. The main differences between the two are growth rate and maximum trunk height. Let's consider their most famous varieties.

How to grow a blue spruce

Nail the four corners together as if to create a large frame. This frame should sit on the ground in a well-drained area. An area with partial tint is preferred. After you have built the frame, remove any weeds or grass in the frame so that this vegetation does not grow through your breeding bed. Fill this frame with very good quality sand. This frame should be well drained. Constant water is likely to seriously hinder your spreading results.

Making evergreen cuttings is easy. Just clip a cut 4-5 inches from the parent plant. Divide the needles or leaves from the bottom half to two thirds by cutting. Ranking of evergreen cuttings is usually not necessary because removing leaves or needles causes enough trauma for the root to heal and develop.

Dwarf blue spruce (maxwellii, ohlendorfii) It is used to frame paths and gazebos without taking up much space and not hanging overhead with heavy branches. The maximum height of most undersized specimens does not exceed 1-2 m. A number of spruces can reach a height of 5-6 m, however, the growth rate of 3-5 cm per year allows them to be classified as dwarf. The cost of a seedling is from 500 to 1500 rubles. In a shaded area, no special care is required for a mature tree. It is enough to carry out periodic inspection and treat the surface with protective chemicals. Dwarf spruce propagation is carried out mainly by cuttings.

Start watering again in the spring and throughout the summer. They don't need a lot of water, but be careful not to let them dry out. And at the same time, make sure they are not wet. Debris from deciduous trees of many evergreens can spread this way, but it takes some time. You have to leave them in the frame for twelve months. You can leave them on longer if you like. Leaving them until next spring would be fine. They should develop more roots during the winter.

A friend of mine, a wholesale nursery, uses this method to distribute all of his evergreens. It covers its frames with steel hoops and plastic to provide extra protection in winter. It might help, but you have to be careful. It will be too hot on good days and the plants will start to come out of dormancy too early.

Spruce glauca (glauca) comes in two varieties, including the classic prickly spruce and its miniature companion. A standard tree reaches a maximum height of 25 m and has a growth rate of 10 to 20 per year. Dwarf Glauca (Glauca globosa) grows no higher than 2 meters, increasing by 10 cm per year during the ripening period. The cost of the Glauka dwarf spruce reaches 8000 rubles, and its reproduction is a long process associated with the selection of suitable seedlings from seeds. The price of an ordinary spruce seedling is 1000-1500 rubles, and it is grown in nurseries both by cuttings and by seed. Glauca globosa is planted for decorative purposes in the courtyards of houses, while the common spruce is found in the city. A group planting of full-sized spruce is done to develop green spaces and emphasize the architecture of cultural or administrative buildings. Large spruce trees do not require careful maintenance and should only be pruned periodically as the branches dry out. Ate Glauca globosa, you need to pay more attention and monitor the optimal soil moisture regime, avoiding excessive moisture.

They will then freeze when the temperature drops below freezing. If you are going to coat your frame in winter, use white plastic or clear plastic that was white, white white latex paint. You should also water in the winter if you are going to cover the plants with plastic. Dehydration occurs very easily in winter, especially with plastics.

A cover of light fluffy snow effectively protects the plants from the harsh winter winds. Let Mother Nature take care of your cuttings in winter. Sometimes she does a fantastic job, and sometimes she reminds us that we are messing with nature. This method of rooting hardwood cuttings can and will work on a variety of evergreens, both needles and broadleaf evergreens. But there are some varieties that are more complex and will not be rooted unless special care is taken.

Blue spruce hoopsii (hoopsii)refers to varieties of medium height (up to 11 m), used for planting in green parks and forest belts. The tree stands out among other varieties with the most pronounced blue shade of needles and is popular in recreation and leisure areas. The tree is propagated by cuttings, and the cost of seedlings reaches 4500 rubles. The average growth of a tree is 10-12 cm / year.

Spruce Hoopsi is also the most resistant to microorganisms and adverse weather conditions. Caring for the tree is only needed when using it for decorative purposes. Spruce trees planted in parks do not require outside intervention and grow independently.

For most of the more difficult spreading evergreens, adding bottom heat will help induce root development. You can find the link in the table of contents. Keep in mind that anytime we try to root any kind of felling, we are asking the plant to establish roots until the top of the plant begins to grow. Once the plant starts growing, it will die unless it sets up roots first. Coniferous cuttings are very delicate and will collapse if not cared for carefully.

However, coniferous cuttings root very quickly and can grow on their own roots for several weeks. Leafy cuttings, on the other hand, are much more durable and can survive for months with very little attention or roots. However, hardwood cuttings develop roots very slowly.

Why planting should be done in spring?

Planting in spring gives a young tree an opportunity to gain a foothold in a new place and prepare for the winter cold. Trees planted in the fall almost always die without enduring the harsh cold conditions. Their root system does not have time to prepare in a new place, and small damage does not recover until frost.

It is a matter of what works best for you. For the average home gardener, propagating from hardwood cuttings is more reliable because they require less attention. It will grow up to 60 feet high and 15 feet wide and will be very windy due to its large expanding root system and tough, flexible timber. This tree can live a long life in its native area, outside of this it varies greatly and many times lives no more than 25 years. In the wild around Durango, Colorado, many spectacular species grow to over 100 feet in height.

For planting spruce, moist loam provided with nutrients is well suited. It is advisable to feed the spruce once a year during the first years of growth with special fertilizers. It is strongly discouraged to add ordinary manure where the tree grows.

To ensure long-term and quality growth, you need to consider the following:

Heavy snow and ice storms do little damage due to their shape. Deer usually do not eat this species if nothing else is available. Was planted on windbreaks in the past because many nurseries only wore this evergreen. When you are planted on your own in the sun and wind, the disease problems are lessened, but not eliminated. When this tree is taken out of its natural range of low humidity and rainfall and planted in the wind, problems arise.

With more humidity and less sun and wind, this species develops two serious disease problems: acupuncture and cancer, which are fungal diseases. It usually starts at the bottom with dead branches and spreads up the tree with white sap coming out of the trunk. It doesn't seem to completely kill the tree, many times a 30ft tree only has 3ft at the top, which is green.

the soil should not be constantly dry, since the nutrient medium necessary for spruce is created by mushrooms living in moist soil;
for planting, places where there is always shade should be avoided. It will maintain excessive moisture and wood decay;
blue spruce will not hurt dry watering - fluff the ground to get it loose. Do not be too zealous when cultivating the soil, as the roots of the tree are close to the surface;
pay attention to the appearance of the seedling. The reddish shade of the needles indicates the appearance of a fungus, and sprinkling of the needles is a sign of excessive moisture. You can get rid of blue spruce diseases by treating it with appropriate chemicals.

In hot weather, watering young trees should be 12 liters per tree per week. Preheat the water outside, otherwise the contrast between warm soil and cold water will negatively affect the health of young shoots.

Closed root seedlings

Without protection from the winds and being absolutely ugly, most people cut them down. The tree is 2 feet tall, 5 feet at 5 years old, in good soil, with adequate moisture, and weeds and grasses around the base. The left image is only 30 feet high and is almost completely dead from a fungal disease caused by the needle. Right picture. Is this a beautiful tree?

Colorado spruce is not recommended in wind waves east of Nebraska due to its disease problems, which rarely cause the tree to reach more than 30 feet. If you like this tree, plant it in your front yard and one in your backyard, but plant other species in the wind if you want something that won't be a problem. In drying rooms west of Iowa, this can be a good tree limb due to lower humidity requirements, less humidity, and therefore less disease problems.

Don't miss the 5 minute video on how to plant a coniferous seedling correctly:

The method of growing plants by cuttings is very effective and is used on an industrial scale. The essence of the approach is to use fragments of spruce branches to obtain a full-fledged tree.

Many of the evergreen trees used for carved Christmas trees are often members of the pine family, and it is difficult or impossible to propagate from cuttings. These seedlings grow 1-2 feet in a year or two. Once transplanted, they become 6 feet at 5-8 years old. Consider the problem of taking cuttings from a tree that was cut a few weeks earlier. Cuttings from any plant must be carefully taken from the correct part of the plant and processed accordingly. Suitable evergreen trees that can be propagated from cuttings should have cuttings from the current growing season and near the base of the plant.

The main stages of grafting are:

selection of cuttings for germination. They should be 7-12 cm long and have a piece of bark at the base. The procedure should begin in April, when the plants "rise" after winter stagnation;
placing cuttings in a substrate consisting of equal parts of sand, perlite and peat (alternatively, you can use purchased mixtures);
maintaining constant moisture in the substrate, which can be created by covering the soil along with the cuttings with a vapor-tight film or an inverted half of a plastic bottle;
moving the cuttings after rooting to the greenhouse. Their final development will take place in it. It is advisable to provide plants with bright sunlight necessary for intensive growth.

Sprouted cuttings should be planted in the soil one year after the start of cuttings. You can always take a chance and try to transplant a few cuttings from the greenhouse in late autumn, but there is an extremely high chance that they will not take root.

You need to collect the seeds a couple of months before planting (they are planted in April, and harvested in February). The cone seed is a small seed and a surrounding impeller. The latter must be removed, since it will interfere in the future.

What is the best time of the year to cut tree roots?

Also, do not remove roots close or fused with the trunk, as they are critical to the structure of the tree. If you decide to cut or remove tree roots, winter and early spring are the best times of the year to do so.

How many tree roots can you cut

Never remove more than 20 percent of tree roots. Then wait two to three years to make sure your tree is fully recovering. Only then can you safely consider cutting more tree roots.

When using seeds to grow spruce, be patient and follow general tips:

the collected mixture of seeds should be washed in water and processed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then dried and "hardened";
"hardening" is carried out in a refrigerator or a snowdrift, in which the seeds are placed in a cloth bag;
a couple of days before the planting date, the seed is removed from the snow or refrigerator and dried. It must be used in the near future, otherwise there will be no good germination;
the seeds are planted in a peat-based substrate to which fertilizer for spruce and a small amount of fungicide have been added. The seeds should be buried 1-2 cm in the soil, otherwise it will be difficult for them to grow;
at the end of severe frosts, one-year-old shoots can be planted in open soil. With high germination, it is enough to leave one spruce sprout for 6-7 cm of the planting row. You should not be upset if the total seed germination is less than 50%. Even 30 or 40% of the sprouted shoots are excellent results.

A significant proportion of trees can grow from seed with ordinary spruce with green needles (not blue). This is a normal situation for seed plants, since only seedlings obtained by cuttings completely repeat the maternal properties.

Again, if you cut the roots of trees, there is never a guarantee that it won't damage or ultimately destroy the tree. We only recommend removing tree roots when they damage or disturb the adjacent structure - not for aesthetic reasons.

To get the best chance of your tree's survival, consult a local arborist before removing the tree roots. Or see if your arborist can trim the roots for you. If it appears to be part of a larger root, ask your arborist before pruning or cutting. For a smaller root, go to step.

Blue spruces are an inexpensive alternative to ornamental trees in a summer cottage. With self-cultivation, the most troublesome is only the initial period of caring for the sprout, while an adult tree will develop independently. Periodic application of fungicides or insecticides to protect against pests and fungi is essential for all garden plants. Blue spruce trees are rarely seen in home gardens, but they always emphasize the sophistication of housing and the originality of its design.

Conifers reproduce well by cuttings. Spruce species such as glauka, blue spruce, and dwarf spruce are very popular among gardeners and private entrepreneurs, and each of these species lends itself well to propagation using cuttings.

Spruce cuttings are planted in the spring, which gives the tree a significant head start in front of other plants - it has more time to prepare for winter, collect a certain amount of useful things, strengthen the root system and the tree trunk in order to be able to withstand cold weather. Autumn planting does not give positive results, according to gardeners' reviews - practically all conifers die in winter, especially in regions where winter is harsher.

Common loamy soil can be an ideal breeding ground for spruce. It is nutritious enough for spruce, so at home, growing this representative of conifers, you can use a soil mixture based on loam or one hundred percent loamy soil. The plant does not require frequent feeding - just once a year is enough to satisfy the spruce. Top dressing, running ahead, occurs exclusively with mineral fertilizers. You should refrain from organic components, especially it is not recommended to add manure to the soil mixture in pure form or as part of other fertilizers.

Reproduction of spruce by cuttings at home begins with the search for material for the collection of cuttings, their separation, and then rooting. Ideal for planting cuttings are up to twelve centimeters long and have a heel - a small piece of bark on the bottom - which will ensure excellent root development. The minimum length of the cutting should be from six centimeters. Cuttings are cut in the spring, around April, when the sap flow began in the plant, it has departed from hibernation and is completely ready, saturated with useful substances. Cutting in April is also advisable, since it allows you to plant cuttings in favorable conditions - the temperature at night has been adjusted, the rest of the time there are also no significant drops or sharp climatic changes.

It is necessary to propagate spruce by cuttings at home in a substrate of sand, peat, perlite and earth from the site. The mixture should be loose. It should be constantly moisturized, as this is the key to good development. For seven days, spruce cuttings immersed in the substrate are covered with plastic wrap. Since air does not penetrate under it, the film must be periodically opened, allowing the cuttings and soil to ventilate. You can replace this procedure with greenhouse conditions, that is, place the cuttings in the substrate in the greenhouse.

The main conditions for the development of cuttings are sun and water. Watering should be done often, but remember to give the potting mix time to allow the moisture to evaporate. It is recommended to harden spruce cuttings at home by treating the soil mixture with a solution of potassium permanganate. Cuttings and soil are also treated with fungicides, and insecticide treatments are also periodically used to protect them from bacteria in the soil or from fungal formations. It is recommended to carry out in the first weeks of planting, when the cuttings are in a humid environment under the film.

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Many land owners dream of growing fluffy and beautiful. You can even decorate the site beautifully by growing a whole alley of fir trees. This is not an easy task, it requires adherence to certain rules, as well as patience and time.

... Therefore, if you are wondering how to grow a spruce from a branch, first find a young and healthy spruce, no older than 8 years old, from which you can take a branch. You need to cut them off from the top of the tree. You only need to take one-year olds. Branches from the middle of the tree also have a chance to take root, but there is a good chance that the tree will grow with a crooked crown.

Tips for growing spruce from a branch:

Usually the twig takes root only in the second year. But if you want the roots to go already in the year of planting, prepare cuttings in mid-spring.
The so-called lignified cuttings cut in autumn or winter are stored all winter in a cool, dark place.
The length of the twig can vary from 10 to 25 cm.
After the branch is cut off, remove all the needles from the bottom by about 3-6 cm and put it in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
In order for the cutting to root and take root well, it must be done. It's good if it's heated.
You can easily do it yourself without any help. Drainage must be placed on the bottom to avoid moisture stagnation. Stones, broken brick or large rubble can be used as drainage. After drainage, there is soil and a layer of sand on top, better cleaned. The soil can be taken from the spruce forest or purchased at the store.
We cover with a film so that there is a distance of no more than 30 cm between the sand and the film.
The first time you ate a shade, so we put a dark coating on top of the film, you can use burlap.
You need to plant a twig to the depth to which you cleaned it of needles.
They are planted at a slight angle with an interval of 2 m (if you are planning an alley).
Remember that spruce can grow very large, so do not overuse with seedlings.

The first time you need it abundantly and every day, in the heat up to four times a day. Do not forget to loosen the soil as well. When the first roots appear, you do not need to water more often than once a day. You can spray seedlings with a mineral mixture. For the winter, you need to cover them or foliage.

Growing a beautiful tree from seeds is more difficult than from a branch, but if you follow certain recommendations, you can well boast that you have succeeded. It is not recommended to buy seeds in a store or order online, since you do not know the quality of these seeds, as well as how much and in what conditions they were stored.

Tips for growing spruce from seed:

In November, choose any spruce you like: ask your neighbors for a pine cone, find a tree in a park or forest. The cone should be picked from the tree, not lifted from the ground. At home, these cones must be placed in a warm place, close to a heater or radiator, and allowed to dry.
When the cone releases the seeds, treat them (seeds, not cones) with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then put them in a box with calcined sand.
You do not need to bury deeply, 1.5-2 cm will be enough. Put the box in the cold. It is these conditions that will be closest to natural.
Thus, the seeds, being at rest, will accumulate useful substances and will be ready to sprout by spring. In this form, the seeds should be left for 2-4 months.
Then the seeds will need to be put in a warm place and constantly so that they sprout. A large amount of water will lead to seed rot, so watering should be moderate. With proper care, the first shoots will appear in 2 weeks.
Until the moment you plant a seedling, the soil must be fertilized two times. Water should be done in such a way that the soil is moist, but the water does not stand on the surface.
When the night frosts are left behind, and it gets warmer outside, you can plant your spruce on the site. Dig a hole in advance and put mineral fertilizers there. There is no need to feed the spruce anymore.

At first, the seedling needs a greenhouse. To do this, cover it with a cut-off plastic bottle. Do not clean such a homemade greenhouse for at least a week. But at the same time, it would be wrong to completely deprive the spruce of air flow. Therefore, periodically remove the bottle to ventilate the seedling and remove accumulated condensation. Do this during a warm time of the day.

Over the summer, your spruce will not grow and grow strong enough to survive the winter frosts. For the winter, you need to cover it or make a greenhouse. The layer of snow must be sufficient so that the seedling does not freeze.

And now some rules for caring for a spruce, which will allow you to grow a beautiful, healthy and tall tree on your site.

Spruce can well grow in the shade, as often happens in natural conditions.

But if you want a fluffy tree, and not a long and stunted tree, it is still better to choose a sunny place where it is warm enough, humid and not strong winds. Then the tree will grow upright and strong. An abundance of bright light is also not desirable.

Proper care of spruce:

Spruce loves moisture. She does not tolerate drought, but can rot from stagnant water. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to loosen the soil, providing water and air access to the roots. It is not necessary to often water an adult spruce, it is enough once a week, but at the same time pouring out at least 10 liters of water. It is this amount that is considered optimal to nourish the roots and prevent moisture stagnation.
The air humidity requirements are low. Humidity tolerates calmly, as well as drier conditions. To wash away dust and dirt, you can periodically wash the fir tree with a hose. Then the needles will acquire a rich green color.
If the first time you missed the spot, the spruce can be transplanted. She will well tolerate a transplant in the absence of bright sun and all conditions are met. But often it is not recommended to replant the spruce. To do this, dig a hole in advance in the desired part of the garden, repeat the entire procedure from the beginning: put the drainage, pour the soil specially selected for conifers, sand on top. Please note that the root collar should be above the ground. This is essential for the healthy growth of the tree.
Do not often need a tree fertilizer. The spruce does not need this at all. If you wish, you can fertilize the soil near the trunk in the spring before the shoots appear.
Spruce propagation is also carried out through or. If you have a special type of decorative spruce, prefer the type of propagation by cuttings, then you can preserve all the decorative properties of the spruce.
The spruce does not like dense soil, so you need to loosen it near the trunk. Loose with a hoe or hoe very carefully. No need to dig deep, you risk damaging the roots.
Watch the appearance of the spruce. Remove dried twigs in time,. If the tree begins to bifurcate, remove one crown.

Spruce has many varieties: they differ not only in appearance, but also in the color of the needles. Let's consider the most common ones:

Ordinary. In other words, this is our usual Russian tree, green, tall, like a cone. The height can be very impressive, up to 50 m. It tolerates frost well, shade and is generally unpretentious in maintenance. Lives for more than one hundred years, reaches its highest point of growth by the age of 150.
Canadian. Beautiful spruce with a bluish tint. The height of an adult tree is 10 m. The needles are short and have a slight smell of black currant. Loves light, but is quite capable of withstanding the shadow, as well as severe frosts. The trunk reaches 4 m in thickness. It does not like high humidity, but it will survive the drought.
Akrokona. A variety of common spruce. An excellent choice for those looking for an interesting decoration for their site. These are small trees, usually no more than 4 m high, grow in an irregular bush. The needles seem to be directed downward. A special highlight is the multi-colored needles. At first, it is bright green, and then darkens a lot. The combination of both colors creates a very beautiful composition. Cones appear all over the tree, and by spring they become bright burgundy.
Inversa. The crown of this spruce resembles a weeping willow. All branches are directed downward and seem to flow around the trunk. Height is about 6 meters. Its crown can be directed, then the tree will grow in a given direction. If you do not create any support for the trunk, the spruce will not grow above knee level at all, it will creep along the ground.
Serbian. This decorative spruce is one of the slender ones. It grows rapidly, reaching a height of 15 m. It tolerates frost well, but not an abundance of moisture in the soil. The needles are bright green, brightening towards the bottom of the trunk. The decoration is purple cones. It is almost impossible to meet Serbian spruce in the wild. It is easy to cut; in strong winds, the tree may fall, as the roots go shallowly into the ground. In Europe, this spruce is very popular and is often used as a traditional decoration for Christmas.
Nana. This is one of the varieties of Serbian spruce. A low tree up to 3 m in height with bluish needles. It is undemanding to care for, tolerates frost well and looks very beautiful. But it grows slowly, no more than 3 cm per year.

It has long been known that needles contain a huge amount of vitamins, minerals, and essential oils. Therefore, winter needles are often used to make homemade cosmetics. It is in winter that she absorbs all the nutrients. Masks, lotions are made from it, they take pine baths, which is very beneficial for the skin and blood circulation in general.

The spruce needles are crushed, poured with boiling water and then used to prepare face and hair masks, creams, lotions, tonics.

It is also useful to drink such an infusion. It has a diuretic effect, removes small stones from the kidneys and urinary tract. Almost any part of the spruce (cones, buds, branches, needles) can be used in the treatment of colds and colds. Inhalations with pine needles decoction destroy microbes, facilitate breathing, relieve inflammation. Healing spruce resin ointment will help get rid of boils. Resin and wax can also be inhaled. It is very useful in bronchial diseases. They are cleared, phlegm is excreted, inflammation is relieved.

The cone infusion is very beneficial for both indoor and outdoor use. For this you need:

Select good buds, grind, add water and boil for at least half an hour.
Then let it brew under the lid. The infusion turns out to be dark brown, the taste is not very pleasant, astringent. It can be used for inhalation.
If you add lemon during boiling, such a decoction can be taken orally to strengthen the immune system.
The broth is kept cool for no more than 3 days.

You can also take spruce branches with young buds, pour boiling water over and let it brew. If you regularly take such an infusion, you can get rid of bronchitis, radiculitis, and speed up recovery from pneumonia.

It is not necessary to make infusions or decoctions, you can take a few needles, rinse with water and just chew.

In addition to the pleasant pine smell from the mouth, cheerfulness will appear, immunity will be strengthened, and efficiency will increase. Remember that in case of ulcerative diseases of the digestive system, such home remedies are prohibited. It is recommended to consult a doctor before use.

More information can be found in the video.

Foreword

Fans of decorative conifers will find it useful to learn how to grow a blue spruce from ordinary branches. Let's take a closer look at several methods of cuttings and their features.

The natural habitat of blue spruce trees is North America. Today this type of ornamental plants is gaining more and more popularity and is actively cultivated by gardeners all over the world. In addition to attractiveness, blue spruce is unpretentious in maintenance and has a high resistance to winter frosts, which makes it possible to grow it even in the most severe conditions. Against the background of other conifers, it stands out with an unusual blue tint. The needles have a conical shape and there are a large number of cones on the branches.

Blue spruce on the plot

Under natural conditions, blue spruce grows for a very long time, and its age can reach 600-800 years. But in a home garden, such a spruce will live no more than 100 years. If we talk about the height of the tree, it differs depending on the species. There are quite powerful trees with a height of 25-30 m or more, medium trees up to 4 m in height and undersized dwarf species creeping along the ground. At the moment, breeders have bred about 70 species of this coniferous plant. However, the most popular is the last version of the blue spruce, the crown width of which can reach 2 m, and the height does not exceed 0.5 m. Moreover, such shrubs are more resistant to frost than their large counterparts, withstanding up to -35 ̊С.

The best time to harvest blue spruce cuttings for reproduction is the beginning of May. It is during this period that the tree finally wakes up after hibernation, saturated with nutrients and sap. It is advisable to pluck twigs from young spruces up to 10 years old. This increases the likelihood of survival of the cuttings. When choosing branches, pay attention to their size. They should not be shorter than 7-12 cm and should have a "heel", a thickening of old wood at the base. Due to the presence of a "heel", coniferous resin will not clog the cells of a young seedling and limit the flow of the required amount of moisture. In order not to damage it, it is better to pluck the twig with your hands, rather than cut it off with a knife.

Stalk of blue spruce

It is advisable to harvest planting material in the morning or on a cloudy day. Put the branches in a plastic bag immediately so that they do not dry out, and transplant them into the ground on the same day. To speed up the process of growing a seedling and its survival rate, a root formation stimulator will help, in which we leave the cuttings for 2 hours. This will allow you to get a developed root system, subject to all subsequent care rules in 1.5 months. But without the use of a stimulant, this process can take up to 3 months or more.

If you did not have time to prepare the soil for planting in advance and have already plucked the branches of the blue spruce, then germination in the refrigerator is suitable for you. To do this, we send the cuttings into water for an hour, and then we plant them in wet sand. Pour the required amount of sand into a plastic bag and add twigs to it to a depth of 2 cm, tie the bag and send it to the refrigerator for 14 days. We keep the seedlings at a temperature of +3 ̊С. After this time, we transplant the cuttings into a greenhouse or greenhouse. After about 2 months, roots will appear. However, for this method to work, do not treat the branches with stimulants. This can have a bad effect on their survival rate.

Spruce cuttings for germination

An unusual and very convenient way is considered to be disembarking in a rolling stock. This method is great for saving space and is especially suitable for those gardeners who do not have large windowsills to grow. It is best used for winter grafting. A roll-up is a long tape folded in several layers. The first layer is a cotton towel or any soft backing from laminate and similar materials. The main thing is that the material is heat insulating. The length of such material can be unlimited, and the width is 10-15 cm.

The second layer is absorbent paper or napkin; moss is ideal for cuttings. We start the process by preparing the branches. We remove the needles at the base and dip each end into Kornevin powder. Next, roll out a cotton towel or other material, put a layer of moss on top of it, moisten it well and put the exposed part of the branches on it. Twist everything in a roll and tighten with an elastic band. Place the structure vertically in a bag, tie it up and hang it on a window where it is warm but not so sunny. As the top layer of the hand-rolled product dries, moisten it with water. In spring the cuttings will take root and can be planted in a greenhouse.

In order for the cuttings to take root well, do not rush to immediately plant them in open ground. Better to leave them on the windowsill, planting them in a special substrate. Prepare a convenient container, such as a homemade plastic bottle container or pot. Lay drainage, small pebbles or pebbles 4-5 cm high at the bottom. Next, fill in nutritious soil, preferably for conifers, but if there is none, it is better to use universal soil. The final top layer is sand. Its height is about 5 cm. Before planting the seedling in the substrate, treat the bases of the cutting in a growth stimulator or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then we deepen it 3-5 cm at an angle of 30 degrees and moisten the soil with water.

Germination of coniferous cuttings at home

As the top layer dries, we water it, but we do everything in moderation, without waterlogging. In this process, not so much watering the soil is important, but spraying the cuttings themselves with water from a spray bottle, which should be regular. Also, do not place the container with cuttings on a sunny windowsill. The partial shade will be optimal for them. It is recommended to plant cuttings one year after the start of cuttings, but many do it much earlier. The best time to transplant cuttings to a permanent location is late autumn or winter. It is during this period that the least likelihood of root rot development in blue spruce is created.

Depending on the color scheme of your spruce, we select the most favorable place for planting. The darker it is, the more comfortable it will grow in the shade.

We choose the landing pattern, focusing on the type. We put compost, mineral fertilizers into the prepared pit, and also lay the drainage from broken bricks on the bottom. When planting a seedling in the ground, we leave the root collar at ground level, not strongly compacting the soil around the spruce. In the dry season, the weekly watering of blue spruce should be at least 12 liters. In this case, the water is pre-heated in the sun, especially on cloudy days. Otherwise, the sharp contrast between warm soil and cold water can negatively affect the root system of young seedlings.

Reproduction of blue spruce in a greenhouse - maintaining temperature and humidity

If you nevertheless decide to plant cuttings in a greenhouse, then you need to take care of all the conditions. First of all, this concerns the temperature regime, which should be at least 13 ̊С for air and 10 С for soil. The ideal indicators in a greenhouse are considered to be a mark for air of 18-24 ̊С, and for soil - 21-27 С. Therefore, it is best to purchase soil heating. To prevent the root system from rotting, at the bottom of the pit for planting cuttings we make drainage from gravel or small pebbles (5 cm), sprinkle it with light nutritious soil (about 10 cm) and sand (5-7 cm). At the same time, we maintain a distance between the cuttings and the greenhouse film of 20 cm. As in the case of planting in a container, we deepen the branches of blue spruce into the ground by 3-5 cm at an angle of 30 degrees.

Growing blue spruce in a greenhouse The second important indicator in a greenhouse is air humidity. We check it on the greenhouse film. We make sure that too large drops of moisture do not form on it, only light blotches. For this we carry out daily airing. And to limit the cuttings in the first months from the aggressive sun, we throw burlap or spunbond on top of the greenhouse. Also, make sure that the soil is not dry. Water it moderately. Fluff the ground periodically. However, do this carefully, do not harm the cuttings and delicate roots.

Throughout the entire propagation period, pay attention to the appearance of young seedlings. If their coniferous needles turn red, this may indicate infection with fungal infections, and if they crumble, excess moisture. In this case, you can try to save the cuttings with antifungal drugs, but the risk of recovery is minimal. If a positive result is achieved after 2 months of intensive care, the cuttings should take root. We transplant seedlings into open ground. However, we do this as carefully as possible, since they break off quite easily.

Spruce cuttings are planted in spring, which gives the tree a significant head start in front of other plants - it has more time to prepare for winter, collect a certain amount of useful things, strengthen the root system and the tree trunk in order to be able to withstand cold weather. Autumn planting does not give positive results, according to gardeners' reviews - practically all conifers die in winter, especially in regions where winter is harsher.

Common loamy soil can be an ideal breeding ground for spruce. It is nutritious enough for spruce, so at home, when growing this representative of conifers, you can use a soil mixture based on loam or one hundred percent loamy soil. The plant does not require frequent feeding - just once a year is enough to satisfy the spruce. Top dressing, running ahead, occurs exclusively with mineral fertilizers. You should refrain from organic components, it is especially not recommended to add manure to the soil mixture in pure form or as part of other fertilizers.

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There is a huge variety of conifers, among which the blue spruce is considered an elite plant, as it has an amazing color, lush needles and a solid appearance. Therefore, blue spruce trees can be seen near the government house, any bank and near other institutions that are significant to the people.
Because of this, many summer residents want grow a blue spruce and on your site to admire and be proud of her. The prickly beauty is used as a tapeworm, as it is a kind of accent of the site. In the winter season, the blue spruce for New Year's holidays gathers both children and adults around itself, who decorate it with garlands, balls, tinsel and lights.

Preparation of planting material

Not every summer resident can afford to buy a blue Christmas tree, so many of them try to grow it using seeds from cones or cuttings. And they succeed because they strictly follow the technology.

Harvesting seeds

When growing any spruce, including blue, seeds are first harvested. To do this, at the end of summer, look for a suitable blue spruce, which has a color and shape that you like best. Look if there are cones on the tree. If there are cones, you need to wait for November, when it gets colder, and at the beginning of the month pick the cones from the chosen tree. Do not worry that you have collected a lot of seeds - the more there are, the more likely you are to grow a blue herringbone.

Only about 40% of young trees sprouting from one fir tree will be colored the same way. Others become blue-green, or generally green, like ordinary spruces. This is a common problem associated with seed propagation, in which the traits of the mother tree are less transmitted than when propagated by cuttings.

Collecting blue spruce cones for further reproduction.

Spruce seeds can be harvested in February, if they did not have time to collect them in the fall. However, in this case, they do not land until the end of June. In addition, the use of this option is possible only in areas with cool summers, because when the heat comes, the seeds can burn from the high temperature.

The most difficult thing in this process is to climb the spruce for the cones, which usually grow at the top. Plucked buds must be firm and completely closed. You can pick up cones under a tree, but you are unlikely to be able to find unopened specimens.

We put the cones so that the scales open

The collected cones are taken to a warm room for ripening. After that, the cones open and give the seeds. Placed in a special nursery, the cones open within a couple of days, since there they are kept in a bunker with a temperature of up to 42 degrees, and are kept until all the scales have opened. It is difficult to create the necessary climate in apartments, so the cones are placed in a narrow cardboard box and placed on heating radiators.

If there are no batteries, you can put it on heated floors, or take it to the kitchen and place the box on the highest cabinet. Everyone knows that the warm air in the room rises, so in the warmth the buds ripen faster. The drying process will be accompanied by crackling of the scales. After the cone is fully open, you can shake the seeds out of it by tapping it on a hard surface.

You can save time collecting and drying seeds by purchasing them from the nursery. Just buy from a trusted company, because you can slip stale seeds stored for a long time in the warehouse - they have a weak percentage of germination. The best option would be 1-2 year old seeds.

Stratification - hardening of seeds

Being in natural conditions, spruce cones open only in December-January. In this case, the seeds are picked up and carried by the wind, and the seeds sprout in another place. Until the warm April days, they are under the snow, which hardens them. There is a process of stratification.

At home, the seeds must also be hardened for the plants to acquire germination and good immunity.

In the absence of snow in winter, it is necessary to divide the entire amount of seeds into two parts, one of which is sown in open ground. They will be covered with snow and will undergo a natural hardening process. You shouldn't sow the tree seeds in the snow. The second part of the seeds is germinated at home.

Homemade stratification of blue spruce seeds:

It is necessary to prepare a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (dilute 1 g in 100 ml of water).
Immerse the seeds in the solution, keeping them in the solution for about 3 hours.
Place the seeds on a dry towel or paper to dry.
Pour dry seeds into a linen bag.
Place the bag in a glass jar, close it and refrigerate.
Leave the herringbone seeds to "sleep" until spring days. If the seeds are harvested in February, they are in the refrigerator until the end of June.

Several options for planting blue spruce seeds

Before using the seeds, they are awakened from their winter sleep. This is done by immersion overnight in a solution consisting of water with trace elements (a stimulant for root formation and an antifungal drug foundationol). The moist environment restores cell structure and improves seed germination.

Correct planting of blue spruce seeds.

In the morning, planting begins, which is performed in different ways. It is best not to choose one method, but to split the seeds into parts and try all the options to choose the most effective method for the plants growing in your area.

Planting blue spruce seeds in open ground

If spring frosts are not expected, prepared blue spruce seeds can be sown in the ground. Build a small greenhouse, pour a mixture of low-lying peat, coarse sand and earth from a coniferous forest into it. The introduction of complex fertilizers can be done immediately, or you can leave the fertilizing for later, after germination of the sprouts.

In order for the spruce to grow well, you need to bring earth from the forest, as it contains the mycelium of the mushrooms. In natural conditions, myceliums help the root system of conifers to obtain moisture and nutrition, and also free the soil from harmful substances. Christmas trees need mycorrhizal fungi so that without them, blue beauties have a weak root system and often they even die.

Planting is done in the following order:

The soil is compacted tightly.
Seeds are laid out on top of it, the distance between which should be no more than 4 cm.
Coniferous sawdust and peat are mixed in equal proportions. The resulting mixture is sprinkled with seeds with a layer of about a centimeter.
The earth is sprayed.
A film is stretched over the greenhouse.
It is necessary to periodically check the humidity, and if necessary, ventilate the greenhouse.
Seedlings emerge in three weeks. The sprouts need to be thinned out, leaving the stronger ones, and the distance between them should be 6 cm.
In the morning, the sprouts should be sprayed, but not abundantly, as excess moisture can cause the development of a "black leg" - this is the name of a viral infection that can destroy all sprouts of blue spruce.

So the Christmas trees are left to grow until the next spring. In the summer, try to protect them from sunlight and do not overdry the soil.

Using plastic containers for planting blue spruce seeds

When sprouting Christmas trees at home, they prepare wide plastic containers equipped with lids (these can be containers in which store salads, cookies and others are sold), or pots for planting plants.

Work is carried out in the following order:

A soil mixture consisting of 1 part of peat and 3 parts of dry sand is placed in prepared containers for 2/3 of the volume.
The ground is well sprayed.
Blue spruce seeds are scattered on top of the moist soil.
The seeds are slightly buried in the ground, for which a regular fork is used.
The container lid is closed, or the pot is covered with a film. Then the containers are installed in a warm place, protected from direct sunlight.
Spray the soil as it dries.
When the first sprouts begin to appear, you need to open the lids to create ventilation for the plants.
In summer, containers with sprouts are taken outside, placed in the shade under trees, and when cold weather comes, they are taken into a room where the air temperature does not rise above +15 degrees.

Young plants are planted the next spring, after warming up the soil, most often in May.

Planting blue spruce seeds in a roll

This method is unusual, but convenient. It is suitable for those summer residents who have not provided for large window sills in their houses, so they cannot put containers with seedlings on them.

Roll-ups are a long tape with several layers (like a roll):

The outer layer is a soft backing from under a laminate or other building material, 10-15 cm wide, and of unlimited length.
You can make toilet paper or napkins as the second layer.
The third layer is fertile soil.

The technology lies in the fact that a planting site is prepared for seeds from the components that were listed above.

A substrate is rolled out on the table, which is cut into long ribbons.
Toilet paper is laid on top of the substrate.
The paper is moistened with water - a spray bottle is used for this.
The seeds are laid out on the edge of the paper every 2 cm so that the lionfish protrude from the roll, and the seeds are on the paper soaked in moisture, sticking tightly to the wet base.
The seeds are covered with a layer of fertile soil.
The tape is neatly rolled into a roll, pulled together with an elastic band.
The roll is placed in an upright position on a cardboard or saucer - the seeds should be at the top.
The resulting roll is sprayed with water.
Covered with foil to create a greenhouse effect and installed in a warm, but not exposed to the sun, place.
When the first shoots appear, the film is removed, and the top of the roll is regularly moistened with water.
So the sprouts of blue spruce are kept until next spring.

Planting blue spruce from cuttings

Professional gardeners are more satisfied with the cultivation of ornamental conifers using the cuttings method, which allows them to preserve varietal characteristics. Blue spruce also lends itself to grafting. For this method, spring time is chosen, the beginning of May, when the movement of sap actively begins inside the tree.

How to properly prepare branches for planting

For grafting, twigs from 4-10-year-old trees will do. Trees at this age have the maximum survival rate of cuttings. For the preparation of planting material, branches with lateral shoots are found in a blue spruce, and 2-3 cuttings are carefully torn off from each of them. The length of the cuttings should be between 6 and 10 cm.

They are torn off in such a way that at the end of each of them a "heel" is preserved - a thickening, which is the remnant of old wood. The "heel" does not allow the resin to stand out, which clogs the lower cells of the seedlings and blocks the flow of moisture into the young seedling. For this reason, it is not recommended to cut off cuttings in conifers with a knife. They just need to be torn off.

The material is harvested on cloudy days or early in the morning. Having plucked, the branches must be immediately packed in a plastic bag, otherwise they will dry out and disappear. Planting is done the same day.

It is not bad to keep the cuttings for 2 hours in a root formation stimulator before planting. In this case, the tree will have a root system in a month and a half. If you do not use a stimulant, the root system will grow for at least 3 months, or even more.

Carrying out the grafting process at home

All of the above methods of planting blue spruce with seeds will also work for planting cuttings. But there are a couple more interesting options.

Sprouting cuttings in the refrigerator

If you inadvertently plucked cuttings of a decorative spruce without preparing anything in advance for planting them in the ground, you can follow the advice of experienced gardeners. Immerse the cuttings in water for an hour, and then plant them in wet sand to a depth of 2 cm. It is better to fill the sand in a plastic bag, and plant the cuttings there. Then tie the bag and store it for 2 weeks in the refrigerator, which should have a temperature of +3 degrees.

After this preparation, branches of blue spruce are planted in a greenhouse in the usual way. Until the end of the second month, the roots will appear on the plant. If you are sprouting spruce in the refrigerator, it is not recommended to treat the cuttings with a stimulant - this will reduce their survival rate.

Sprouting cuttings in a roll

Hand-rolling cuttings are carried out similarly to spruce seed growing. The roll-up consists of a pad, napkin and primer. The only thing you need to pay attention to: the part of the twig that will lie on the toilet paper must be cleaned of needles. The distance between the branches should be 5 cm.

The subtleties of winter cuttings

If you liked the blue Christmas trees, but the season for harvesting its cuttings has already passed, pick some branches, bring them home and try the following:

Remove needles from half of the branches.
Dip their base into the powdered root.
Put the twigs in a pre-prepared "roll", for which you need to roll out a paper towel, spread the moss evenly on it, moisten it and lay out the twigs so that the bare lower parts get on the moss.
Twist everything into a roll and pull it off with an elastic band.
Place it vertically in a bag, tie it tightly and hang it on the window.

During the winter period, half of the cuttings will have roots. May will come and they can be dropped into the greenhouse.

Features of planting cuttings of blue spruce in the ground

If you are planting cuttings in a greenhouse without first germinating them, remember the following:

It is necessary to observe the optimum air temperature of at least +15 degrees and the soil temperature - at least +10 degrees.

To prevent root rotting, a drainage containing gravel and small pebbles is placed at the bottom of the greenhouse, the thickness of which should be 5 cm.

Light soils are best suited for blue spruces.

It is necessary to adhere to the distance from the film or glass, which covers the greenhouse, to the seedlings at least 20 cm.

Plant the cuttings at a 30-degree angle.

Depth into the ground should be about 2 cm.

Humidity is checked on the ceiling of the greenhouse - large drops should not appear on it.

Cuttings need daily ventilation.

An important point is that in the first month it is necessary to shade the greenhouse - throw burlap or spanrnd over it to protect the cuttings from the aggressive sun.
Any conifers can be propagated by the methods described above. Therefore, having grown a blue prickly beauty, you have the opportunity to breed a garden of conifers. In search of the most successful germination option, practice will help you.