The blue spruce enjoys deserved popularity at people, seriously keen on gardening. This evergreen plant with the needles having characteristic smoky shade looks very elegantly and elegantly thanks to what it is widely used in landscaping. But to save means on purchase of saplings and to grow up blue spruce the hands, it is necessary to consider number of very important nuances.
The adult blue spruce is considered quite unpretentious plant since without special damage to itself can grow in the area differing in strong frosts, droughts, gusty winds or with high gas contamination of the atmosphere. It is worth carrying to advantages of this tree also those factors that it well transfers hairstyle or figured forming of krone, and magnificent gray-blue branches can serve as peculiar barometer: before rain they hang, and before clear weather - rise.
To grow up blue spruce independently, it is possible to use or method of cherenkovaniye, or by means of thorough collecting and prorashchivaniye of seeds. The method of cherenkovaniye is considered more preferable since it allows to keep the best high-quality signs of plant and higher percent provides high-quality planting stock.
How to grow up blue spruce from branch
Preparation of branches is made manually, without use of cutting tools and it is preferable, in cloudy days or in the morning when solar activity is still insufficiently high. For cherenkovaniye side sprouts of the trees which have reached age of 5-10 years are considered as the most suitable. Branches 8-12 cm long carefully tear off from tree so that on the end of shank there was small thickening which will promote process of korneobrazovaniye.
Shanks place in plastic bag and in the same day land in soil for rooting. As substrate sand with peat or the sheet earth, with top layer from quartz sand and peat can be used. Shanks bury at 2 cm and by means of polyethylene or plastic bottles create conditions of sufficient heat and humidity.
Other popular way to grow up blue spruce from shank is the prorashchivaniye method in the fridge. The broken branches keep within hour in water of room temperature then fill damp sand in plastic bags, land in it shanks, tie edges of package and place it in the fridge. In two weeks of plant land in soil. This way allows to do without chemical stimulators of korneobrazovaniye and increases further survival of plants.
How to grow up blue spruce from seeds
Preparation of seeds is recommended to be begun with visual examination of tree – the plant has to be healthy, strong, with krone of good shape and beautiful coloring of needles. As a rule, seed material is collected at the end of November – the beginning of December: cones have to be closed, with skintight scales. Further ripening of seeds will be carried out in room conditions: fir cones pour out in cardboard box and place near sources of heat or the highest shelf where air temperature is usually slightly higher, than at floor.
After cones dry up, will reveal and all seeds will be collected, they need to create conditions for training: sunflower seeds, without separating from the impeller, place in weak solution of potassium permanganate for 2-3 hours, then dry them on paper towel, turn in clean rag of fabric and put away in glass jar with cover. Before spring of bank it has to be stored on the lower shelf of the fridge.
In the spring seeds get from the fridge and for 10-12 hours leave them in the humid environment accelerating emergence of sprouts. The most optimum for this purpose mix from warm water with addition of anti-fungal medicines and stimulators of korneobrazovaniye is considered.
Ways of landing of seeds of blue spruce
If in the spring the threat of night frosts already passed, then it is possible to sow seeds to the open ground. As substrate it is recommended to use the earth of the coniferous forest to which low-lying peat, sand and complex fertilizers is added. The seeds powdered with the soil spray with water and cover with film for creation of greenhouse effect. At this stage it is very important not to allow both excess humidity, and drying of the earth. The shoots which have appeared in 2.5-3 weeks are thinned out and transplant on distance 5-6 cm from each other.
In case of lack of possibility of jumping of seeds to the open ground, it is possible to use house methods of prorashchivaniye. Disposable plastic containers well are suitable for these purposes: tanks half fill with mix from peat and sand in proportion 1:3, humidify it, plant seeds and close container cover.
After there are first sprouts, it is possible to slightly open cover a little, and in summertime – to take out plants on the street, having placed them in the shady place. With approach of autumn and winter cold weather the containers place indoors where there is opportunity to maintain temperature within 10-15 degrees of heat. The next year when young fir-trees get stronger and will grow up, they can be replaced from containers to the site.
At seed reproduction of blue spruce it is important to remember that its high-quality signs remain approximately in 20% of cases and therefore the color of needles can not always have saturated blue shade, as at maternal tree.