Dwarf species of spruce are one of the main decorations of landscape design in the XXI century. After all, it was precisely because of their decorativeness, frost and drought resistance, and ease of maintenance that many gardeners liked them. The black spruce Nana was no exception. About her description, cultivation and care of the culture - later in the article.

Botanical Description

Spruce Picea mariana Nana belongs to the Pine family and is a popular variety of dwarf shrub. The crown of the plant has the perfect shape of the ball and the bluish-green color of the needles. The height of the tree is from 50 cm, the diameter is up to 1 m. This shrub belongs to slowly growing plants, growing only 5 cm per year.

The needles are dense, needle, short (up to 1 cm). In young growth, the growth has a deep green color, which contrasts with old branches. Cones 2–3.5 cm long and 1.5–1.8 cm wide, resemble a ball in shape, have a purple-brown color during ripening and dull brown after it, form on the periphery of the crown and remain on it for up to 30 years .

Seeds of dark brown color up to 2 mm long are formed annually and in large quantities. The shoots are arranged horizontally and evenly, delicate in texture and very branched, but thick. The root system is located close to the surface, because of this it is sensitive to soil compaction and the absence of air in it.

Landing

To buy seedlings of this spruce is desirable in the nursery, so it will be more likely that the tree does not get sick and grows in favorable conditions. When choosing, pay special attention to inspecting the roots: they must be intact, intact and in an earthen coma.

It is recommended to plant a spruce in early spring, so the young tree will get stronger before the strong winter colds and withstand heavy winds.

Important! Young spruce trees have very tender roots that cannot be kept in the air and the sun for a long time, otherwise they will die. When transporting, it is desirable keep the roots wrapped in cloth.

Step-by-step landing instructions:

1. Primary preparation of the landing pit. Its depth should be 50–70 cm.
2. Primary preparation of the substrate. Black spruce do not tolerate compacted soil around the trunk. The soil layer should include turf, deciduous land, peat and sand. This mixture can be made both independently and already ready to buy.
3. Drainage. At the bottom of the pit, you need to arrange the drainage layer, since the roots of the spruce are tender, and the dense soil destroys them. For these purposes, you can use fine gravel or sand, the layer thickness of which should be about 20 cm.
4. Preparation of the pit with the substrate. The prepared planting mixture must be placed in the pit two weeks before planting, so that it settles down.
5. Root treatment. Before planting, the root system of the spruce must be immersed in the root solution for a day.
6. Planting ate. The seedling is placed in the middle of the pit so that the root neck borders on the ground level, and the roots are covered with soil mixture.
7. The formation of a barrel barrel. A roller is formed around the seedling from the ground so that a funnel is formed near the trunk to hold water during irrigation.
8. Watering. For the newly planted dwarf black spruce Nana, up to two buckets of water are needed.

Spruce care

In caring for this culture, special difficulties should not arise. There are several important rules, adhering to which, you can effortlessly create a beautiful composition of black fir trees on the site. These rules imply regular watering, timely top dressing, loosening, mulching, pruning, and the fight against possible diseases and pests. We will talk about all these care rules below.

Did you know? After 10–15 years of life, the main root of spruce dies, and its functions are taken over by a well-branched root system.

Watering and feeding

Watering the plant in the summer is necessary twice a week, at a moderate air temperature it is possible once a week. It is important to pour water not under the trunk itself, but in the trunk circle, gradually filling the roots with water. Remember that this tree is afraid of stagnation of water and excessive humidity. It is advisable to periodically wash off the dust from the needles with the help of creating artificial rain, but do not direct a strong stream at the crown, this can damage it. Sprinkling is recommended in the evening.

Plant nutrition is the key to its development and the formation of a lush crown. In the spring, in April-May, nitroammophoska is added at the rate of 40 g per 1 m². In October, potash and phosphorus complexes are introduced. When the plant has reached the age of 2-3 years, you can use Fertika fertilizer in granules in spring or prepare a similar top dressing yourself. To do this, mix: 1–2 l of humus (the amount depends on the size of the tree), 25 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium salt. The prepared mixture is distributed evenly in the near-stem circle of black spruce.

Loosening and mulching

The main point of using soil mulching is to increase its chemical parameters, which leads to an improvement in the conditions for spruce growth. Proper mulching helps reduce the number of watering and loosening in the summer.

There are two types of mulch: organic and inorganic. The first is grass, hay, bark, needles, leaves, sawdust. This type of mulch is useful for plants, because over time it rots and fertilizes the soil. The second type includes gravel, stone, sand, peat or film. This option is used more for decorative purposes.

Mulching is carried out only on wet soil. If the earth is dry, it is necessary to loosen and moisten the soil, and only then spread a layer of mulch. Organic mulch is distributed so that it does not touch the trunk and does not cause rot to develop. Mulching in the autumn is done 2-3 days after the first frost, covering the ground to protect it from low temperatures. In spring, you need to remove all the mulch from the ground so that the soil warms up well.

Did you know? There is an unusual method of cutting, which is usually used on Christmas tree plantations. Branches are removed by cutting sharp and dwith a straight knife. A man with one swipe, like a saber, cuts the ends of the branches from top to bottom, often working with both hands in turn, as if juggling with knives.

Pruning

To achieve the desired plant shape, annual growth of spruce should be restrained by cutting new shoots. One of the simplest ways to trim is a classic haircut, when twigs that grow over a year are evenly removed. From 30% to 70% of the shoot length is removed. At the same time, no more than a third of the green volume can be cut at a time.

Timber pruning should be planned so that the last cuts completely heal before the onset of cold weather. After winter, pruning can be done again, but before the buds begin to grow. Various garden tools can be used to form a specific shape, although hedge trimmers are ideal.

Important! Even if, at first glance, the seedling seems healthy, then it should still be sprayed with fungicide for prevention, since many diseases have a long incubation period, the symptoms of which do not appear immediately.

Possible diseases and pests

Almost all conifers are poorly resistant to pests and diseases, and Nana spruce is no exception.

The following pests can attack the culture:

1. Spruce fir hermes. Symptoms of damage are manifested by yellowing and bending of the needles and a decrease in their growth. With a careful inspection of the plant, you can find pests - these are small black insects, similar to aphids. To combat them, you can use the systemic drugs "Actara" and "Commander." For prevention, it is necessary to inspect the plant in spring and autumn and, if detected, treat it with insecticides.
2. Spruce ordinary sawfly. Symptoms of defeat: young needles on the apical and lateral shoots acquire a red-brown color and do not fall for a long time. For prevention, it is worth periodically digging the soil in the near-stem circle, as well as spraying the plants with weak solutions of insecticides. If the number of sawflies is high and the tree fades, then it is necessary to use high concentrations of insecticides.
3. Fir-tree bast beetle. This pest affects all the cones on the spruce. After falling, such cones usually do not open. To protect the spruce from these pests, in spring and summer it must be sprayed with insecticides.

Possible diseases of the black spruce Nana include:

1. Schütte ordinary. Two types of fungi cause this disease. The first signs of the disease appear in late October and early November. The needles turn yellow from the center to the periphery of the branches, and in the spring they become brown, a little later the mass falling of needles begins. If the spruce turned out to be infected, it can be cured by treating with fungicides “Fundazol”, “Tsineb” or colloidal sulfur.
2. Rust. The disease is caused by the fungus Chrysomyxa ledi. Initially, in the summer on the needles small yellow spots form, which grow over time, which leads to their merger. As a result, they can fill the entire surface of the needles. By next spring, in the place where the spots were, spores of the fungus appear, similar to pads of bright orange or yellow-brown color, initially waxy, elongated along the needle up to 1 cm long. After spreading, the spores needles die and fall off. To cure the spruce, it is necessary to destroy the fallen needles, since spores form in it, which eventually infect the plant again. Spraying fir trees with 1% Bordeaux liquid is also recommended.

The use of wood in landscape design

Nana black spruce is used in landscaping gardens, decorating flower beds and flower beds, for decorating stone and heather gardens, and it often acts as a container culture in the formation of modular groups, landscaping terraces, balconies and roofs.

It’s easy to create bizarre shapes of animals, plants, fantastic objects from Nana’s fir trees, and you can also make classic balls. Such easy compliance is often used by designers in the design of gardens or entire labyrinths from an evergreen hedge. With the help of these dwarf shrubs create beautiful photo zones in parks, squares and gardens.

Black Nana spruce fits so organically into landscape design that it has become one of the most popular conifers. Many gardeners acquire a prickly beauty and decorate their plots with it. As for the care of this culture, here it is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and will not cause much concern to the owner.