Fir - what is it? Tree fir. Coniferous trees (photo)

A representative of one of the many species of conifers of the Sosnovy family, well-known to all spruce, owes its name to the ancient Romans. This is how the translation of the word "pitch" sounds. In the green kingdom, spruce is one of the first places and belongs to the genus, in which there are almost 50 species of plants distributed throughout the world: from Northern Europe and Central Asia to North America. What kind of spruce, what kind of tree is it? How long does she live on Earth and what forms does she take? Let's try to find the answers to these questions.

Description of spruce

High, straightforward, evergreen slender trees with a dense cone-shaped crown, narrower at a young age, were ate covered with branches to the very base. Their trunk is difficult to see - it is hidden by the widest spruce "paws". Young trees have a smooth gray bark with a brownish tinge, on older spruce trunks it is more delicate, in places it splits. Needles are needle-like and can be kept on the branches for 7-9 years, although with the deterioration of the environment these terms are reduced, and in the urban environment the duration of needle conservation does not exceed 3 years. Hvoinki - single, tetrahedral or flattened, spirally located on branches. Cones hanging down, elongated, cylindrical. Ripening in autumn, they open when the seeds are scattered. Seed scales of cones with a wide base cover small seeds, provided with wings cup-shaped around them.

Characteristic features of the plant

Description ate unequivocally: this is one of the rather unpretentious plants on Earth. It is undemanding to the fertility of soils, perfectly suits on very poor soils. She is not afraid of shady slopes and a slight overmoistening of soil cover areas. It is incredibly frost-resistant, and it is not frightened by the sharply continental climate. But most species do not withstand gas pollution and smoke, nevertheless the tree is used in urban gardening and is used both in solitary and in group plantings for park alleys and snow strips. Dwarfish or undersized decorative forms are perfect for decorating the landscape of small backyards, slides and rock gardens.

Spruce (European), or ordinary

The name of this tree speaks for itself and precisely indicates the range of its habitat. European spruce grows in the European part of Russia. It is the basis that forms the taiga. In the north of Siberia and European Russia the massifs of common spruce are gradually replaced by Siberian spruce. What kind of tree is this? There is no clear difference between these species. In the choice of conditions for growth, spruce is significantly different from larch and pine, but there are no sharp distinctions between intra-species. They are so shade-loving that it is rather difficult to grow on open treeless areas, because they are damaged by spring frosts or sunburns at the stage of shoots that have moved to growth. In addition, they suffer greatly from grass fires provoked by seasonal arsons.

Periods and features of tree growth

The first ten years the tree spruce grows slowly. Then the growth rate is sharply increased, and after 100-120 years are suspended again. Uneven, spasmodic growth distinguishes European spruce. What is the recognized long-liver - for a long time it is known. If conditions permit, she easily survives to 250-300 years. The best soils for it are loam and sandy loam. On them, it forms a deep root system, firmly holding it on the surface. But spruce is a lover of enough raw places. On unnecessarily moistened soils, the tree forms a small surface root system and, with strong gusts of wind, can not resist and crumble to the ground. Spruce bore even a small swamping, if it has a flowing character. It should be noted that the root system of spruce is much less than that of pine, which explains its instability in winds. A feature of the tree is that its lower branches do not die and remain dry, so it is rather dark and damp in the spruce forests.

Conditions for growing spruce

You can grow spruce in most regions of the European part of Russia, in Siberia and in the south of the Far East. But this is a very tender breed of wood. It is better to plant it under the canopy of more stable representatives of the flora - oak, birch or pine. This is important especially for sufficiently dry and poor soils, on which spruce grows heavily, since well-moistened soils are preferred for it. Spruce is much more demanding for growing conditions than pine, which can perfectly develop on dry sandy soils. That is why spruce and pine rarely grow side by side - they need very different conditions.

Reproduction

Spruce is easy to grow from seeds, which are very easy to assemble: it is enough to cut several fir cones in autumn and keep them at home until it dries completely. You do not need to shave them. Having dried up, the cones will open themselves and give up seeds, which usually have great germination. They should be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then placed in pots with roasted river sand, having covered by 1-1.5 cm. The containers are placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator for stratification. This procedure is necessary, since in the natural nature all seeds of conifers are exposed to cold. Stratification stimulates germination of seedlings. Untreated by cold seeds can lie in the ground for several years, but never rise. It is necessary to stay in the cold for 3 months. After this time, the containers with the planted seeds are placed in a bright and warm place.

Terms of planting

The ideal time for sowing is the end of October - November. If you plant seeds during this period, then you need to get the container from the refrigerator in February-March. This is the most favorable time for germination, as spring comes, a light day increases, and all plants start growing.

Watering and care

The germination period of the seedlings requires a particularly generous watering, since it is necessary to act in accordance with natural conditions. In spring, during snow melting, the soil is especially moistened. Heat and humidity are the main conditions for activating coniferous shoots. After a couple of weeks, the baby-spruce should ascend. What is this real concha, can be seen at once: the first to appear are needles. Now you should be careful and observe the balance, that is, water the sprouts as much as necessary, not allowing both undue and excessive moistening. Once every two weeks the young fir-trees need to be fed and loosen the upper soil layer.

When the outdoors becomes warmer, and recoil frosts recede, small seedlings can be planted in the ground. In the hole before planting, add compost or humus, mixed with soil, and a few complex mineral fertilizers. More fir-trees do not feed. Putting the seedlings in the hole, the roots are gently covered with soil, rammed, well spilled and create a small
A greenhouse of covering material, a film or a glass jar. This is necessary for faster acclimatization of seedlings.

Seedlings in greenhouses should be ventilated every day. They need to open, remove condensation and check the moisture of the soil. After 7-10 days shelter can be removed, and the ground around the Christmas trees to cover up to preserve the moisture of the soil. As a rule, in nurseries, seedlings are grown in containers for 3-4 years. Since the tree grows very slowly, such a period is considered optimal for the successful development of the conifers under the name of spruce. Saplings of this age are more adapted to temperature changes, they are no longer afraid of frost and sunburn. They are also planted with one feeding and good watering.

Species of fir and their application

Like many coniferous trees, fir is quite decorative. It has always been a decoration of the Russian manor, gardens and parks. Today, thanks to the large selection work, many species of fir trees are used for garden landscape design. Herringbone, grown with its own seeds, will not only beautify the site, but it can also become the ancestor of family traditions. This method of growing spruce from seeds is suitable for all tall species. In addition, such growing is a guarantee of an excellent adaptation of the seedling to the climatic conditions of the area. Of the existing species, special attention to landscape designers attracts dwarf spruce. Low-grown varieties usually do not exceed a meter high, they have a wide dense crown. They are great for decorating garden compositions, stone and alpine hills. One of the most effective and popular representatives of such species is the Nidiformis spruce.

Dwarf forms: description

Nidiformis is a variety with a round crown shape and a central depression. The height of the tree hardly reaches 1 m, and the crown reaches a diameter of 3 m. The flattened crown is formed in the form of a nest, since the main branches of the tree are absent, and the numerous shoots grow fan-like. Great short dark green needles, very dense and evenly covering the branches. The tree grows very slowly, adding for a year no more than 3-4 cm in height and 5-7 cm in width. The herringbone is undemanding to the soil, it grows well on moderately fertile sandy loams of any level of acidity, but it can die if the groundwater is constantly found near the root system. This fir, as well as all stunted coniferous trees, the photos of which are represented, is highly decorative. A slow growth of it allows you to save once created landscape for many years. Nidiforms are frost-hardy, but young plants are best protected with the threat of recurrent spring frosts.

Evergreen dwarf hypophagia: reproduction

Low-grown forms are not pure species and multiply exclusively vegetatively - cuttings and layers, but not seeds. The fact is that such plants appear as a result of mutation of various species of conifers, and as a rule, ordinary tall trees rather than dwarf conifers grow from their seeds. Photos of decorative low-growing species can be found in the specialized literature. If you grow such an ephedra alone does not work, there is only one way - to the store. Dwarf trees are usually sold in containers. The main rule when buying this rather expensive purchase is a firm belief that the root system of the seedling is strong, well developed, not damaged either mechanically or by pests. And before going to the store, you should get acquainted with information about the shape of the crown, the features, dimensions of the plant and care for it.

Many coniferous species for many years retain a good shape regardless of the variety. Low-grown species can first have a spherical crown, and with time, form a cone. Nevertheless, spruce and pine are so common trees that it is impossible to imagine Russia without these majestic conifers.