Spruce black: description, variety, care

A small genus of Eli includes about 40 species of evergreen plants. All of them are characterized by aromatic pine needles, beautiful, even shape of the crown and relative unpretentiousness. Some species are actively used in landscape gardening, others are more rare.

We will describe what the black spruce looks like, introduced into culture in Europe since 1700. By the level of decorativeness, it is not much inferior to the Canadian variety, but on the whole it is unpretentious and stable.

The birthplace of the plant

Throughout the world, the species has spread from North America. Its natural habitat is limited to the west of Alaska, to the east by the island of Newfoundland (a symbol of the province), to the north by the forest-tundra, and to the south by northern Michigan and Minnesota. The tree is also found in the Appalachians in the mountainous areas of New York. It grows, as a rule, in the taiga, less often in mixed-type forests. It is widely distributed in areas with permafrost, in lowlands, sphagnum marshes. Status - a plant with a low threat of extinction.

Spruce black: description

The evergreen tree grows up to 20-30 m in height in the natural environment and reaches a barrel diameter of 30-90 cm. The crown is conical, with the lower branches hanging to the ground level. Bark with cracks, scaly, reddish-brown or grayish hue, thin. The tree has the finest pine needles, 0.7-0.8 mm and 0.5-1.2 cm long, in comparison with other spruce. The shape of the needle is tetrahedral, prickly, with pronounced stomatal lines from above and from below, the color is dark, greenish -blue. The branch is dense, the life span is on the average 8-9 years. Needles during grinding have a characteristic tart aroma.

The cones are round-ovate, sometimes almost spherical, small in size: 2-3.5 cm long and 1.5-1.8 cm wide. Until the moment of ripening, they are a natural ornament of the tree, they have a purple-brown unusual Color. Scales obovate, wavy, with characteristic strokes in the middle. The cones remain on the spruce for 20-30 years, without falling off.

In the tree, the tree is shade-resistant, it is not very demanding for soils, it is winter-hardy, but sensitive to heat. In drought, it needs good watering. It grows slowly, but in Russia it is rare to find culture in culture, giving way to other species - blue spruce. Outwardly very beautiful, small size allows to use it everywhere, and the bluish and thick needles impart fluffiness. The most common are four ornamental spruce varieties, which will be discussed in more detail.

Baysneri

The variety was supposedly bred in 1915. The hybrid has a thick crown of a rounded shape. The height and diameter of the bush are practically the same, reaching a maximum of 5 m. The growth is slow. The needles are green, with a gentle bluish-silvery hue. There is a kind of variety called Compacta, characterized by more modest sizes (up to 2 m), without pronounced vertex, but the color and shape of the needles is similar.

Doumety

Hybrid is a tall, slender tree 5-6 m in height. The crown is of a broad-conical shape with numerous branches rising upward. Needles have a pronounced blue hue, densely covers shoots. Numerous cones of spruce are located directly on the trunk. The variety is winter hardy, fast growing. It is recommended for greening parks, squares, creating group plantings. It is noteworthy that you can propagate the tree with cuttings. This is a fairly rare occurrence among conifers. For the first time such a spruce was grown in France.

Kobold

The variety obtained as a result of a hybrid crossing of the other two - Doemeti and Omorika. A low-growing tree that reaches a height of one meter by the age of 20 years, the annual increment is 5 cm. The shape of the crown is spherical. A neat twig covers a thick needles up to 12 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. The hybrid is very decorative and certainly deserves the attention of gardeners. The variety was obtained in Germany in 1951.

Spruce black Nana

Elegant dwarf hybrid with a rounded shape of the crown. The height rarely reaches 0.5 m, it grows very slowly. Light green needles with a bluish hue are thin, but long, so the plant seems very "dense" and fluffy. The variety is resistant to frost, urban gassed air. It is recommended to use for gardening of small gardens, alpine hills, rockeries, roofs, as a pot culture. Pretty easy to propagate cuttings.

This is not all sorts of blacks, there are still hybrids, but they are rare. For example, with a mottled white, shiny or very fine needles, a weeping crown shape up to 5 m in height, dwarfish. In a natural environment, a black spruce can create hybrids with the closest possible species.

Peculiarities of growing

Spruce black is a shade-tolerant and undemanding plant fertility soil. However, it should be noted that it is best developed in a lighted place, protected from drafts and strong winds. It transfers insignificant swamping and not very pronounced continental climate. Poorly responds to transplantation, trampling of circumferential space, as the root system becomes superficial with the years.

In order for the fir tree to grow beautiful and healthy, provide it with fertile soil. You can prepare it yourself from a mixture of sand, peat, turf and leaf earth in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 2. At the bottom of the landing pit, it is necessary to pour a drainage layer 15-20 cm thick from expanded clay or broken bricks.

If you use a spruce to create a hedge, then a strong forming pruning is permissible, after which the thickening of the crown occurs with even greater force. In other cases, it is recommended to remove only dry and damaged branches. Watering young plants should be regular and plentiful, adults - only in extreme heat. Conifers, spruce black including, have a root system close to the surface of the soil, so loosening is permissible, but at a minimum depth of 10 cm. It is best to cover the circumferential circle with peat or chips.