How to grow a fir tree from a branch: tips for care, growing methods, varieties

Many land owners dream of growing a fluffy and beautiful spruce... 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.

Content:

• Growing spruce from a branch
• Growing spruce from seeds
• Young spruce care
• Types and varieties of spruce
• Application and benefits

Growing spruce from a branch

There are many types of spruce, but almost all of them reproduce. cuttings... 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 twig. You need to cut them off from the top of the tree. You only need to take one-year olds. Twigs 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 the 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 stalk to root and take root well, it is necessary to make greenhouse... It is good if it is heated.
• You can easily do it yourself greenhouse without outside 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 they ate a shade, so we put a dark coating on top of the film, maybe 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.

First time to water you need it abundantly and every day, in the heat up to four times a day. Don't 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. You need to cover them for the winter. sawdust or foliage.

Growing spruce from seeds

Grow a beautiful Christmas tree from seed 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 via the Internet, 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, process them (seeds, not cones) with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then put them in a box with calcined sand.
• You don't need to bury it 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 to waterso that they ascend. 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 in open ground, the soil must be fertilized twice. Watering 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 up such a homemade greenhouse for at least a week. But at the same time, it would be wrong to completely deprive the spruce of the 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.

Young spruce care

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 is often the case 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 there is no strong wind. Then the tree will grow upright and strong. An abundance of bright light is also not desirable.

Proper care of spruce:

1. Spruce loves moisture. It does not tolerate drought well, but it can rot from stagnant water. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to loosen the soil, providing water and air access to the roots. It is often not necessary to water an adult spruce, once a week is enough, 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.
2. The air humidity requirements are low. Humidity tolerates calmly, as well as drier conditions. To wash away dust and dirt, you can periodically rinse the fir tree with a hose. Then the needles will acquire a rich green color.
3. If the first time you miscalculated the place, the spruce can be transplant... 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 whole procedure from the beginning: put the drainage, pour the soil, specially selected for conifers, sand on top. Please note that the root collar must be above the ground. This is essential for the healthy growth of the tree.
4. Do not need often feed tree with fertilizers. 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.
5. Spruce propagation is also carried out through the seeds or cuttings... 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.
6. Spruce does not like dense soil, so you need to loosen it near the trunk. Loose with a hoe or hoe very carefully. You don't need to dig deep, you risk damaging the roots.
7. Watch the appearance of the spruce. Remove dried twigs in time, shape the crown... If the tree begins to bifurcate, remove one crown.

Types and varieties of spruce

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

• 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, have a slight odor black currant... Loves light, but is quite capable of enduring 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 who are 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 the 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.

Application and benefits

It has long been known that needles contain a huge amount of vitamins, minerals, essential oils. Therefore, winter needles are often used to make homemade cosmetics. It is in the 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 a decoction of pine needles destroy microbes, make breathing easier, relieve inflammation. Healing spruce resin ointment will help get rid of boils. Inhalation can also be done with resin and wax. It is very useful for 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, chop, 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 accelerate 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 for peptic ulcer 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.