Prickly spruce Maygold (Picea Pungen Maigold) - a decorative tree. At home, growing in flowerpots or other containers, it can reach a height of 30–40 cm, and when planting in open ground - 2–4 m. For the first time, mention of the Maygold spruce occurs at the beginning of the last century. North America is considered her homeland. Although the tree is unpretentious, it is recommended to study this variety in detail, namely the rules for planting and caring for it, before using it in landscape design.
Botanical Description
Prickly spruce Maygold - coniferous tree. The shape of the crown is a wide cone. Under natural conditions, growth reaches a height of 2.5 to 4 m. The main feature of this species is the annual spring growth of new needles, which has a golden hue characteristic of the variety. Last year, it has a green color characteristic of all types of conifers.
Important! Spruce can not be planted near the house. Since its roots are superficial, it can fall due to strong winds and destroy the building.
The Maigold variety is compact, resistant to low temperatures and requires minimal attention to care. The height of the seedling in 10 years can reach 2.5 m. The shoots are short, almost always strictly horizontal and rigid. The root system is superficial with a wide branching.
Spruce Maygold prefers sunny areas. If the tree grows in the shade, then the color of the needles changes: it becomes less saturated
In landscape design
A prickly seedling should be planted when creating a special style in landscape design, namely:
- as a tapeworm;
- in rockeries;
- as part of any decorative group;
- in the rocky garden.
Did you know? Spruce is highly valued for the release of special substances into the air called volatile substances: they cleanse the surrounding area of malignant microorganisms and have a beneficial effect on human health.
Since the tree grows low in a garden or a small park, it It is recommended to place on a site that has a small area. The position in the overall composition is selected taking into account the final height. Specialists can add spruce Maygold to the ensemble of taller trees with a different color of needles and height.
The described plant contrasts well with some types of trees - for example, with:
- pine;
- thuja;
- yew.
Spruce looks great both in winter and in summer due to the bright color of the new needles that appears at the beginning of each year.
Landing
Before you begin to create a landscape design of your site, you need to understand the intricacies of the process of planting conifers in open ground. It is important not only the selection of the right mulch, mineral fertilizers, but also the seedlings themselves. For future plants to please the gardener with their splendor every year, some effort will be required - they are all described in the following paragraphs.
Video: How to plant a coniferous plant
Seedling Selection
When purchasing a tree or receiving an order, carefully inspect the seedling. It should be remembered that a “live” product can very rarely be returned to the seller or exchanged.
Maygold variety changes the color of needles when spring comes. It should be understood that in the catalog, in the photo, the tree may have a different color. Also, a young seedling may differ from a mature plant. First of all, this process is caused by the feature of vegetative propagation.
Important! The best seedlings are those that are sold in plastic containers with long-acting fertilizers. They are guaranteed to take root on the site.
Seedlings that will grow in containers (or supplied by the seller) must not be damaged on the roots, rot or mold. According to the rules regarding the development of ornamental plants at home, a tree must grow in a container for at least six months. This nuance can be checked by examining the drainage holes through which the plant takes root. Otherwise, it is recommended to ask the seller to demonstrate the root system if it is not visually visible.
The grafted spruce at the vaccination site should not have cracks whose size exceeds 1 mm, as well as significant peeling of the bark. If pests or diseases are found on the seedling, you should refuse to purchase them.
A feature of spruce is considered to be reliable attachment of needles to branches. If, when touched, it crumbles, then the seedling is of poor quality. At the time of purchase, you should inspect neighboring trees. If they have differences in color or traces of recent pruning at the bottom, it is not recommended to purchase them.
Even the smoothest seedling can have fewer branches on one side.. This is a normal situation for any spruce. Correction of the crown can be accomplished by using a pruning or pinching technique.
In late spring and early summer, when new needles appear on young seedlings, it becomes very vulnerable to mechanical damage. For this reason, it is necessary to wrap the tree with fabric in order to protect it during transportation
Soil preparation
Spruce Maigold should be planted only in a previously prepared substrate. Its obligatory component is sour peat. The hydrogen indicator should be equal to a maximum of 4.5. If the soil is sufficiently acidic in the area, the use of another alkaline substrate is allowed. The mulching process is carried out by uniform mixing of small pine bark or dried shredded lapnik.
During planting in the soil, it should be sufficiently moistened.. If the seedling has a closed root system, then planting can be carried out at any time of the year. At the same time, removal from the container is very delicate.
Important! Before planting, it is recommended to withstand the roots of the tree in a special solution. It is advisable to treat the entire seedling with chemicals.
Some types of soil must be additionally cultivated with the following materials:
- sand;
- sawdust or shavings of conifer;
- peat;
- crushed or fallen bark.
This process is especially important when planting a tree in loam or the so-called heavy chernozem. During this period, it is important to fertilize at the rate of 0.1 kg nitroammophoski per seedling.
Regular watering is mandatory.. At the initial stage, at least 10 liters of water are applied under one tree. Loosening of soil to a depth of 0.05–0.07 m is carried out weekly. Peat is used as mulch, which is subsequently mixed with soil and reused for top dressing.
The normal development and growth of spruce is possible only with the complete removal of all weeds from the soil surface. Perennial weeds can be especially harmful.
Step-by-step instruction
To summarize, we can draw up the sequence of actions until the moment of planting of fir trees:
- Selection and careful examination of the purchased material.
- Soil preparation using mulch and a nutritious mineral complex.
- Preparing to eat.
- Landing in the open ground.
Only a clearly observed sequence of actions and a properly conducted planting procedure guarantee the normal development of Maygold spruce in a personal plot, in a park or park
Further care
After the seedling has been successfully planted and taken root in a new place, it is necessary to monitor it. The owner will need timely watering, fertilizing with various substances, pruning and spraying with chemicals from diseases and pests. This set of measures is especially important in the first few years of a tree’s life.
Watering and fertilizer
The description of the fertilizer process is reduced to the use of no more than 3 g per 1 kg of fertilizer soil with active trace elements. In the spring, nitrogen-containing substances should be added, in the summer - phosphorus-containing substances, and in the autumn - potassium-containing substances.. Prickly spruce Maygold perfectly perceives both chemical and natural fertilizers. But with their excessive amount, the tree may suffer or slow down in development.
If there is a small amount of sand in the soil, compost or humus from composted manure is used for fertilizer. Organic top dressing will significantly improve overall soil performance, increase oxygen flow, and also trigger the natural growth of beneficial bacteria. If the procedure is performed correctly, then the worms that appeared in large numbers on the site will reduce the need to use expensive foreign mineral fertilizers to a minimum.
Spruce for the full development requires a fairly large amount of water, therefore watering should be carried out regularly. As reported above, at the initial stage of growth, immediately after transplantation and in the next 10-12 months, at least 10 liters of water should be poured under the tree. In subsequent years, this amount can be reduced to 5-7 liters. In this case, weather conditions should be taken into account: if the summer was rainy, then the amount of water should be reduced.
Pruning
Prickly spruce Maygold tolerates pruning, but does not need this process all the time. The initial reason why the artificial removal of branches begins is the asymmetry of the crown.
Sanitary pruning recommended in early spring. It is necessary in order to remove dry and damaged paws. Also, during this period, new shoots should be removed, which died as a result of frosts.
Did you know? Spruce drops about a sixth of its needles in the fall. In spring, a new one grows in its place.
To protect the tree and give it minimal protection, the places of cuts are treated with fungicides. You may need to feed the plant. These processes are very important, as they will help to eat to restore normal development, accelerate the uniform growth of new shoots and protect against the appearance of diseases and pests.
Disease and Pest Prevention
Spruce Maygold suffers from spruce aphids - this is one of the most dangerous coniferous pests. As a result of its negative effect, yellow spots appear on the old green needles. Over time, it completely falls off. You can detect the pest by using a piece of white paper, which is substituted under the paw. When tapping it evenly with the second hand, insects fall off and become noticeable.
Gall aphid (different red and yellow subspecies) sucks juices from new shoots of a tree. As a result of this effect on the needles, galls appear, which in appearance resemble pineapple. Over time, these branches die.
Another pest - nun butterfly. Her larvae, which can be dirty white or black, feed on needles, eating it to the base. The length of the tracks reaches 5 cm.
Sometimes the shoots become a characteristic brownish-brown hue. The reason for this situation is fungus, which usually affects the lower branches of conifers.
Spider mite may appear on a tree during a period of prolonged drought. Its larvae weave from the web a translucent cocoon in which they live and feed. As a result of their exposure, the needles disappear.
This information is very useful, since without them it is impossible to determine the pest, and, accordingly, to choose a means of control. Once the identification of the insect has been carried out, you should go to the store of chemical plant protection products. Experienced specialists will help you choose the right substance for processing spruce in each individual case.
In the spring and in the middle of summer, additional insecticide spraying procedures are carried out. It can be modern preparations of "Aktara", "Match", "Enzhio" and others. To combat the disease, fungicides are chosen - for example, “Ordan”, “Switch”, “Skor” or their analogues.
In addition to visible diseases and pests, there are those that develop in the ground. One of the most common pests is considered May Khrushchev. It is possible to deal with it only through the use of active chemical insecticides. Depending on the type and according to the instructions, in a certain dose, the agent is applied during irrigation of spruce closer to the roots.
Chemical treatment of the crown begins in the second half of April. It should be repeated every 40 days until September.
As reported above prickly spruce Maygold slowly develops, and sometimes even dies, if weeds grow next to it. They must be removed every month from the surface of the earth. An alternative way to control is the introduction of herbicides. One of the most effective and popular in our country is Roundup. For a young tree, approximately 1 liter of active substance will be needed, for middle-aged spruce - 2-3 liters, and for an adult - more than 3 liters.
All the techniques described above will help to create a special landscape design in the garden or square with the help of spruce spiny Maygold. By strictly observing the suggested tips, you can grow this beautiful tree without much time and energy. And then it will delight the owner and guests with a beautiful appearance for decades.
