How to grow Korean spruce from seeds. How to properly grow blue spruce from seeds

How to grow blue spruce: review of the technology of growing from seeds and cuttings Type: coniferous Flowering period: June height: 25-30m Color: green, bright blue Perennial Overwinters Shade-loving Drought-resistant Among the variety of conifers, blue spruce is considered an elite plant, as it has an amazing color, lush pine needles and solid appearance. It’s not for nothing that she flaunts herself more often than other representatives of her species near Government Houses, banks and other institutions of considerable importance for the city. Therefore, summer residents increasingly want to grow their own specimen, especially if the territory allows it. The prickly beauty is used as a tapeworm, making a peculiar accent on the site. And in winter it becomes the main character New Year's holidays, shining with garlands and lights. But buying a “blue blood” Christmas tree is expensive, so many owners try to propagate it with seeds from cones or cuttings. Let's figure out how to grow blue spruce from seeds and cuttings. Procuring seeds Growing any spruce, not just blue spruce, begins with procuring seeds. At the end of summer, look in advance for a suitable blue spruce whose color and shape you like best. Check to see if the tree has formed cones. If there are any, wait until the November cold snap and in the first ten days of the month, pick as many cones as possible from the selected plant. How more seeds you have - the higher the probability of growing a blue specimen. Only 30-40% of young Christmas trees that sprout from one tree will have exactly the same color as their “ancestor”. The rest may be blue-green, or even completely green, like ordinary spruce. This is a problem with seed propagation, in which much fewer traits of the mother plant are inherited than with cuttings. Blue spruce seeds have a translucent impeller, which helps them disperse further, but when planting at home, it can be removed by brushing it off with your hands. You can also collect it in February if you are late in the fall. But then it will be necessary to plant at the end of June. And this option is only suitable for areas with cool summers. In hot weather, the seeds burn due to temperature. The most difficult thing is to climb the tree, because the cones grow in the upper part of the crown. Tear only dense, completely closed buds. You can, of course, look under the trees, but it will be difficult to find an unopened specimen. From seeds sprouted at home, no more than 30 percent of blue-colored seedlings will grow, so you will be able to select the most beautiful ones only after a year. Laying for opening the scales. Take the collected material to a warm room, where the cones will ripen, open and give up their seeds. In nurseries, the opening of the cones occurs in a couple of days, since they are placed in a bunker with a temperature of 40-42 degrees and kept there until the scales open. But in an apartment it is difficult to recreate such a climate, and it is not necessary. It is enough to place the cones in a narrow cardboard box and place them on the radiator. For those who don’t have batteries, place them on a heated floor or take them to the kitchen and hide them at the top of the highest cabinet. The temperature is always higher under the ceiling, so the ripening process will go faster. During drying, you will hear the cracking of the scales. When the cone is completely open, shake out the seeds by tapping the “nose” on a hard surface. An open or half-opened cone will contain almost no seeds, since they will have time to spill out onto the ground, so look for cones with tightly closed scales. You can also not collect the seeds, but purchase them at a nursery. But choose a trusted company, since the seeds may be stale, stored in warehouses for many years, and the germination rate will be weak. Best option– 1-2 year old seeds. Stratification, also known as hardening Under natural conditions, cones on spruce open by January. The seeds are scattered in the wind to take root in new places. Until April, they lie under the snow and undergo a hardening process called stratification. At home, you will have to provide the seeds with similar hardening so that the plants germinate well and have good immunity. If the winter turns out to be snowless, then collected seeds divide into 2 parts and immediately sow one of them in open ground. They will be sprinkled with snow, and the hardening process will take place naturally. Christmas trees are not sown on snow cover. Sprout the second part at home, and then compare which entrances were more friendly. How to stratify seeds at home: Make a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram of potassium permanganate per 100 ml of water). Immerse the seeds in it and disinfect for 2-3 hours. Place the seeds on a towel or paper and dry. Pour into a linen bag. Stick the bag in glass jar, close and place on the coldest shelf in the refrigerator. In this form, let the future Christmas trees sleep until spring (and if harvested in February - until the 20th of June). Options for planting blue Christmas tree seeds After hibernation the seeds need to be awakened. To do this, they are immersed overnight in a solution of water and microelements (root formation stimulator + antifungal drug foundationazole). Wet environment will restore cell structure and accelerate germination. In the morning they begin boarding. For this they use different ways. You can choose one that is most convenient, or it is better to divide the seeds into equal parts and try each option. This way you will clearly see which method is most effective for your specific case and for the plants in your area. Method - in open ground If spring frosts by April have passed - sow the trees directly into the ground. To do this, knock down a greenhouse and fill it with lowland peat mixed with coarse sand and soil from a coniferous forest. You can deposit immediately complex fertilizers for conifers, or feed later, when the sprouts come out of the ground. Forest soil is a necessary component for good growth fir trees, as it contains mushroom mycelium. In real conditions, the mycelium helps the root system of conifers to receive moisture and nutrition, takes harmful substances from the soil. The symbiosis of mushrooms and Christmas trees is so close that without mycorrhizal fungi, blue spruce trees grow root system sluggishly and often die. When planting blue spruce trees in open ground, the seeds are often scattered, since germination usually does not exceed 50 percent, but then the weakest sprouts are pinched out. Procedure: The soil is compacted tightly. Place the seeds on top, at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Mix peat with pine sawdust in equal proportions and sprinkle the seeds with this mixture in a layer up to a centimeter. The ground is sprayed. Cover the greenhouse with film. Periodically check the humidity and, if necessary, ventilate the greenhouse. Shoots will appear in 3 weeks. They are thinned out, leaving strong plants at a distance of 6 cm. Spray every morning, but without fanaticism, since excess moisture will lead to the development of a “black leg” - viral infection, which can destroy all the material. The Christmas trees grow in this form for a year, until next spring. In summer, protect them from the sun and dry soil. Method - in plastic containers You can germinate Christmas trees at home. To do this, you need to prepare wide plastic containers with lids (from store-bought salads, cookies, etc.) or planting pots. Disposable plastic containers for food are inexpensive, but it is convenient to germinate spruce seeds in them, since the container is tightly closed with a lid. The procedure is as follows: Fill the containers 2-3 volumes with soil mixture: 3 parts dry sand + 1 part peat. Spray the ground thoroughly. Scatter the seeds over the moistened soil. Lightly stir the soil with your hand or a fork to bury the seeds. Close the lid, and if not, cover the pot with film and place the containers in a warm place where direct rays of the sun do not reach. As the soil dries, spraying is carried out. When the sprouts hatch and become visible, the containers are opened slightly so that the plants are properly ventilated. In summer the pots are taken out to fresh air, under the shadow big trees, and for the winter they are returned to a room with a temperature of 10-15 degrees. Young plants need to be planted next spring, in May, when the soil warms up. The hatching sprouts of blue spruce are afraid high humidity, since it leads to various fungal infections and destroys the entire planting material The method is rolled-up cigarettes. Very unusual, but in a convenient way Seed germination is considered to be planting in rolling papers. This option is good for those summer residents who do not have large window sills, so there is nowhere to store containers with seedlings. Roll-your-own cigarettes are a long strip consisting of several layers (like a roll). The outer layer is a soft backing made from laminate or other building materials(length – unlimited, width – 10-15 cm). The second layer is toilet paper or napkins. The third is fertile soil. The essence of the technology is that a landing site is prepared for the seeds from the above components: a substrate cut into long strips is rolled out on a table; Toilet paper is placed on top of it, filling the entire area of ​​the substrate; the paper is moistened with water from a spray bottle so that it is saturated with moisture; Spruce seeds are placed on the edge of the paper every 2 cm so that the lionfish protrude slightly beyond the boundaries of the roll, and the seeds lie on the wet paper (the seeds should stick to the wet base); a layer of fertile soil is sprinkled on top; carefully roll the tape into a roll, tie it with an elastic band so that it does not unwind; place the roll vertically on cardboard or a saucer, seeds facing up; spray the resulting cigarette on top; cover with film, creating a greenhouse effect, and place in a warm, non-sunny place. After pecking the seeds, the film is removed, and the seedlings are cared for by periodically wetting the top of the rolled-up paper. In this form, the Christmas trees sit until next spring. The technology can be seen clearly in the video: How to plant a spruce from cuttings? Professional gardeners prefer to propagate ornamental coniferous plants using cuttings in order to completely preserve varietal characteristics. Blue spruce can also be taken from cuttings. This is done in the spring, at the beginning of May, when active sap flow begins in the tree. Young spruce trees are selected for cuttings of blue spruce side shoots, which are located on horizontal lignified branches. They are carefully plucked against the growth of the shoot. Rules for harvesting twigs. For cuttings, use twigs from fir trees that are between four and ten years old. Such trees have the maximum percentage of cuttings survival. To prepare planting material, you need to find branches with side shoots and carefully tear off 2-3 cuttings 6-10 cm long. You need to tear it so that at the end of each cutting you retain a “heel” - a thickening, a remnant of older wood. It prevents the release of resin, which can clog the lower cells of the seedling and block the access of moisture inside the Christmas tree. That is why conifers are not cut with a knife, i.e. They do not cut, but tear. The thickening at the end of the spruce cutting, called the heel, accelerates the process of root formation, since through it moisture freely flows into the seedling. The material is prepared on a cloudy day or early in the morning. The picked branches are immediately packed into plastic bag so that they do not dry out, and are planted on the same day. If you keep the cuttings in a root formation stimulator for 2 hours before planting, the Christmas tree will grow roots in 1.5 months. Without stimulants, this process will take 3 months or more. Cuttings at home All of the methods described above for planting blue spruce seeds are also suitable for cuttings. Therefore, here we will focus on other interesting options. One hundred percent blue color is preserved only in Christmas trees grown by cuttings, so it’s better to look in the city suitable tree and rip him off required quantity paws There are 2 options - germination in the refrigerator or in rolling papers. Let's start with the refrigerator. If you managed to pick decorative fir trees by accident, and nothing is ready for planting in the ground - use a trick experienced gardener. You need to immerse all the cuttings in water for an hour, and then plant them in damp sand, deepening them to 2 cm. The sand is poured into a plastic bag, and the twigs are there too. The bag is tied and put into the refrigerator. You need a temperature of +3 degrees. And they forget about them for 2 weeks. Next is the usual planting in a greenhouse. With this planting technique, roots will appear by the end of the second month. When germinating in the refrigerator, do not treat cuttings with stimulants, as the survival rate will decrease. When cutting into rolled-up cigarettes, the principle is the same as when seed propagation: substrate + napkins + primer. Just pay attention that the part of the Christmas tree that will lie on toilet paper, must be cleared of needles, and the distance between plants is 5 cm. Winter cuttings It happens that the right plant You saw it out of season, but you want to take cuttings. Be bolder and try to “tame” them at home in the following way: clear half of each branch of needles; dip the base in root (powder); place the Christmas trees in the prepared “roll”: roll out a paper towel, lay a layer of moss on it, moisten it and place the branches so that the bare lower part is on the moss; roll everything into a roll and tie it with an elastic band; place vertically in the bag; Tie the bag tightly and hang it on the window. Over the winter, half of the cuttings will take root, and in May you will plant them in a greenhouse. Some gardeners use ordinary thick film for the outer layer, but it does not have thermal insulation properties, so seedlings germinate more slowly Video on the topic: Nuances of planting in the ground When planting in a greenhouse without prior germination, you need to remember: The optimal temperature is at least +13 degrees air and +10 degrees soil. To prevent root rotting, a drainage 5 cm thick of crushed stone and small pebbles is created at the bottom of the greenhouse. Blue spruces love light soil. The distance from the film or glass that covers the greenhouse to the seedlings is at least 20 cm. The cuttings are planted at an angle of 30 degrees. They are buried 1-2 cm into the soil. The humidity is checked at the “ceiling” - there should be no large drops hanging, just a fine mesh of dust. It is necessary to ventilate daily. It is also important to note that for the first month, the greenhouse is shaded by throwing burlap or spunbond on top to make the sun less aggressive. Roots on the branches will appear within two months, but they must be replanted very carefully, since they often break off when transplanted into the ground. All methods described in the article are suitable for propagating any coniferous plants. So, starting with a blue spruce, you can then grow a whole garden of evergreen beauties with your own hands. The main thing is to find the most good option germination. And this is a matter of practice.

Growing spruce from seeds is not much different from germinating all other double trees. Spruces have always occupied a place of honor among amateur gardeners in landscape design and in landscaping areas. But spruce seedlings are not cheap, so many people strive to grow them themselves from seeds, especially since a home-grown Christmas tree is much more adapted to the climatic conditions of your area than imported seedlings.

So, using the example of growing prickly spruce from seeds, we will tell you how this is done. First you need to deal with the seeds: you need to decide which seeds you will germinate. Store-bought ones do not always have high level germination, as they can lie in the warehouse for a long time. And how they were collected and stored remains a mystery, so for good germination you need to be sure that the seeds are fresh. Spruce breeders recommend collecting conifer seeds yourself. To do this, fir cones are collected in the fall (October - early November) before they fall to the ground. At home, they are laid out on newspaper near heating appliances so that the cones dry out and the seeds release.

Next, the seeds must be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and placed in a container with calcined sand approximately 1-1.5 cm deep. Place the pot of seeds on the refrigerator door for stratification. Stratification of spruce seeds is a mandatory process, since under natural conditions all coniferous seeds are exposed to cold during winter. This stimulates germination. If you just plant spruce seeds in the ground, they can lie in the ground for a very long time and it is not a fact that they will germinate.

After three months of stratification, we take the pot of spruce seeds out of the refrigerator and place it in a warm place on the window. If you sowed seeds in October - November, then you should get a container with seeds in February - March. This is very favorable time for all plants, since daylight hours increase, which makes planting easier additional lighting plants.

Spruce seeds should be watered abundantly during this period, because at this time, in natural conditions, the snow begins to melt and greatly moistens the ground. Warmth and moisture are the main conditions for active seedlings of conifers. After 1-2 weeks they must sprout and you should be careful here: overwatering seedlings leads to rotting of the roots, and underwatering leads to drying out of the entire plant. Everything must be done in moderation. Once every two weeks you need to provide feeding to young Christmas trees and loosening the top soil layer.

When the air temperature becomes warm enough (around May), small spruce seedlings can be planted in open ground. Before planting, put compost mixed with soil and a little into the hole. mineral fertilizers. In general, spruce trees are fed only once in their life - only during planting. Having lowered the young Christmas trees into the hole, they need to be covered with earth and compacted slightly, watered thoroughly and covered with cut plastic bottle to create a greenhouse effect for faster acclimatization of seedlings.

Greenhouses need to be opened every day, ventilated, condensation removed and soil moisture monitored. After a week, they can be removed altogether, and the ground around the spruce trees can be mulched so that excess moisture does not evaporate.

Spruce trees have always been a decoration of Russian courtyards and gardens, especially since breeders have now developed such large number types of fir trees that everyone can choose something to suit their taste. And a Christmas tree grown from seeds with your own hands will not only decorate your site, but will also grow healthy in the climatic conditions where it was born. By the way, this method of growing spruce from seeds is suitable for all types of spruce: you can also germinate the seeds of blue spruce, Belobok spruce and others.

Grow your own Christmas tree for summer cottage many people dream. It not only decorates the site in itself, but also serves as an excellent symbol of the New Year - it can be dressed up for the holiday. It's nicer than artificial tree, and more humane than the cut down one, which will die after the holiday.

Growing a Christmas tree from seeds is quite simple. In three or four years it will reach half a meter in size, and in ten years we will get good tree more than a meter high. It is worth recalling that Christmas trees and other coniferous trees are grown only from seeds, vegetative propagation inaccessible to them (one of the few exceptions is larch, which can be propagated by layering). In some cases, a Christmas tree can be propagated by grafting, but still the main method of propagation for it is by seed.

So what does it take to grow a real Christmas tree from a seed? First of all you will need:

1. Cones.
2. Refrigerator with freezer.
3. Soil and pots.
4. Patience.

Cones and seeds

First you need to find Christmas tree cones in the forest. They must not yet have opened. You can collect cones from December until spring, but the best time is when the snow begins to melt. The found cones need to be dried - on a radiator, stove or in another warm place; they should dry until they open. The Christmas tree seeds are placed in some container and covered with snow. The vessel must be placed in freezer and keep it there long time– from a week to a month; It is advisable, of course, not to rush and let the seeds freeze thoroughly. Then the container is transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator for several hours, and then the Christmas tree seeds need to be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Now they can be planted in the ground.

The process of freezing Christmas tree seeds is necessary to imitate as closely as possible the conditions in which spruce grows in nature.

Soil selection

Soil for a Christmas tree is usually collected from the forest, in the same place where the cones were found. You can also buy soil for conifers in the store. The planted seeds must also be sprinkled with pine needles or at least sawdust. You can also use coconut shavings as soil for the Christmas tree.

Planting a Christmas tree

Christmas tree seeds are planted shallowly in the prepared soil - about a centimeter. They are sprinkled on top with soil mixed with pine needles or sawdust. Now the soil must be constantly moistened and kept in a lighted place, but not in direct sunlight. It is important to remember that spruce, unlike many flowering plants, requires coolness to germinate. To create the desired microclimate, you can make a small greenhouse. To do this, sticks (for example, matches or toothpicks) are stuck into the ground, and a plastic film is placed on top of them.

It must be said that Christmas tree seeds take a long time to germinate – within several months. For those who have until now only dealt with vegetables, fruits and garden flowers, this period may seem unusual. There is no need to rush things; you need to wait patiently until the seedlings appear above the ground. By the way, spruce sprouts also don’t look like regular tomatoes or cucumbers: instead of two cotyledons, they have several young needles.

It is recommended to select pots for fir trees in such a way that they can grow in them for several years, since it is not advisable to replant young fir trees. However, others say that the first transplant can be done when the plants have reached two centimeters in height.

Be that as it may, young Christmas trees are kept in the same conditions as seedlings: coolness, light and high humidity. You can keep the trees on the balcony, and if they are grown in an apartment, then you do not need to place them near a radiator, stove or other heating system; There must be a container of water next to the pot.

The next tree transplant is done after a year, and then after three years. It is necessary to replant in cold weather.

At the age of three or four years, when the tree has already grown half a meter, it can be planted in open ground. Before this, the plant needs to be accustomed to outdoor air for a long time, periodically taking it out of the room during the day; and when it reaches the age of three months, it can be taken out overnight.

After planting in open ground, the tree must adapt to the new location. To make it easier for her to get used to it, you need to pour a little soil from the forest into the hole, which is well known to our tree. Until it takes root, it needs to be watered from time to time.

It is recommended to keep small Christmas trees indoors. They saturate the air with oxygen and phytoncides - odorous substances that are beneficial to the body, and also emit a pleasant pine aroma.

How many years do Christmas trees live?

It must be said that among coniferous trees cannot be called long-livers: they rarely live to be three hundred years old. They usually live up to 150 years; age depends on both the type of spruce and the place of growth. However, the roots remaining from the dead trunk can produce new clone shoots; if all clones from one root are considered one plant, then the life expectancy of spruce increases significantly: the oldest such tree - Old Tikko - lives for almost 10 thousand years. It is located in Sweden, on Mount Fulufjellet. It is the oldest tree organism on Earth.

Since the branches of a Christmas tree, like araucaria, are arranged in “floors,” you can determine the age of the tree by counting the “floors,” each of which corresponds to one year, and adding the 3–4 years required to form the first “floor.”

Fir trees grow quite close to each other in the forest, which is why the spruce forest is the darkest among all other types of forests. It doesn't get hot in summer because most no sunlight penetrates into it. This feature of spruce trees was one of the reasons for the plant’s cold resistance - for spruce seeds to germinate, a cool temperature is needed.

The Christmas tree is an evergreen tree, but in the fall it sheds a seventh of its needles. Of course, in this sense, larch is more spectacular, as it sheds all its needles in the winter, which is why it got its name. Spruce needles are used to prepare fortified feed for livestock, however, an infusion of pine needles will also be useful for humans.

Grow a Christmas tree from seeds and let it never cease to delight you!

Growing a blue spruce in the country is really difficult, especially since not all of the trees planted will be blue. Statistics say that only about 30% of spruce trees become this way, which we have confirmed in practice. But that's no reason to stop!

Growing blue spruce from seeds

Growing from seeds is the longest, but also the most exciting process, which will be much more more interesting than growing blue beauty from cuttings.

Collection and preparation of seed material

So let's get started. From the very beginning we will need to prepare blue spruce cones, which can be collected in the forest in mid-February. You need to put the cones in gauze bags and place them near a radiator or other heating device so that the cones open faster and produce seeds. Then, after a few weeks, the seeds are processed, the lionfish are removed from them, the seeds are washed from essential oils under running water and dry.

Now the material should be treated with potassium permanganate, a weak solution, dried a little again, placed in a clean and sterilized glass jar under a tight lid, and put the jar in the refrigerator for about 2 months.

The best way to prepare seeds is in natural cold - in snow. To do this, the snow in a shaded place is well compacted, a small hole is made in it, where the bag of seeds is placed. Sawdust and a denser covering are placed on top of it, which will prevent the snow from melting quickly. In a similar way, the seeds are stored until sowing.

Sowing spruce seeds

Determine the sowing date exactly, otherwise after drying the seeds from the refrigerator or from under the snow, they can be stored in this form for 40-50 hours. Having precisely determined the time and place, soak blue spruce seeds in a special solution of microelements for 11-12 hours, then treat with a solution of Fundazol 50% (20 g of the drug per bucket of water) for prevention various kinds diseases.

If you are going to sow spruce seeds in containers - pots or containers, be sure to prepare a special soil mixture - high-moor peat with fertilizers (for 5-6 kg of peat, 35 g of limestone flour and 20 g of ammophosphate), place the soil mixture in containers and install them in holes in the greenhouse , to upper part The containers were at soil level, that is, just bury the pots. Next, sow seeds in them to a depth of 1.5 cm and cover with film.

If the seeds are sown directly into the soil of the greenhouse, then it must be properly prepared. The soil surface is well compacted - with hands, feet, a special roller, it is not so important. Next, the seeds are laid out on the surface at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other and sprinkled with a 1 cm layer of a mixture of peat and pine sawdust.

Seedling care

After 12-20 days, when the blue spruce seedlings appear on the soil surface, they will need to be thinned out, leaving only the strongest plants, no more than 6-7 cm apart.

The seedlings are not watered, but carefully sprayed twice a day, the soil moisture is maintained stably, without drying out or overwatering, the temperature is maintained at +13+15°C, the plants must be protected from direct rays of the sun and night frosts.

Spring plant replanting

When growing spruce seedlings, you must not only drive them to a certain level, but also not lose them during the transplantation period, and therefore, try to do everything correctly.

Christmas trees are being replanted early spring, even before the seedlings begin to grow. This happens as follows.

Grown seedlings are carefully dug out of the soil, most often several at a time. Next, they are separated, carefully and quickly, so as not to damage the root system or dry it out in the air.

When the plants are disconnected, their roots need to be treated with a clay mash and planted in a schoolyard according to the 15x25 cm pattern. When preparing holes for planting seedlings, be sure to add a little soil from under coniferous trees.

Now, just standard care, time and patience. In the third year, the seedlings will need to be planted again, but at a distance of 1 m from each other. After the next 2-3 years, you may lose up to half of the seedlings, even if they initially seemed strong. Don't worry too much, as these are standard statistics that don't even react to ideal conditions growing.

Not every summer resident will be able to withstand growing blue spruce trees from seeds; many simply do not have the patience, and we are completely sure of this. But if you finish what you started, you will be simply amazed at the result.

Conditions for growing spruce trees

When you get mature and strong trees, many of them will not be as blue as you wanted, but they will also be very pretty Christmas trees that you grew yourself.

Each spruce into which you have invested so much effort will show not only excellent external results, but will also be ready to make your care easier with its resistance to many external factors. For example, mature trees are resistant to cold, are not afraid of wind and drought, and thrive even in a polluted city. The only thing is that blue Christmas trees grow slowly and require fertile soil for planting, it doesn’t matter whether you plan to grow by seeds or cuttings.

Growing blue spruce trees on video

Remember, it is very important not to plant young blue spruce cuttings or seedlings in areas that previously had corn or a potato patch.

Growing blue spruce, like common spruce, is a very interesting, but not easy task, and therefore you should only take on the task if you are completely confident in own strength and a great desire to grow beautiful tree with your own hands.

Reviews and comments

(10 ratings, average: 3,70 out of 5)

Sasha 10/22/2014

I grow in at the moment I have a dove spruce. In real life, it looks absolutely gorgeous, so guys, if you’re thinking about planting one of these, feel free to plant it, you won’t be disappointed, because the tree is very cool)

Alena 06.11.2014

Hello, tell me why it is necessary to dip the roots of seedlings in a clay mash. I tried to grow cedars, and it almost worked. But summer came and all my work was lost. It was very sad. Now I’m worried that my blue spruce trees will also disappear when summer comes.

Elizaveta.03/13/2015 03/13/2015

We collected blue spruce seeds, sowed them a month ago, they hatched, we don’t know how long we will need to keep them in pots at home, but it’s very interesting - I want to grow them. Of course we’ll plant them at the dacha.

Preface

Conifer lovers have at least once in their lives thought about how to grow spruce from seeds. Many people believe that it is difficult to do this themselves and that it is easier to purchase adult seedlings from a nursery. Perhaps today your opinion will change. You will learn how to collect planting material and prepare it for spring planting in the ground.

The spruce seedling you grow and plant will not always have exactly the same color as its ancestor. For example, if you collected blue spruce cones and planted the seeds in the ground, there is a good chance that your tree will not have the same bluish color. This can happen when growing ordinary spruce. You can understand what final color your spruce will have only 3–4 years after it is transplanted to permanent place growth. This is why many people prefer to grow.

Ate on the site

If a spruce grows surrounded by one species, then the possibility of cross-pollination is minimal, which means that the chance of getting a seedling from its seeds that is as close as possible to the original increases several dozen times. If you want to grow a spruce on your site, you should decide in advance what kind of tree you want to get - a varietal tree or an artificially bred hybrid. If you choose the second option, then keep in mind that hybrids do not retain their parental forms during reproduction.

Buy seeds of common spruce, as well as others coniferous species, can be found in a specialized store, but many prefer a simpler and economical option- collecting fallen cones. You can collect them in the park, forest, or even from your neighbor in the country. The most favorable periods for collecting cones are November and December. There is one important point. The cones must ripen and fall to the ground, but not have time to open, otherwise all the seeds will be scattered by the wind, and you will have nothing to grow spruce from. Try to collect planting material from trees that are 7-8 years old; it is from such spruce trees that the percentage of seed germination is quite high.

Young spruce seedlings

We leave the collected cones for a couple of days (in some cases it may take a week) near heating device so that they open up. When this happens, give the bud a good shake. Seeds with scales should spill out of the opened sinuses, which need to be removed. To do this, rub the seeds between your palms, first placing them in a gauze or canvas bag. After this, we wash the cleaned seeds under running water, disinfect them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and let them dry.

The next stage is the stratification of spruce seeds. This is the immersion of seeds in a cold space, simulating natural conditions growth. This method will improve the germination of the crop and prepare the seeds for germination in the ground. Similar conditions can be created under snow, but given the variability of the weather in winter, it is better to use a refrigerator to carry out stratification. Prepare a container by adding wet peat or placing peat tablets, after soaking them in water and squeezing out excess moisture. Place the seeds on top and sprinkle them thin layer peat, cover the container with a transparent lid or film and place it in the refrigerator. The seeds will remain in this state until spring, after which you can begin planting them in the ground.

Stratification is initial stage growing spruce from seeds. With the onset of warm spring days, think about the next important question - how to plant seeds in the ground. There are several options. You can plant the seeds in a pot or greenhouse. Whatever method you choose, we first prepare the soil for planting. For 6 kg of peat add 35 g of limestone flour and 20 g of ammophosphate. To make the soil even looser, you can add sand or vermiculite, depending on the density of the mixture. If you do not want to prepare the planting soil yourself, purchase already ready mixture for coniferous plants in the store.

Spruce planting

After preparation, pour the soil mixture into a pot or container. A day before planting the seeds, they must be “awakened” by immersing them in warm water, then dry. The seeds do not need to be buried deep; place them at a comfortable distance from each other on the surface of the soil and sprinkle the top with soil no more than 1 cm thick. Otherwise, the sprouts will not be able to break through the thickness of the soil. If the spruce is grown in a pot, cover it with a transparent lid, and if in a greenhouse, cover it with film. This will prevent direct sunlight and create the desired microclimate for active growth. Until young shoots appear, maintain a moderate level of humidity, preventing the soil from drying out, and also remove excess condensation with a dry cloth. protective film or lids.

If the level of humidity and light is normal, then after the first month of growth the spruce seedling will grow to 3–4 cm. During this period, it is especially important to provide the young seedling with long daylight hours, using special led lamps. When the spruce grows up and becomes cramped in the container, you can transplant it, doing it extremely carefully. In this case, you cannot expose the root system of the plant; transplant it into a new pot together with earthen lump. Depending on the care and variety in the first year of growth, the height of the seedling may vary. As a rule, it is 15–25 cm.

Growing spruce

To speed up the growth of spruce, add biostimulants and also feed it with a solution of mullein in a ratio of 1:5 with water.

IN winter period Watering of spruce should be adjusted depending on the temperature in the greenhouse or other room where it is grown. At 0 °C we water no more than once a month, at more than high rates– once every 2-3 weeks. IN room conditions We recommend additionally spraying the spruce with a spray bottle. If the needles turn yellow and fall off, it means that the temperature regime or there has been a sudden change in temperature. In this case, create for the plant comfortable conditions. The soil temperature should be about 23–24 °C, and the air temperature – 18–20 °C. And in order to increase the immunity of spruce, spray it or Bona Forte.

Video: Growing blue spruce from cuttings

Loss of shine on needles may indicate weak soil acidity. To increase the pH level, add to top layer earth some granular soil for hydrangeas. These flowers also love acidic soil, so this fertilizer is also suitable for spruce trees, so you will create the necessary acid balance. If your future tree grows in a greenhouse, do not forget to cover it with protective material for the winter, mulch the soil with peat, protect it from frost.