The New Year is strongly associated with the holiday tree, which is decorated annually for this holiday in almost every home. But a big tree in an apartment - this is not always convenient and, in general, quite troublesome.

Therefore, recently miniature spruce trees have become very popular, which can be grown directly in pots like ordinary flowers. One of the most common varieties of such ornamental trees is konica spruce.

We will talk about it in today's article.

How to choose a spruce in a store?

Konik spruce (conica) is an ornamental variety of conifers that was specially bred for growing on personal plots, applications in landscape design, decoration of verandas and other semi-open spaces.


 El Konika

Konica has a pyramidal, almost perfectly regular shape. The needles are small and quite soft. The crown of this tree requires virtually no shaping. In an apartment, spruce can be grown up to 25-30 cm, and if transplanted into a garden, then up to 2-3 m.

Choosing konica in a store is practically no different from buying a regular one. indoor flower. But, if you are purchasing a tree for the New Year, then you need to pay attention to several points.

  1. Don't buy a tree that's already decorated. Yes, it looks beautiful, but the tree has probably undergone pre-sale preparation, including treatment with aerosols for shine. Because of this, the pores become clogged, and the tree can die very quickly.
  2. The tree must look healthy. Stunted, “bald” specimens may not make it to the holiday.
  3. Inspect the conditions of the plant. Test the substrate with your finger. It should be moist, but should not squish or, conversely, be dry. Shake the barrel slightly. The tree should sit firmly. Estimate the volume of the pot. It must match the size of the spruce.
  4. Gently run your hand over the needles. The needles should not fall off en masse. Also pay attention to the color of the crown. It should be uniform, bright and juicy.

TOTAL. When buying konika spruce in a store, choose healthy specimens without decorations or processing.

Caring for konica spruce after purchase

Konik spruce is exotic plant for our latitudes. It grows in Canada and comes to Russia mainly from this country. The Christmas tree pots contain not soil, but a special nutrient substrate.

Therefore, after purchasing the plant, it is best to transplant it into a good pot with normal soil. Conifers need acidic soil. You can take a substrate for violets or rhododendrons.


 Conic transplant

But here we need to make a small clarification. Konika does not tolerate transplantation well. In principle, if the tree is kept cool all winter and with proper air humidity, then it can survive until spring in its transport pot.

But, most likely, you are buying a konica to keep it warm in your apartment at least during the New Year holidays. Then replanting is necessary, since the transport substrate dries out very quickly.

Transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method. They do not disturb the earthen ball, but simply add new soil to the required level.

IMPORTANT! Konika spruce is OUTDOOR ornamental plant. Therefore, in the spring it must be planted in the garden.

It is also advisable to treat the plant with a weak solution of insecticide in for preventive purposes. Medicines will do Aktara, Fitoverm, Fufanon.

Growing conditions

The main task of growing a Christmas tree in an apartment is to prevent it from dying before the end of the New Year holidays and to preserve the plant until spring. To do this, the conic needs to create suitable conditions.

Temperature

In winter, this variety of Canadian spruce has a dormant period, which is characterized by a decrease in temperature.

Optimally - no higher than 10 degrees. There is also no need to lower the temperature too much. The roots may freeze.

IMPORTANT! If you move the tree to a warm room for 2-3 days, then nothing will happen to it, so for the New Year you can safely place the pot with the plant in the most visible place in the room.

Air humidity


 Spraying

The most important condition that you need to comply with if you want the tree to survive until spring is high air humidity (65-75%).

The plant needs to be sprayed, and a saucer of water should be placed next to it. You can use an automatic humidifier.

Lighting

The plant loves light, but you should not expose it to direct sunlight. They cause burns on the needles. Therefore, diffused light is suitable for conics.

IMPORTANT! In order for the needles to maintain an even color, the pot must be turned once a week. Otherwise, the needles on the other side will fall off.

Choosing a place to put it

The ideal place for konica spruce is a cool balcony. But a western window sill will do just fine. The main thing is to keep the pot with the plant as far as possible from the radiators. The fact is that drying out the soil leads to the death of the tree.

For the holidays (December 31, January 1, January 7), the Christmas tree can be decorated and placed in the best place.

But in general, it is advisable to choose a cool place with high humidity for the plant.

IMPORTANT! The pot of spruce must be raised above the radiators so that their heat does not dry out the roots. If you have a small plant, then simply place it on a cabinet or shelf.

What does it look like in the interior?

This spruce can decorate any room, be it an office, living room or bedroom. Also, the tree will suit absolutely any interior and will not look like an alien element even with a high-tech design.

Is it possible to decorate a Canadian spruce for the New Year?


 Christmas decoration

Decorating a Canadian spruce for the New Year is not prohibited. You can hang small balls, tinsel, or place small cones on the surface of the pot.

Most importantly, do not treat the spruce with anything to give it shine.

Landing

When planting spruce, it is important to follow the basic rules:

  1. Availability of drainage.
  2. Suitable soil.
  3. Careful handling of roots.

ON A NOTE. Do not be alarmed if in the first days after planting your Christmas tree sheds some of its needles. This is a normal plant reaction to transplantation. If optimal conditions are provided, the tree will very soon come to its senses.

Also, if you plant spruce in the spring, do not forget to treat it with a growth stimulator.

Reproduction

Spruce is propagated in the spring by seeds or cuttings.

When choosing the seed propagation method, you need to be aware that this is a very difficult task, and it is unlikely that you will be able to grow an exact copy of the tree.

It is much more effective to propagate Canadian spruce from cuttings.


 Reproduction by cuttings

The algorithm is simple, but requires precise implementation of each point:

  1. The procedure is carried out on a cloudy day.
  2. As planting material Choose young healthy cuttings about 10 cm long. It is better to take branches from the middle of the tree.
  3. You need to carefully cut off the branches from the trunk along with the “heel”. This is the name of the piece of trunk from which the branch grows.
  4. Planting material is placed in a solution of a growth stimulator. The branches need to be kept there for a day.
  5. The cuttings are planted at an angle of 30 degrees to a depth of no more than 3 cm.
  6. At the planting site, a greenhouse is created from plexiglass or film. The cuttings should remain closed for six months.
  7. Rooting will occur in approximately 6 to 12 months. It all depends on the plant and environmental conditions.
  8. Seedlings need care: watering, fertilizing, ventilation.

The seedlings will be ready for further procedures next year.

Watering

The conic needs to be watered regularly, but in moderation. The soil in the pot should be moist, but there is no need to create a swamp there.

The water should be warm and settled.

By the way, the soil in the pot can be mulched to avoid premature evaporation of moisture.

IMPORTANT! You should not be overzealous with watering the plant, as overwatering leads to rotting of the roots. In this case, it is almost impossible to save the tree.

Top dressing

Konik spruce is very demanding when it comes to fertilizing. You can use special fertilizers for conifers.

You can also use regular fertilizers:

  • In spring and summer - nitrogen and phosphorus. For example, urea, saltpeter, etc.
  • In autumn, potassium-based fertilizers are used. For example, potassium sulfate.

In winter, feeding is not carried out, since the plant is in a dormant state, and it is not worth waking it up ahead of time.

Popular varieties

Despite the fact that the Canadian conika spruce has been known for just over 100 years, during this time many decorative varieties, differing in their properties.

The five most popular varieties of konika spruce look like this:

  • Elegance Compacta. A variety that looks more like a shrub. The needles are bright green in color.
  • Gray conic. It is distinguished by the blue color of its needles.
  • Dwarf. Low-growing variety (up to 1.5 m). The needles are slightly more than 5 mm long.

 Variety “Gnome”
  • Migold. It has needles with a golden tint. Quite compact. Maintains a cone shape.
  • Albert Globe. The spherical variety is usually no more than 1 m in height.

 Variety “Alberta Globe”

Diseases and pests

At home, conika spruce almost does not suffer from fungal diseases. Only if he gets infected from his neighbors.

Diseases can overtake a tree after planting in open ground. The most common diseases:

  • Schutte. This is a fungus that first attacks the lower branches of the plant. The needles become covered with a white coating and then fall off. The tree can only be saved by early stages development of the disease. Antifungal drugs are suitable. For example, copper sulfate.
  • Rust also affects needles, which acquire a reddish tint. This disease is more treatable. The drug shows the greatest effectiveness Topaz.

It is more difficult to protect a tree from pests. Even in an apartment. The main enemy of spruce is the green aphid. The fight against it is complicated by the fact that the insect merges with the needles.

If you notice that the tree has begun to turn yellow and lose needles for no reason, conduct a careful inspection. Solution helps against aphids Aktars. But you will have to do several treatments to destroy both adult insects and larvae.

Transplanting Canadian spruce into open ground


 Planting in open ground

With the onset of warm days, the tree is transplanted into open ground. To prevent the tree from dying, follow the basic rules of replanting:

  • The optimal time for planting is late spring. Choose a cloudy day.
  • To ensure that the spruce retains the decorative shape of its crown, plant it in the sun in a place securely sheltered from drafts. Otherwise, the crown will be deformed due to atmospheric influences.
  • The seat must be prepared in advance. Drainage made of crushed stone, expanded clay or broken brick is laid at the bottom of the pit. The soil mixture should consist of 1 part sand, 2 parts ordinary soil, 1 part humus and 1 part peat. The resulting substrate is treated with Epin or Zircon.
  • A layer of soil mixture is poured on top of the drainage, but in such a way that there is room left for the earthen ball from the pot.
  • The tree is carefully removed from the pot and placed in a dug hole.

IMPORTANT! Be careful not to damage the roots of the plant. Better break the pot.

  • Level the tree vertically and carefully cover it with soil.
  • Water the planted plant. For this you will need a bucket of water.
  • Mulch the soil around and shade the tree itself. This is only necessary for the first time, while the Christmas tree gets used to the new conditions.

Why does spruce turn yellow, crumble, or go bald?

Firstly, you need to be aware that the Canadian conika spruce is not intended for growing in apartment conditions. You can keep it at home until spring, but only with full compliance with all the rules of care. If your tree starts to hurt, then most likely you have not followed one of the rules:

  • Cool (at least 10 degrees);
  • High humidity (65%);
  • Good lighting and ventilation;
  • Regular feeding.

Therefore, to prevent this from happening, it is important to take very careful care of the plant.

How to revive a plant?

Unfortunately, even despite careful inspection before purchase and proper care, the Christmas tree may begin to wither. In this case, you can try to save the plant.

To do this, cut several healthy branches 8–12 cm long and place them in water with a growth stimulator. There is a chance that roots will appear in the spring. Then the tree can be replanted.

Common mistakes


Konika spruce is not just another flower in a pot. Culture is very capricious, and even the slightest mistake can ruin it. Among the most popular mistakes that flower growers make are the following:

  • If you put the tree in a heated room, don't expect it to stay until spring. Most likely, within 2 weeks after purchase, it will begin to turn yellow and lose needles.
  • Spruce requires regular watering and mulching of the soil. Drying out the earthen clod is just as dangerous for the tree as excessive moisture.
  • The pot with the plant must be rotated regularly, otherwise the side deprived of the sun will become completely unsightly.
  • If you hope to grow a Christmas tree after the New Year holidays, then you need to transplant it into a larger pot and add special acidic soil.
  • Treatment with aerosols to add shine is fatal to spruce.
  • The same can be said about placing a pot with a plant in a dry room. Konica needs high humidity, but provide it in heating season it will be hard.

Answers to popular questions

How to buy a Christmas tree for the holiday?

The process of buying a konica is similar to buying any indoor flower. Choose a healthy plant with no signs of disease. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that the spruce is not treated with aerosols.

Why did the tree turn yellow (bald, dropped its needles)?

This can happen due to pests. Problems with needles can also be caused by improper care. Check that you are following all the rules.

How to save a tree until spring?

In general, it is very difficult to protect the Christmas trees that are sold on New Year’s Eve. These are one-day items that should last no more than 2 weeks. But there is still a chance. Move the pot to a cool place. Provide air flow (but not a draft!), increased humidity and lighting. As soon as the weather permits, do not hesitate to transplant it into the garden.

Where is the best place to plant a Christmas tree in the garden?

It all depends on your imagination and your site. The main thing is protection from drafts and sufficient access to the sun.

Conclusion

Konica spruce will decorate your home during the New Year holidays, but in the spring it is better to transplant this tree into open ground. There it will gain strength and will delight you with its appearance all year round.

Last New Year, I decided to get an indoor Christmas tree. I already had experience growing coniferous crops in the garden, so the choice fell immediately on the gray Konika spruce, which was recommended by experienced specialists.

Konika spruce is an ornamental variety of classic gray spruce, discovered in 1904 in the vicinity of Liggan Lake in Canada. Initially, the small size of the tree was caused by a mutation, but later, with the help of selection, it was possible to preserve this species characteristic.

The Canadian spruce Konika is distinguished by a narrow cone-shaped crown and dense foliage. At home, the plant can grow up to 30 cm, but this growing method is not recommended, since all conifers require low temperatures for the dormant stage.

In the garden, spruce can reach a height of up to 1-1.5 m. The average diameter of the crown is 80 cm. The needles are very soft and have a bluish-green color. The needles grow up to 10 mm in length. The root system is poorly developed, most of the appendages are located on the surface layer of soil.

The plant is characterized by a slow growth rate; per year the growth is no more than 2 cm in height, even with high-quality care in comfortable climatic conditions. Stable growth persists until 15 years of life, then practically stops.

Landing

On sale, Konica spruce is usually found in small pots, but due to the impossibility of compliance temperature conditions The plant is not recommended to be grown in an apartment or balcony.

It is advisable to transplant young conics into open ground in the spring, when the tree is still in hibernation, but the procedure can be carried out in September, until the onset of the first frost.

Selecting a location

Blue spruce of this species prefers well-drained acidic soil, for which loam with high content humus. The plant should not be planted in lowlands or near a body of water, as conika does not like high humidity.

For planting, it is advisable to choose a well-lit area with sufficient partial shade during the day, which avoids needle burns due to exposure to open sunlight.

Planting technology

It is advisable to plant the plant in the morning or evening, since during this period there is a comfortable temperature for the spruce and optimal diffused light. Step-by-step algorithm works:

  1. Dig a planting hole slightly deeper than the container in which the spruce was located. Place broken brick or expanded clay at the bottom as drainage.
  2. 2 hours before planting, carefully remove the spruce from the container and immerse it in warm water. Then free the roots from the remaining substrate and straighten the thin roots.
  3. Plant the spruce in the prepared hole, sprinkle with a layer of light and fertile soil. Sprinkle moderately with ambient temperature water.

After planting, you need to mulch the area near the trunk, and if there is strong exposure to the sun, it is advisable to build a canopy for shading for 2 weeks or cover the tree with burlap during the day.

If you plant a konica spruce in the spring, then you cannot clean the roots from soil residues, so as not to disrupt the growing season.

Care

Unlike many other varieties of gray spruce, konica requires minimal care. It does not need crown pruning, since due to the slow speed of development, natural formation occurs. Basic care requirements:

  • The plant must be watered very carefully. Watering is recommended only if dry weather persists for more than two weeks. It is best to add water by irrigation or spraying the needles with a spray bottle;
  • Fertilizing is carried out twice - in spring and autumn. After winter ends, 5 kg of rotted humus should be added under the tree and mixed with the top layer of soil. In the fall, you can simply mulch the soil with peat or compost;
  • in cold regions, it is advisable to cover the plant with agrofibre for the winter or completely wrap it in burlap;
  • Throughout the summer, you should maintain moderate soil moisture and periodically update the mulch layer.

In spring, brown spots may appear on the needles, which is not a disease. As a rule, this is a typical reaction to increased solar activity. It is at this moment that it is advisable to protect the tree from direct exposure to light.

Diseases and pests

When grown in unfavorable conditions and not following basic care rules, there is a risk of conics becoming infected with diseases and pests. The main ones:

  • Tracheomycosis. Fungal disease roots coniferous plants. Young trees are susceptible to it in the first 2 years of growth. Infestation can be determined by the redness of the needles and their subsequent falling off. Effective treatment no, but to prevent the fungus from spreading to the rest of the plant, the infected tree must be dug up and burned;
  • Schutte's disease. A whole group of dangerous fungal infections of coniferous trees. Typical signs of the disease are darkening of the needles, the appearance of white plaque and abscission. If infection occurs in the first 3 years of life, then it will not be possible to save the spruce; adult plants are treated with a 3% solution copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture;
  • Hedgehog moth. Usually found in warm regions, as the insect does not tolerate severe frosts. The peak of infection occurs in early spring, when the female lays thousands of small larvae. They are very difficult to notice on a tree; the appearance of the pest resembles a small ball of a dark shade. As a result, the spruce begins to weaken, the needles turn yellow and fall off. Complex insecticides are used for treatment; treatment is carried out twice with an interval of 10-12 days.

The bark beetle is also dangerous for adult plants. The insect appears on the trunk, bites into the wood, which leads to the drying out of the spruce. It is almost impossible to get rid of this pest; it is advisable to burn the infected tree.

Application in landscape design

IN last years Canadian conika spruce has become very popular in landscape design. The tree can be used as a tapeworm on the lawn or next to a building, as part of a multi-species mixborder.

In addition, spruce, due to its small size, can be grown in large rock gardens, as well as background for various flower arrangements. Spruce looks especially decorative with garden succulents, other coniferous shrubs and when planted on a smooth, trimmed lawn.

The Canadian conika spruce will become a real decoration of the site; it is not recommended to grow this plant at home, since it is difficult to achieve a comfortable temperature regime.

The plant requires minimal care; you just need to shade the needles from direct sunlight and avoid waterlogging the soil. But you should be prepared for the fact that even in favorable conditions, spruce develops very slowly.

  • Type: coniferous
  • Flowering period: Aug. Sept
  • Height: 15-40m
  • Color: green with a dark red tint
  • perennial
  • Winters
  • Shade-loving
  • Drought resistant

On the eve of the New Year holidays, every family thinks about where to get and how to decorate the main character of the celebration - the Christmas tree. But if ten years ago many owners switched to artificial beauties, today everything real is coming back into fashion. Moreover, it is considered especially chic to have your own homemade Christmas tree, which will please the eye all year round, and not for a couple of days. That's why potted green spiky beauties appear in many shopping centers in December. They are bought both as gifts for friends and for home decoration. But there is one problem: the plant needs proper care, otherwise the needles may turn yellow and fall off in warm weather. Let's look at how to properly plant and care for konika spruce at home (this variety is the leader in New Year's sales!).

The main suppliers of coniferous potted plants are Denmark, Holland, Poland. These are countries where the flower business is on stream and they can grow even the most complex crops in a pot.

Coniferous plants are considered almost unsuitable for growing indoors, since they need a long period of hibernation and low temperatures during this time. And all the Christmas trees that are sold in pots are grown only for temporary use. Konica is no exception, but just a dwarf hybrid of ordinary gray spruce, formed as a result of mutation.

The Christmas tree will stay warm for two weeks, and then in 90% of cases the plant will die. But there is still a 10% chance of keeping the conic until spring, and then planting it outside, and in exceptional cases, taming it to the home climate. If you were given a prickly dwarf beauty for the New Year, get ready to fight for her life. This is not a houseplant, and it life cycle must be in tune with the temperatures and humidity in which spruce grows in natural conditions.

The miniature Glauca conica spruce attracts buyers with its compact cone-shaped crown, which was formed as a result of mutation, without human intervention

Features of caring for a potted plant

So, a konika tree has appeared in your apartment, and you need to do everything to ensure that it survives at home.

Choosing a place in the house

Start by finding the coldest place in the house. This could be a window sill on the north side, a place inside double window frames, a glazed loggia or veranda. The ideal temperature is 3-5 degrees. The higher the temperature, the less chance the tree has to survive, since conifers have a dormant time in winter. And it can only be achieved at low temperatures.

You can decorate the konika with beads and tinsel, but bring it into a warm room only for the duration of the holiday, for a couple of hours. In a short time, the spruce will not have time to enter a stressful state due to temperature changes.

If you want to decorate a purchased plant, do not use floral sprays, as the crown will not be able to breathe normally and will die

If the loggia freezes during severe frosts, wrap the pot in woolen cloth (an old sweater, scarf, etc.) to prevent moisture from freezing on the roots. The crown is not afraid of sub-zero temperatures.

Provide humidity

High humidity is the second factor in the normal development of a plant. The needles are very sensitive to dry air, so you need to place a humidifier near the pot that will constantly blow on the crown. If it is not available, place bowls of water on both sides of the plant and spray the needles 5-6 times a day.

Watering, on the contrary, should not be abundant, since the root system is also dormant. It is enough to support a lump of earth during wet. To prevent drying out, cover the top of the soil with a sheet of paper or newspaper cut out in a circle. They will not trap air, but will not allow moisture to evaporate quickly. You need to water and spray with water that has stood for several hours and warmed up to room temperature.

The problem may be that under all the window sills of the house there will be heating radiators, which will produce too much heat from below and dry out the earthen lump. In this case, the pot is not placed on the window sill itself, but raised to an elevation, like homemade stand, an inverted pan, etc. The main thing is to remove it higher from the heat source.

Adjusting the lighting

Conifers are very sensitive to direct sunlight. They cause needle burns. Therefore, the window sill should be chosen on the side where the sun is only in the afternoon (not the south side). Diffused light is ideal. In this case, you need to turn the conic once a week so that each side of the tree receives light. If you neglect this, the needles on the side of the room will begin to turn yellow, crumble, and the tree will become “one-sided.”

Uneven light falling on the crown of the tree leads to the fact that some of the needles turn yellow, and then crumble, and the tree loses its beautiful appearance

In the absence of shaded window sills, make a homemade cover, placing it between the plant and window frame a large sheet of white paper (higher than the height of the tree). This is especially important to do at the end of winter, when the February-March sun begins to get very hot, and the plant has not yet come out of hibernation and is therefore very sensitive to temperature changes.

Transfer rules

Usually, potted plants are transplanted into fresh soil immediately after purchase, because they are sold in a substrate called “transportation”. Land cannot be transported across borders (this is a requirement of an international convention), so trees intended for sale abroad sit in sterilized peat or coconut fiber. They do not provide ideal conditions for the development of culture in the home environment.

While the seedlings are growing in nurseries, watering and fertilizing are carried out by airborne droplets without affecting the soil. No one will provide such conditions at home. Therefore, they try to immediately transplant purchased plants into fertile soil.

The Christmas tree requires slightly acidified soil, which can be obtained from a coniferous forest and sterilized in the microwave for 10 minutes.

Glauka spruce is very picky about transplants. The damaged root system takes about 3 months to take root, so the tree can only be replanted in the spring. IN winter time the seedling is still in a dormant state, and if it is provided with cold, then it will calmly survive in the transport substrate until March.

Another thing is a warm room. Peat dries instantly in warm conditions, which means your Christmas tree will have no chance of surviving in it. But if there is no cold room, the Christmas tree still needs to be transferred to a larger pot, filling the bottom and sides of the container with normal soil. There is no need to disturb the earthen ball with roots; leave this operation until spring.

If in winter you find a Christmas tree with many young shoots in the supermarket, refuse to buy it, as it is unlikely to survive in the house

The only case when replanting cannot be delayed is a heavily vegetating Christmas tree. Those. in the store during the sale she managed to release a lot of young needles and acquired quite decorative look(by the way, there are a lot of these trees in supermarkets!). If a plant begins to grow in winter, it means that it was not provided with resting conditions, it was woken up at the wrong time, and fresh shoots are a sign of “desperation.” Before dying, Konika tries to produce as many “offspring” as possible - young shoots that can be recognized by their bright light green color.

The root system will devote all its energy to the growing season, and there will be no nutrition in the substrate. The result is the death of the plant. Often such Christmas trees have rotten roots, since at the base of the neck the substrate clumps into a lump during transportation, and the moisture does not evaporate from there. There is no oxygen supply, which means that all conditions for rotting are created. Therefore, such konica Christmas trees are transplanted into ready-made soil for coniferous plants immediately after purchase. In this case, they do not use the transshipment method, but completely shake off the substrate from the roots of the tree and plant it in fresh soil.

Be prepared that after replanting the tree will shed some of its needles, will stand dull for a long time, and the young tips of the branches will dry out. This is a normal reaction of a tree exhausted by the move and improper storage conditions, and you can only hope that it will withstand the stress. You can only help it by maintaining a temperature of about 10 degrees and normal humidity.

Too wet soil causes rotting of the root system and inevitable death of the seedling, and it is no longer possible to restore the gray crown

How and when to “feed” the plant?

During the hibernation period and immediately after transplantation, conifers are not fed. At this time, the roots do not need much nutrition, otherwise the growing season will begin too early on a fragile tree. In the spring, the needles begin to be treated with epin or other biological preparations, especially those branches that have dropped their needles. The growth stimulator will awaken dormant buds and help the plant restore its former decorative appearance.

For irrigation, special fertilizers for conifers are used. They will maintain the desired level of soil acidity. “Feed” the plant once every 2 weeks from April to mid-summer. Next, they stop feeding so that the Christmas tree has time to go into hibernation mode before winter.

How to choose the right tree for your home?

If you like the European tradition of decorating container trees for the New Year, and you are ready for the difficulties of caring for them at home, then choose konica spruce in the store based on the following criteria:

  • Don't buy holiday decorations decorated with glitter and fake snow. These decorations are applied with aerosols and clog the pores of the needles. The tree will die anyway.
  • Gently move the barrel. If it wobbles in the pot, it means that the tree was recently transplanted here from another place. In this case, the roots are necessarily damaged, and the plant has little chance of survival.
  • If the volume of the pot is too small in relation to the crown, do not take this tree. To develop a good crown, the tree must have strong roots. And most likely, when transplanting into a container, part of the root system was cut off with pruning shears, and the life of the crown was maintained with stimulants.
  • Carefully pick up the soil from the side. If the tree grew in this land from the very beginning, then the roots will intertwine the entire space, forming a dense lump. This is a good seedling.
  • Cuttings of roots that are not woven together indicate that the konika was grown specifically for the holiday, and it will not survive in the future.
  • Many young shoots at the ends of the tree in winter are a signal that the tree was untimely awakened. Soon it will start to hurt.
  • A healthy Christmas tree has dense, evenly colored needles, a bare bottom trunk and roots emerging from the drainage holes of the pot.

In general, the ideal potted crop for New Year's interior It is not conica that is considered, but araucaria. This is the only conifer intended for growing at home, so it will easily survive both winter transplantation and warm indoor conditions.

If you see a lot of roots in a pot, bunched into a tight ball, it means that the Christmas tree has been sitting in this soil for more than one year.

The soft needles of araucaria look no less interesting in the New Year's tinsel, but you will be sure that the seedling will survive after the holidays

If you choose a seedling unsuccessfully and it begins to die, pick all healthy branches 7-10 cm long from the tree and place it in a glass of water diluted with a root growth stimulator. Perhaps by spring some of them will take root, and you will have your own planting material.

Features of planting in open ground

Since Glauca conica is not intended for growing at home, it can be preserved by planting it in open ground. Plant the tree near the porch and decorate it every year in winter instead of tormenting it in the indoor heat. True, glauka does not grow quickly, it adds 10-12 cm per year, so a meter-long specimen will only be obtained after 10 years.

Container Christmas trees, as we wrote above, are best planted in the spring. But if you use the transshipment method, then you can do it until October (2 months before the onset of stable frosts).

Location requirements

Konica loves moist, well-drained acidic soils. Perfect option– loams. Stagnation of moisture for its roots is certain death. If the site is located in a low-lying area, when planting, a layer of broken brick, expanded clay or coarse sand is poured onto the bottom of the hole. This will relieve the root system from stagnant water.

The landing site should not be sunny. It is advisable to find a shaded area so that the needles do not fry in the direct rays of the sun in the summer. It can be planted near fences, against the wall of a house, in an ensemble with taller conifers.

In the first years, konica seedlings grow upward, so they are not particularly decorative, but it is at this time that they should be planted in open ground

Landing instructions

The order of work is as follows:

  1. When planting, the tree is carefully removed from the container, trying not to destroy the earthen lump, and immersed in water for 1-2 hours.
  2. If planting in spring/summer, the roots are freed from the substrate, the roots are straightened in different directions and planted on fertile soil heaped. You can buy 10 kg ready-made or bring soil from a coniferous forest.
  3. When planting in summer, choose a rainy week so that the seedling has time to get out of a stressful state before the heat begins. For the whole summer, the Christmas tree must be shaded, creating a kind of canopy over it from non-woven material.
  4. At autumn planting the root system is not disturbed, but only the tips of the tangled roots are carefully straightened, leaving the clump intact. This way the plant is less injured and has time to get stronger before winter.

And of course, after planting, the ground is covered with peat to maintain moisture, and in the fall - to insulate the roots.

Glauca conica can be planted as a tapeworm or be the center of a small flower bed, but it grows very slowly and becomes spectacular after 10-15 years

What is Glauca conica afraid of?

The most dangerous time for a Christmas tree is the end of winter. At this time, the sun and reflective snow strongly burn the young needles, causing them to turn red and then crumble. Burn sites recover poorly. Therefore, it is important to cover the seedlings with burlap or non-woven material from the beginning of February, sewing them into a cone-shaped bag or tying them tightly to the crown with a rope. Of course, the decorative appearance of the area will suffer, but the plants will retain healthy needles.

These conifers also love high humidity, and if the summer is hot and dry, the crown may crumble from dehydration. Therefore, in the summer you need to install a water hose with a sprinkler near the bunk and turn it on 5-6 times a day.

Growing conifers in an apartment is a troublesome task. A miniature artificial Christmas tree will decorate the New Year's table just as well as a real one and will withstand any decor. Consider whether it is worth tormenting the tree in the heat of rooms if there is little chance of survival. Give the Christmas tree to friends or family who have their own plot. It will be a joy for them, it will benefit the Christmas tree, and you won’t have to watch the slow death of the coniferous beauty.

Canadian spruce Konica is a dwarf variety, grows in North America, has a spectacular cone-shaped crown, and is easy to care for. Spruce is used in landscape design to decorate the entrance area in the garden, create rock gardens, arrange pedestrian paths, and also as single plantings.

Decorative spruce Konika belongs to the evergreen crops, it is distinguished by spectacular lush green needles with a blue tint, soft needles reach a length of 1 cm. The crown of the coniferous crop is cone-shaped. An adult tree does not need pruning often. At the end of spring, cones ripen on the branches.

The garden is decorated with a Christmas tree; single bushes or group compositions are used in the design. Coniferous crops can be combined with other varieties of Christmas trees; varieties differ in the shape of the crown and the shade of the needles. Dwarf varieties are used in rock gardens and can be used to design a green roof, create mixborders, decorate terraces, balconies and loggias. Coniferous varieties look original in combination with flowering shrubs and flower beds.

In winter, you can grow the plant at home; Konica looks impressive in a pot in the living room, in winter gardens V country houses, on glazed loggias.

Planting spruce in the garden

To plant spruce in your home and garden area, you need to select the right seedlings, growing area and soil.

When selecting seedlings, consider the following:

  1. Planting materials should be purchased from special gardening nurseries that offer high-quality products.
  2. The crown of the plant should be lush, the needles should be fresh, without yellowed, dried needles.
  3. It is recommended to choose seedlings with closed roots; this will maintain sufficient soil moisture and ensure good survival of the plant.
  4. Bare-rooted seedlings should not have damaged roots.
  5. The roots of the seedling are covered with a moistened cloth and after delivery it is immediately planted.

When choosing a place for planting, it is necessary to take into account that the plant does not tolerate air pollution. It is prohibited to post ornamental trees near highways. The planting area should be well lit, the soil should be slightly oxidized (with a pH of 6-6.5), the soil should be fertile. Areas with infertile soil must be fertilized. Superphosphate (100 g) and potassium salts (100 g) are added to the soil per tree. Coniferous crops can be planted from spring to autumn.

To root seedlings with an open root system, it is recommended to carry out planting procedures in the spring. Plants with roots in a coma of earth can be placed in open ground in summer time. After planting, the plant is protected from exposure to the sun. It is necessary to maintain a distance between seedlings of at least 1 m; tall varieties are spaced at intervals of up to 2-3 m.

Konika spruce requires regular processing; planting and care (pictured) are carried out in compliance with the following steps:

  1. Prepare a planting hole that is optimal for the root system. The average size pits 50x50x50 cm.
  2. A drainage layer up to 10 cm thick is laid on the base. Brick fragments, sand, and expanded clay granules can be used as filler.
  3. Prepare a mixture of humus (compost), turf, peat, and coarse sand.
  4. The finished composition is placed in a hole, a plant is placed in it, and the soil is compacted. It is not recommended to overfill the seedling with soil.
  5. The plant is watered with warm water (10-12 l).
  6. Crushed peat, wood chips, and tree bark are poured near the tree trunk.

Tree care

Caring for Konica spruce includes regular soil moisture, mulching, and regular fertilizing. It is recommended to prune and inspect the branches for pests. IN hot weather plants must be protected from sunlight.

Rules for watering coniferous plants:

  1. Trees must receive regular moderate watering; the bush cannot withstand prolonged drought and excessive soil moisture.
  2. Regular soil moisture is required for young seedlings. Adult plants are watered less frequently, but abundantly.
  3. The frequency of watering is determined as the soil dries. Typically, 1-2 buckets of water are required per tree.
  4. The water should be settled, its temperature should be about +18...+25°C, because... cool water can damage trees.
  5. In summer it is necessary to spray the needles of the bushes and clean the branches from dust.

The soil around the bush must be regularly loosened and mulched (the ground is sprinkled with crushed peat, wood chips and bark). Loosening is carried out after the soil has dried near the spruce trunk. The procedure is performed carefully, without damaging the roots.

Plant feeding is carried out in compliance with the following requirements:


Plant pruning is carried out in spring and autumn periods. It is necessary to remove damaged and dried branches with sharp pruning shears. After pruning, damaged branches are burned.

The procedure for preparing trees for winter includes pre-winter watering (in the second half of October). It is necessary to pour 30-40 liters of water under the bush and add additional fertilizer. On frosty winter days, the crown is covered, and areas near the trunk are sprinkled with snow.

Height of a mature Konica spruce tree

Among conifers, the Konika spruce is considered a short one; the height of an adult tree is 2 m; in warm climates, the plant can reach a height of 4 m. The variety is universal, planting is carried out in the park, seedlings can be placed in tubs in the house and in containers on a spacious balcony.

The crown diameter of an average spruce reaches 2 m. First, the tree adds 10 cm annually, then the growth in 1 year decreases to 3 cm. Subsequently, the growth rate consistently decreases.

Photos of trees

The following types of coniferous crop Konica are used in the design of the site:


Konika spruce in a pot at home

Growing spruce is done at home, subject to the following recommendations:

  1. The bush should be in a lighted area; in the summer, the tub is moved to a balcony, terrace or garden plot.
  2. In winter, the room temperature should be maintained at about +10°C, and fresh air must be supplied.
  3. IN winter period Watering is organized up to 1-2 times every 7-9 days. When maintaining the temperature around 0°C, watering is carried out no more than once a month.
  4. Transfer indoor plant performed in the spring, it is optimal to carry out this procedure once every 2-3 years. The soil mixture needs to be updated.

Home care rules

When planning to plant a plant in the garden and keep the seedling in winter, it is necessary to maintain the temperature no higher than +10...+15°C. With more high temperature in the room the branches begin to stretch and weaken. It is necessary to spray the needles if there are heating devices in the room. In spring, transplantation is carried out in open soil.

We liked how in the movies they decorate the fir trees for New Years and Christmas in front of the house, so we wanted something similar for ourselves. We thought and thought and settled on Konik. Firstly, its size is ideal for small areas, and secondly, it looks great all year round, especially since it can be planted in a pot and kept in the house in severe frosts (though the temperature in winter should not be higher than +5, we will place it in the summer kitchen).
The spruce was planted according to science, so we worked hard, selecting a pot and preparing the mixture for planting. For drainage, we took expanded clay, in a layer of approximately 8-10 cm. The soil mixture consisted of: 2 parts each of leaf and turf soil and 1 part each of sand and peat. Well, the landing itself was the same as on this page.

We gave this conika in a pot as a gift for New Year. And then by February she began to look somehow worse. I rushed to the forums and was immediately shocked! It turned out that these beauties will not live at home; they need cold wintering and outdoor conditions.
We had to take it out onto the loggia; it’s open and almost always windless. The food there was much better. To prevent frost from destroying the root system, the pot was wrapped in thermal insulation that was left over from the walls. Until spring I water it very moderately. On especially frosty days, I took it into the house and placed it near the balcony block, where there is maximum light and away from heat. In the spring, I took the spruce to the dacha and planted it in the ground. I hope that he will cope well with the next New Year on the ground.

The Canadian spruce Glauca conica grows in the garden. In winter I did not cover it, because... I didn’t think that spruce could get sunburn, however, at the end of March the top of the spruce began to turn brown. When I started to find out why, it turned out that it was all the fault of the sun, which, reflected from the snow, caused damage to the needles.
Trying to revive the branches, I carefully removed the damaged needles using a hose with water. Then I simply frequently moistened the “bald” branches with a watering can. Recently, hints of new needles appeared in those places where living buds remained, and the burn areas began to heal.
Next winter I will cover the spruce with burlap, because... I heard a lot of negative reviews about the special material that is sold in the store.

I have long been attached to these Christmas trees, so I will share my experience in replanting. It's better to do this in at a young age. If I need to replant a tree in spring or autumn, then this can be done with an open root system. If a spruce needs to be replanted in the summer, then only with a clod of earth. It is better to transplant on cloudy days.
After transplantation, at first it is important to maintain optimal humidity soil and protect from direct sunlight.

From my own experience, I know that many novice gardeners are interested in how to care for a purchased spruce tree. The first thing to remember is the condition of the soil. If a tree is in waterlogged soil, its roots begin to rot and die. Christmas trees get sick for a long time and then die. Spruce also does not tolerate prolonged drought.
A site for spruce should be chosen with low lying groundwater and light precipitation. At the same time, it is good if there is a pond or reservoir next to the spruce, because... humid air will have a positive effect on the color of the needles and reduce the likelihood of them burning out.