Fir Little Gem (Picea abies Little Gem) is very popular among gardeners and fans of ornamental trees. She appeared in the 60s in Holland due to a mutation of another dwarf species - Nidiformis. The result is a cute Christmas tree that looks like a curled hedgehog - a worthy decoration and an original highlight for any garden.
Spruce Little Jam - with what and how to plant a miniature beauty
Description of the plant
Norway spruce Little Jam is a miniature spherical shrub. With age, the crown grows slightly and becomes cushion-shaped. In height it reaches no more than half a meter, in diameter - up to 1 m.
The plant is considered slow-growing: every year it adds only 2 cm in height and in width.
Branches are dense, slightly raised up. Young needles are light green, last year's needles are dark. Needles - miniature (2-5 mm), thin, densely located on a branch. There are no cones in a tree.
Herringbone belongs to light-loving, but shade-tolerant and winter-hardy plants.
Landing features
The best place for spruce is well lit, with deep groundwater.
It feels great on loamy and sandy loam fertile soils, but it can grow on moderately acidic soils.
It is important that moisture (rain or melted snow) does not accumulate in the area set aside for planting conifers. You can plant a Christmas tree from early March to late November.
The soil
If the soil is dense and heavy, a layer of sand or expanded clay (15-20 mm) is laid in the planting hole.
You can mix forest and garden soil in equal proportions, add peat and sand to them (one third of the total). It is advisable to fertilize the soil mixture with a special complex for conifers or nitroammophos.
Landing
The planting hole is dug out according to the size of the roots. A small elevation is made in the center and a seedling is installed.
The roots are freely laid out on a mound, pointing down. Sprinkle the plant with soil mixture, leaving the root collar at ground level. After planting, the spruce is watered with two or three buckets of water (depending on the condition of the soil).
Care
Little Jam is not demanding in care, but has some preferences.
It does not tolerate dry weather and needs regular watering. In the heat, it is watered once a week using 10-15 liters of water. Sprinkle the crown in the evenings.
However, excess moisture is also undesirable for the plant, as it increases the risk of fungal diseases.
The tree needs to be watered regularly
To improve air access to the roots, it is advisable to loosen the soil of the trunk circle (shallow - up to 6 mm). Mulching with peat, sawdust or pine needles helps to reduce evaporation. A thicker layer of mulch is laid for the winter, and dug up in the spring.
So that the snow does not deform the crown, a special frame or arcs are installed over the bush. Sanitary and formative pruning is carried out in late spring, when the movement of juices slows down.
In landscape design
Norway spruce Little Jam is widely used in landscape design. It is grown individually, as part of live borders, as an addition to deciduous and floral arrangements.
A compact, spherical bush is great for planting in containers and flowerpots. The plant can often be seen in rock gardens, rockeries, stony, heather and oriental gardens.
Dwarf spruce is successfully used in landscaping balconies, decorative design of roofs and front entrances. It looks great with roses and meadow flowers. Some gardeners shape the bansai-like herringbone.
An important advantage of this culture is its compact form. It can be used to decorate and decorate even the smallest garden area.
Reviews and advice from gardeners
According to the description of gardeners, the Little Jam Christmas tree at first does not need to be formed at all - the crown grows correctly spherically.
After about five years of age, the "ball" becomes cushion-shaped or nest-shaped - at this time, you can start the desired formation.
Despite the resistance of the variety to cold weather, the plant is recommended to be covered with spruce branches for the winter. In hot summer, it is important to protect young specimens from sunburn, regularly water and carry out evening sprinkling.
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It has been noticed that the herringbone reacts well to soluble mineral complexes for conifers. The optimal amount of such dressings is 2 times a season.
Judging by the reviews, it is not difficult to buy this spruce, the main thing is to choose a high-quality seedling. In most cases, the shrub takes root well, but sometimes the cause of death during transplantation is an excessive deepening of the root collar, as a result of which the bark undergoes.