Serbian spruce hedge. Spruce hedge: suitable varieties and growing nuances. Planting material preparation

Today's theme is incredibly beautiful - a hedge of spruce. As we all love Christmas trees since childhood, they always give us the feeling of a New Year's holiday. But you can admire these coniferous trees all year round if you work hard and create on suburban area do-it-yourself natural spruce fence.

Types of spruce fences

Before you go to garden shops for spruce seedlings, you need to clearly determine which fence in height, color and density you want to get as a result.

If you need to separate the boundaries of your summer cottage, then the height of the living fence can be made from 2 m and above. Coniferous plants are planted in one or two rows. Such a strong and impenetrable fence is called a trellis.


When the goal of a hedge is to divide the territory itself into zones (playroom, recreation, garden, kitchen garden, flower beds), fences are made up to 1.5 m high. Such thickets have a lower density and density.

Breeders bred special spruce curb breeds. Small Christmas trees will be a great delimitation of lawns with flower beds and garden paths.

An important factor when choosing plants for hedges is their future shape, as well as the ability to tolerate haircuts well. It is advisable to choose coniferous trees that are easy to care for with your own hands.

Hedges come in the following forms:

• square or rectangular;
• triangular or trapezoidal;
• oval;
• tapestry.

It is very important to see what an adult plant will look like before buying seedlings. Make a purchase only when you compare whether this or that type of coniferous tree can give you the intended shape and height of the fence. Specialists and sales assistants in a store or a spruce nursery will help you figure this out.

spruce selection

A spruce hedge is not created from all types of this coniferous plant. Before making a choice, you need to carefully study the characteristics of each type, weigh all the pros and cons, take into account your climatic conditions. Consider the most popular options:

Spruce varieties

To make the hedge form faster, plant an ordinary spruce.
The best varieties for trellis fences: Virgata, Kupressina, Akrokona, Olendorfi, Inversa. These trees are well suited for group plantings, they have an excellent density of branches, reach a height of 5 to 15 m. This will be quite enough, because we are not planting a coniferous forest that will rest against the sky, but a natural living fence.

For hedges of medium height, a dwarf variety can be advised. spruce Barbie, it grows slowly and reaches up to 2 m in height. Variety Wils Zwerg has a beautiful narrow conical shape. More a good option- Froburg spruce. All of them are distinguished by lush crowns and a surprisingly beautiful contrast, when old dark green branches are combined with growing young bright green shoots. It looks very impressive on the site.


If you decide to create a curb spruce fence, then you need to purchase a low-growing ordinary spruce. A good dwarf variety is Echiniformis, reaching a height of 40 cm. The crown of these firs is pillow-shaped or spherical. Another very nice is the dividing fence made of Little Jam firs with a hemispherical crown shape and a light green shade of needles.

The benefits of spruce fences

Undoubtedly, the main advantage of such a hedge is beauty and aesthetics.

evergreens coniferous plants delight us all year round. Some varieties have especially beautiful buds during flowering, which gives the hedge a stunning look.

When the spruce hedge reaches the height of a real brick fence, you can be sure that your country life is hidden from the constant gaze of neighbors and curious passers-by. Agree, the functions are the same - a high impenetrable fence, but instead of metal, brick or concrete, natural beauty.


Such a living fence will delight not only you, but also your children and even grandchildren. After all, these are very durable plants.
A spruce fence holds snow well, and will also be an excellent protection from the wind.

And one more important advantage, the needles emit useful phytoncides, you will always have Fresh air. Remember the feeling if you have been in a spruce forest, how easy it is to breathe there. A living spruce fence will prevent pathogenic bacteria from entering the site.

A fir fence does not require the involvement of specialists, landing, care and cutting can be done by hand.

Planting spruce seedlings

I want to warn you right away that it will not work to grow an ordinary spruce from seeds with your own hands. With this option, you will not be able to preserve the decorative characteristics of the plant. Therefore, do not suffer, do not waste time, go straight to the nursery or garden store for seedlings.

Many people prefer to purchase mature trees. But experts still recommend buying seedlings from the age of 4 years, they take root much faster and, most importantly, immediately grow. And a young seedling costs less than an adult tree.


Spruces should be planted in autumn. Consider the phased landing process.

Mark the line of the future hedge, drive in two pegs along the edges and pull the rope between them. Dig a trench along it to a depth of 50 cm. The width of the trench depends on the size of the root system of the seedlings, make sure that each root does not rest against the earthen walls, but feels free.

Loosen the bottom of the trench well.

Very important! If the ground is too moist, it is necessary to equip the drainage cushion. At the same time, no systems are needed, everything is easy and simple to do with your own hands. You will have to dig another 20 cm deep and pour a layer of fragments of broken brick, gravel, crushed stone, expanded clay or pebbles.

On top of the drainage pad, pour a layer of soil that you have from digging a trench, and moisten it a little.

Now it is desirable to dip each seedling into a clay mash. Ordinary clay is mixed with mullein and water until the state of thin sour cream is obtained. The root system is dipped into this mass, then the roots are carefully straightened and after that the seedling is planted. Clay talker is used to keep the roots from drying out. If before planting you find too long or dead roots on the seedlings, remove them.

If you plant a single-row hedge, make the distance between seedlings 1 m. With a two-row planting, this distance is reduced to 80 cm, but the seedlings are staggered, while the row spacing should be at least 1 m.

Seedlings must first be covered with compost or peat, and then with ordinary earth. You can pre-prepare the soil mixture by mixing earth, peat and compost. When planting, it is important to ensure that the root collar is at the level with the soil surface or slightly lower. For those who don't know, the root collar is the place on the plant where the root joins the trunk.


After planting the seedlings, the soil around them must be carefully compacted, watered and mulched. Used as mulch sawdust, bark, chips or peat.

Care

Young fir trees need weekly watering. A bucket of water is poured under one tree. To reduce moisture evaporation, loosen the soil after watering.

Be sure to regularly remove weeds in the area where young spruce trees grow.

Norway spruce is not too demanding on top dressing, but still, in order for it to better reveal its full potential, it is advisable to fertilize twice a season (in early May and at the very beginning of autumn). Complex formulations are sold specifically for coniferous trees.

Do not touch seedlings in the first year after planting. They need to take root well, and do not need to additionally load young trees. It is only permissible to make sanitary pruning if you find dried or diseased branches.

From next year, they begin to pinch the upper and side annual shoots. It is best to do this in May-June, the side shoots are cut to half or a third of the length, the top is shortened just a little. This procedure leads to the fact that the spruce stops growing, but at the same time new buds are laid, and next year the plant will branch abundantly.

Once the live fence has grown to the desired height and reached desired shape, you need to maintain this look with a haircut.

The best time to do this is in April.

Important! Do not use ordinary pruning shears when cutting, you need special garden shears with elongated blades.

A spruce hedge is one of the ways to decorate the site in an interesting way, and in addition to that, to protect yourself from crossing the boundaries of the land allotment by uninvited guests. The process of growing such plants will take quite long time, but the result will meet expectations: a rather high fence will turn out, which will allow you to block the view from the street.

Planting fir trees can be done by hand, but for this you should study in more detail the features of caring for such plants so that they develop normally and do not wither.

Spruce Hedge Benefits

Aesthetic appeal is the main plus that spruce is characterized by when using it as the main planting material for the purpose of arranging a green fence.

In addition, there are other positive qualities:

• Evergreen;
• A spruce fence provides privacy to the owners of the site, as it forms an impenetrable fence;
• High efficiency of protection of the territory against penetration due to the large number of needles;
• The tree represents a group of perennial plants;
• If desired, the fence is grown at a high height (1.5-2 m or more).

In relation to plants of certain varieties, a haircut can be performed. The formation of the crown can be done with your own hands, the main thing at the same time is the observance of the basic recommendations for this process. And other types of fir trees, on the contrary, do not need a haircut and special care.

Overview of preferred varieties

The needles of such trees can have a different shade: green, golden, yellowish, bluish. This feature allows you to create a multi-colored hedge of spruce. But for this it is necessary to use a number of the most different varieties. Main options:

For landscaping the site, the common variety is rarely used, since not all seedlings retain good appearance, the variety does not tolerate strong compaction in planting.

Christmas tree Ordinary - is used somewhat less often than others, due to the difficulty of maintaining aesthetic appeal. The height of the trees of this variety reaches several tens of meters, the shape of the crown is cone-shaped. Branches are usually horizontally oriented or directed downwards. The tree develops best in loamy and sandy soil. Another feature is the ability to tolerate fairly low temperatures(-45 degrees).

Ayan spruce ‘Aurea’. It cuts well, loves moisture, its crown is dark gray. In group plantings, it is better to propagate by seeds.

El Ayanskaya is another variety with a cone-shaped crown. The shade of the needles is dark green. And one of the differences lies in the special arrangement of the needles of such Christmas trees (flat needles). Plants of this species tolerate cold climate and maintain uniform crown density even in shaded areas. The spruce does not tolerate arid conditions, but it is not afraid of a haircut.

Demanding on soil and watering, but does not tolerate too fertile soil and layers of snow on the branches.

Prickly (blue) spruce. When choosing this type of planting material, you can get a fence with a shade from green to blue. On average, the height of spruces of this species is 30 m, but there are stunted (dwarf) plants. Most suitable conditions- hot climate. The soil is fed to ensure more intensive growth.

Serbian spruce - does not need care, has a cone-shaped crown. This variety tolerates frosty climates well.

The Serbian species of spruce does not need a haircut, you can only thin out the lower branches.

Spruce Froburg - compared with the previously considered options, it has a small height (2 m). Another feature is the location of the branches - they are directed downwards, and the longest of them reach the ground and form a coniferous carpet.

It is important even at the stage of planting the Froburg variety to organize supports for the trunk so that the tree develops strictly vertically.

Popular varieties of spruce: Canadian Konika and Canadian Sanders Blue. Their feature is the increased density of needles, as well as the correct conical shape. For this reason, a green fence based on such plants does not require maintenance.

Canadian Sanders Blue: Does not tolerate stagnant water in the soil. Grows well in sunny places. Necessary watering of the tree in the evening on the crown.

The difference between each of the options lies in the shade and shape of the needles, as well as the entire crown. Other differences: soil structure, planting conditions, the need for a haircut.

Preparation for furnishing

Garden tools and planting material is all that is required for the job. If the arrangement of the fence is done by hand, you need to study the features of young and adult plantings.

The first of the options will take longer to develop, as a result, a full-height hedge of a Christmas tree will appear only after a few years. And until that time, the fence will be with significant gaps. This is the main and only drawback of young firs.

The choice of already mature plants has the advantage - a much faster formation of a full-fledged hedge of the desired height and density, since quite developed spruce trees are planted.

However, the older the plant is planted, the higher the risk that it will wither. This is due to the worst ability to adapt to new conditions for development. As a result, diseases may appear, which will lead to slow growth, wilting.

Landing details

First of all, you need to determine the period for laying the future hedge - this is the beginning of autumn, but this option is suitable for regions with a temperate climate. If planting an evergreen fence will be carried out in the northern regions, it is recommended to lay planting material in early spring.

March-April, late August-October and the winter months are considered the best period for arranging a hedge.

Provided that in winter period there have been no frosts yet, and the air temperature has not fallen below +15 degrees, it is allowed to plant fir trees during this period.

Another important feature - the soil during the laying of the hedge should be saturated with excess moisture.. The depth of the hole is considered sufficient - 50 cm. Its diameter is determined by the size of the root system of the planting material.

Most of these plants "do not like" compacted soil. The composition of the soil should also include sand, peat. Care for the first 2 years immediately after planting includes periodic top dressing.

Pruning: features and timing of the process

The best period is spring, however, it is allowed to perform a haircut in the fall, only this should be done before the leaf fall begins. Most often, it is only necessary to remove the bald branches, because the renewal of needles is not characteristic of Christmas trees. In addition, not all varieties need care and crown formation.

The formation of the hedge is done in the spring before the growth period, this allows the young shoots to actively grow on the sides of the tree.

After planting, it is recommended to wait 2 years, do not cut immediately. At the end of this period, the formation of the crown is carried out as follows: fresh shoots need to be cut to about a third of their length, which will help increase the intensity of the formation of new shoots. Usually they wait until the tree acquires sufficient trunk dimensions, then the top is cut off to the desired level.

Do-it-yourself crown formation must be performed at temperatures above +4 degrees. Depending on the variety, the tree is cut from 1 to 3 times per season, after which the hedge is fed.

Violation of planting technology, improper (excessive) feeding and errors in the formation of the crown of fir trees - all these factors will adversely affect the development of evergreen trees.

But the most important thing when choosing a spruce is the right choice of planting material in accordance with the structure of the soil and the climate of a particular area.

In the design of landscapes, hedges are always very popular. IN last years spruce hedges came into fashion. Such an unusual design of personal plots has a whole army of fans. A Christmas tree hedge is easy and simple to plant with your own hands, and maintaining its attractive appearance does not cause much trouble.

Suitable types of fir trees

Spruces are slow-growing conifers with considerable advantages. They always retain the juiciness and brightness of colors, regardless of the season, therefore, even in winter time The site looks very impressive and festive.

Hedges hide boring landscapes and unsightly buildings located outside the yard from the eyes. With the help of a fence on the site, you can always arrange a corner for relaxation, where you will always participate in a relaxed and peaceful way.

Another advantage of hedges is their ability to retain snow, and the thick interlacing of branches will not allow uninvited guests to enter the site. Dense growth protects the house from gusts of wind, dirt, excessive noise and gases, and the well-known property of coniferous plantations to release phytoncides will create a favorable microclimate on the site. In nature, there are a large number of varieties of spruces, they can have the most interesting colors - for example, blue, green and yellowish.

If you combine plantings in a predetermined order, you can create a spectacular composition on your site.

However, most often, spruce is planted along the fence in our country, since this plant is maximally adapted to local climatic conditions. And a nice bonus will be the cost of seedlings, which in nurseries starts from 250 rubles (2019). However, suitable healthy young trees can always be found in forest clearings. True, you should first make sure that you are not extracting planting material in a forested area, otherwise you will face substantial fines.

Norway spruce calmly tolerates shade; in sunny areas, young plants can get burned from direct ultraviolet rays. This plant prefers sandy and loamy soils, reacts negatively to stagnant water, excessive dryness and salinity of the soil. In addition, this type of spruce lends itself well to shearing, which means that crown molding will not present any difficulty for site owners.

The fence made of ordinary spruce has served as protection for many decades, and every year it only becomes more beautiful and magnificent. To create a trellis-type hedge, varieties of olendorfi, inverse, as well as kupressin and acrocon are suitable. The height of these fir trees is 4-15 meters, the branches are very dense, they grow in the shape of a cone. The trees are quite unpretentious, therefore they get along well even with a densely planted strip.

If you are planning to get a medium height hedge, it is best to plant froburg or barry spruce, they grow up to 2 m, while the barry grows so slowly that such a hedge does not even require pruning.

The needles of young plants of these varieties have a light green tint, which looks especially stylish against the background of the dark crown of adult trees. Spruce Wils Zwerg is distinguished by a weeping crown, and the fence of these seedlings looks quite unusual and can become an adornment of any garden decor. It is better to create border and dividing lines with the help of little jam and echiniformis - these are dwarf Christmas trees, the length of which does not exceed half a meter, the crown of such plants is usually hemispherical or cushion-shaped.

Landing Rules

Planting new plants to form a green hedge near the fence is best done with the start of the dormant stage of the plants. The conifers have 2 of them: the first falls on the last decade of April-May, and the second occurs in September-early October.

Young Christmas trees that you plan to use should be dug up immediately before planting, and the less time elapses from the moment the young seedling is removed from the forest land to transplanting to a new place, the better.

Gardeners with experience recommend taking seedlings at the age of 3-4 years. As practice shows, they take root much more successfully than adult plants. It is optimal to dig up spruces immediately after rain, when the ground is moistened, ideally it should be more like slurry. Spruces are removed so that damp soil is preserved on the roots, and so that the earthen lump does not dry out during transportation, it is wrapped with polyethylene or burlap.

After the seedlings are delivered to the place, there is no need to waste time in vain. Draw a landing zone as quickly as possible and dig a trench as deep as a spade bayonet. The bottom of the pit should be softened and mixed with river sand and peat.

Every gardener knows well that any seedlings have a surface-type root system, so it reacts extremely negatively to overdrying.

After planting, the Christmas tree must be thoroughly moistened, slightly compacted and mulched.

The density and planting pattern directly depends on the type of hedge that you form. So, if you create a living border up to 50 cm high, then leave 35-40 cm between the seedlings, this distance is taken to the aisle. To form a spruce fence with a height of 1.5-2 m, about 80 cm is left between the bushes, and the first and second rows are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other. And if your task is to decorate a spruce wall, the height of which reaches 10 meters, then it is necessary to withstand about 3-4 meters between the seedlings.

Aftercare

In order for the trees to take root well in the new soil and start growing, it is important to properly care for them.

Plantings must be watered every 5-7 days (if the weather is rainy, then this is done less frequently).

It is best to irrigate with a hose with small holes all over the surface. located at a distance of 1 m from each other. In this case, all that is required from the owner of the site is simply to pull the hose along the ephedra line and turn on the water. Soon, water will pour out of the holes and begin to actively soak into the ground near the Christmas trees.

Do not forget about dry watering - the ground near the seedlings must be constantly loosened with a hoe, deepening the tool by 10-20 cm. Young Christmas trees need nutrients ah, so they need top dressing:

• during the first 3 years after transplantation, nitrogenous fertilizers should be applied 3-4 times per season;
• every autumn, plants require top dressing with phosphorus-containing components;
• in May and October, compositions designed specifically for conifers should be applied.

All weeds and grass growing near plantings must be weeded out. If you deprive the spruce hedge of care, then the needles begin to turn yellow and fall off, and the stems themselves stretch.

Haircut rules

Any hedge will certainly require a haircut. Remember that a neglected view is very difficult to fix, and sometimes even impossible. Trimming trees is necessary not only to give them the correct shape. This event helps to maintain a healthy appearance and rich color of the needles. A haircut is best done in July - it is during this period that the growth of new shoots ends. To begin with, the entire growth is cut by a third, when the trees reach the desired size, they are cut more - a couple of centimeters above the place of the first haircut. Be sure to remove shoots sticking out in all directions.

Haircut technique is not difficult. The branches are given an inclined position (in this case, the hedge will be wider from below and will eventually take the shape of a trapezoid), after which they are cut with a tool. For a spectacular view of a spruce hedge, a 3-meter plant height is most often maintained, after which the gardener no longer needs to spend a lot of time on further care behind your conifer, although in winter it will still be necessary to remove the entire annual growth from different sides.

Spruce will grow much more magnificent if all the buds are removed from it in March, and with regular side pruning, the spruce fence will take on an even more attractive look.

All work must be done very carefully so as not to affect the main branches. If you don't have great experience in the formation of the crown, it is best to stock up on a special template or pull a rope along the entire length, which will become a guide during the haircut.

If in the course of work, out of inexperience, gaps appear through which bare branches will be visible - do not be upset, they will very quickly overgrow with new young shoots, since any pruning stimulates increased branching.

It will be much easier to achieve the correct shape if you use quality tools. Keep in mind that a regular garden pruner won't do the job here, as it won't give the necessary leveled surface of the evergreen fence, such scissors can be used for pinching. Complete pruning should be done with petrol shears.- their sharply sharpened elongated blades evenly, quickly and effortlessly cut off all overgrown spruce branches.

Speaking of cutting the crown, one cannot fail to mention its shaping. Inexperienced gardeners most often cut so that the crown is rectangular.

This approach is fundamentally erroneous, since it prevents the full penetration sun rays to the branches located on the lower tiers.

Due to a shortage sunlight the lower needles gradually begin to dry out and fall off, exposing the trunks. As a result, the hedge loses all its decorative properties, and the functionality of plantings is significantly reduced.

In an effort to make their site beautiful and cozy, many owners prefer to land instead of a stone fence hedge. Its cultivation and formation is a whole art that requires considerable work and attention. But putting your soul into this process, the reward for patience will be bright emerald walls of living vegetation.

A spruce hedge is a great option if you need to completely block the view of the site.

For fences of this type, trees or shrubs must be shade-tolerant with relatively slow growth, have a dense crown and good branching.

Many conifers meet these requirements. A year-round spruce hedge with densely intertwined branches allows you to create an impenetrable wall for passage and perfectly close the site from prying eyes.

It perfectly masks unaesthetic buildings, with their help you can clearly define the boundaries of garden areas, as well as create a favorable healing microclimate around the house and in the garden. The use of spruces as a hedge allows you to protect the site from wind, dust and provide favorable growth conditions for delicate plants. In any garden, a green wall will create a spectacular and unobtrusive background for flower beds and will become a great part of the landscape composition.

Types of hedges from needles

Before going to the store for spruce seedlings, it is necessary to clearly understand what kind of fence should be, since spruce has a sufficient number of varieties that differ in height, density, color and care. The main factor influencing the choice is the height of the tree.

Representing a green wall (trellis), it has a height of more than two meters and is planted along the borders in one or two rows. The trellis view has high strength and impermeability. Medium-height spruce fences can be located in the middle of the site and divide it into zones. In this case, the thickets will not have a high density and the maximum height will not exceed 1.5 m. Among the spruce species there are special curb types that can be used instead of curb stones for lawns, flower beds and paths.

Giving preference to any variety, their future shape and ability to easily tolerate a haircut are taken into account. Hedges can be trapezoidal, trellis, triangular, oval, square and rectangular shape. Therefore, before buying, you need to see what an already adult tree is and whether it will take the desired look on the site.

Back to index

Choosing a variety for a spruce fence

One of best breeds coniferous trees and suitable in all respects is the common spruce. For planting in the garden, breeders have bred special decorative varieties that amaze with an amazing variety in height, general appearance and shape of needles. So that the hedge of common spruce does not turn into a dense forest with trunks propping up the sky, you will need to thoroughly study characteristics each variety.

Norway spruce is the most common coniferous tree in Central and Northern Europe. Its maximum height can reach 50 m. The dense crown has a narrow conical shape, in which the falling branches are stacked in layers and it persists throughout the entire period of life. Needles of dark green color with a length of 8 ... 20 mm remain on the branches from 6 to 12 years.

The life expectancy of common spruce is up to 300 years, in isolated cases - up to 500 years. The annual growth of branches varies within 50 cm (depending on conditions) and in width - 15 cm. Up to 10 ... 15 years, it shows very slow growth, after which accelerated development begins. The variety tolerates shading well, in young age may suffer from burns after exposure to spring sunlight. Shows good growth on fresh, well-drained acidic, sandy, loamy soils. Does not tolerate prolonged stagnation of water, strong salinity and increased dryness. Easily tolerates a haircut and has many cultural forms.

For a trellis-type hedge, seedlings of the following varieties are suitable: Acrocon, Olendorfi, Kupressina, Inversa, Virgata, etc. They feel great in group plantings, in the process of growth they reach a height of 4 ... 15 m and have a good density of branches.

For plantings of medium height, we can recommend a slowly growing dwarf variety (up to 2 m) Barry, with a weeping crown of Froburg spruce, a narrow conical shape of Wils Zwerg. In addition to lush crowns, young shoots of bright green color and older branches of darker tones are very beautifully combined on the trees. Such a sharp color contrast will create a unique effect on the site.

For a border-type spruce hedge, experts recommend giving preference to low-growing varieties of common spruce. These include a dwarf species (up to 0.4 m) Echiniformis, which has a spherical or cushion-shaped crown. Looks beautiful as a dividing fence Little Jam, which has a dense hemispherical shape of a light green crown.

Back to index

Planting seedlings for hedges

Types of hedge plantings: 1. Single row; 2. Unformed two-row; .3 - Pseudo-Gothic broken single-row hedge; 4 - Pseudo-Gothic straight two-row hedge.

It will not be possible to grow a cultivated form of common spruce from seeds on your site, since this method of planting does not preserve the decorative properties of the tree. Therefore, mature trees or four-year-old seedlings are usually purchased. Some buyers prefer already mature spruces, believing that it is more convenient and the probability of death is less. However, experts are not in a hurry to agree with this opinion. In their opinion, four-year-old spruce seedlings take root faster and immediately grow. In addition, the cost of such young animals is much less than that of adult species.

Spruce trees are planted in the fall, while the soil is still quite moist and loose. For this you need:

1. On the border of the future landing on the ground, mark with a cord. Dig a trench up to 50 cm deep for the entire length of the hedge. The width depends on the root system of the planting material. The bottom is well loosened.
2. If there is excess moisture, arrange drainage. To do this, the ditch is deepened by another 20 cm and the bottom is covered with gravel, expanded clay or crushed stone.
3. Laid on top of the drain upper layer soil removed while digging a trench.
4. Next, seedlings are placed on a slightly moistened fertile layer, having previously been dipped in a clay mash. This will prevent the roots from drying out. Before planting, long and dead root processes are removed, and the remaining ones are carefully straightened. For a single-row hedge, tree seedlings are placed at a distance of 1 m from each other. If a two-row planting is planned, the interval between the trees should be about 80 cm, staggered with a row spacing of at least 1 m.
5. Having fulfilled all the conditions, the seedlings are covered with peat or compost. When planting, it is necessary to ensure that the root neck of the tree is flush with the soil or a few centimeters lower.
6. The landing site should be well compacted and moistened. From above watering, the soil is mulched using peat, wood chips or bark.
7. Then the seedlings must be cut. The degree of pruning depends on the condition of the spruce.

Further growth of the hedge will directly depend on the care and proper shaping of individual trees.

Back to index

Care and shaping of a spruce hedge

Pruning requires sharp hand-held loppers with separate blades. Sectors are needed for cutting thin branches.

Special care for a Christmas tree in a hedge is not required. After planting, she needs regular watering, as in dry summers there is a danger of falling needles. Also, in order to preserve nutrients and moisture in the growth zone of seedlings, weeds must be removed by loosening a 10-centimeter layer of soil.

Norway spruce is not demanding on conditions, but in order to fully reveal its potential, it still requires top dressing. This procedure is carried out once in spring (in the 1st decade of May) and in autumn (in the 1st decade of September). Top dressing is carried out with fertilizers specially designed for conifers. In order for the hedge to have a beautiful and healthy color, the bushes must be periodically sprayed from various pests and diseases.

In the first year of planting, unshaped seedlings are not touched. During this period, rooting occurs and it is not worth giving an additional load on them. Regular sanitary pruning is allowed, during which diseased and dried branches are removed. As for already molded trees, they are more demanding in terms of lighting and nutrition. In the 3rd decade of June, young trees in the hedge are additionally fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

In subsequent years, the pinching of the apical and all lateral annual shoots is added to the main care procedures. The most favorable period for this is May-June. It is at this time that the maximum growth of branches occurs. Lateral shoots are shortened by half the length or by one third. The top of the tree is not cut too far, which will allow you to quickly bring the hedge to the desired height.

Pruning spruce hedges in the first year, in the second and subsequent.

Thus, the pinching done practically stops the growth of fir trees in the current season. But, thanks to this, new buds are laid and abundant branching occurs for the next year. The operation must be carried out until the crowns close and a good density of the side surfaces of the fir trees appears. In this case, the skeletal branches of all tiers should be on top of each other. Finish forming the hedge after the complete disappearance of the gaps between the branches. Making a pinch on initial stage, you must try to give the desired shape to the tree.