Araucaria is a tree with a pyramidal crown. The branches of the plant are tough, covered with short, but numerous leaves, in the form of needles. The natural habitat of araucaria is mainly South America, sometimes the plant is found in Australia and New Zealand. There are about twenty species of this coniferous plant, and in the wild, araucaria can reach fifty to sixty meters in height.
In its homeland, araucaria is used as a source of wood. Despite such significant natural sizes, at home, the araucaria remains undersized, its height does not exceed 1,5 m, while the tree grows very slowly, almost never blooms, but at the same time it is popular as an ornamental coniferous plant, as in city apartments. and in greenhouses and winter gardens.
Moreover, it is preferable to grow araucaria in winter gardens, since only there it is possible to provide the plant with the necessary conditions, namely, a cool temperature in winter. Winter is a time of rest and rest for araucaria. In addition, the dry air of city apartments also has a negative effect – the plant can turn yellow, and subsequently needles fall off.
Araucaria heterophylla is best suited for growing at home and in winter gardens. The native land of the plant is the Pacific island of Norfolk, located between Australia and New Zealand.
Araucaria variegated – a plant with a pyramidal crown and soft light green leaves-needles about 2 cm long.If you have a glazed loggia, preferably with heating, the best way out would be to take out the araucaria there in winter. In summer, the plant must be placed outdoors – in a personal plot, balcony or loggia. It is important to maintain a high humidity in the room where the araucaria is grown.
As mentioned above, dry air leads to yellowing and death of needle leaves. To maintain the necessary moisture, the plant can be periodically sprayed with a spray bottle. Araucaria does not like direct sunlight, diffused light and partial shade are best suited for the plant. To form an even crown, the tree must be turned from time to time relative to the light source. It is necessary to water the araucaria as the earthen coma dries out, in the summer with a frequency of two to three times a week, in the winter a little less often.
For irrigation, it is better to use soft, settled water at room temperature.
Araucaria can be fertilized with an ordinary complex mineral fertilizer for indoor plants in the spring and summer.
The amount of fertilizer should be halved relative to the amount for other plants. In winter, fertilization and feeding are not required. For araucaria, a universal soil for houseplants, half mixed with acidic soil for azaleas and rhododendrons, is suitable. It is also possible to independently prepare the soil: one part of sand and peat, two parts of leaf and turf soil. It is also possible to grow araucaria using hydroponics.
Plant transplantation is rarely carried out, about once every four to five years. When transplanting, it is very important not to damage the root system of the araucaria and monitor the level of the ground in the pot, in no case raising it relative to the previous one. Plant pots should be wide and tall enough with good drainage.
How to plant a Christmas tree at home – content rules
If you want to grow a forest beauty at home, indoor plant lovers should know that not all types of conifers are capable of developing at home. Among the types of trees that can be grown indoors, gardeners distinguish the following:
- common spruce;
- silver spruce;
- araucaria or indoor spruce.
Lat. Pícea
Each of the listed species is grown in a flower pot, subject to the necessary care of the plant.
Many people think that spruce is an unpretentious plant. This opinion is wrong. Growing well in the wild, evergreens require careful maintenance when grown at home.
In order for the plant to develop correctly and please the owner with its appearance, it is important to provide it with good lighting. The place where the flower pot will be located should be warm and light. In this case, the spruce must be protected from direct rays of the bright sun.
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Julia Yurievna
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When planting a Christmas tree at home, it is important to protect the ephedra from spring burns as well as when cultivating in the open field. It is widely believed that plants are most affected by the sun in the summer, but for conifers this is only half true. The most dangerous period in terms of burns occurs in late winter and early spring. During the dormant period, the processes inside the plant slow down, moisture is practically not absorbed. Therefore, even a home Christmas tree at the end of winter can be dehydrated. If the rays of even the mild March sun fall on such a plant, this can provoke yellowing and falling of the needles. To prevent this from happening, we recommend watering the culture with warm water, then the roots will be saturated with moisture faster, and also have a protective screen in front of the culture. Such a device should make the lighting diffuse, but abundant enough. Keeping a culture in a too dark place is also not worth it, this will affect its decorative effect. For the best result, it is better to shade a home tree in a pot when the sun is most active, from 12.00 to 16.00. Such a lighting regime will not provoke the stretching and exposure of the shoots and will protect the sensitive crown from burns.
During the cold season, the room temperature should be cool enough. Experts recommend keeping the spruce indoors, the temperature of which will reach + 6-10 ° C in winter.
It is important to note that the spruce will not die if it is placed in a room with a negative temperature. But at the same time, it is worth paying attention to the state of the earthen coma. Under no circumstances should it become too hard from freezing.
Variety choice
Choosing mini Christmas trees, it should be remembered that this is a planting material and corresponding requirements must be made to it. As in the case of buying a seedling, you should immediately decide where the decorative tree will grow in the future, whether the proposed conditions will suit it. It is important to know what kind of ephedra it is and whether it can be planted in the ground in your climate.
Farmers of the northwestern territories and central Russia can safely purchase the following varieties of conifers:
- common or European spruce;
- gray spruce, white or Canadian;
- prickly spruce;
- spruce spruce;
- Serbian spruce.
These can be some varieties of cedar pines (European, Siberian, ordinary) and fir (graceful and Siberian).
Junipers and thuja in containers are also used as decorative Christmas trees.
Konica, a dwarf decorative form of Canadian gray spruce, is especially popular among gardeners. It is unusually attractive, caring for it is easy, so today it is cultivated all over the world, including in Russia. Its diminutiveness is of particular value in the eyes of gardeners, since this quality allows planting a tree even in the smallest areas.
Watering and dressing a plant
Experts recommend watering a spruce growing in a pot abundantly from early spring to late September. In this case, it is important to ensure that the soil is not excessively wet.
In the cold season, the frequency of watering is noticeably reduced. In the cold season, it is advised to water the spruce no more than once every three weeks. At the same time, the recommended temperature regime should be maintained: + 6-10 ° C.
If the temperature in the room is 0 ° C, then the earth is moistened once a month. It is recommended to sprinkle the spruce on a monthly basis, it will be especially necessary when severe cold weather comes outside the window.
According to experienced gardeners, decorative spruce does not need constant feeding. In the warm season, top dressing can be used no more than three times per season.
When growing spruce at home from seeds, it is necessary to purchase soil for conifers in flower shops. If desired, each gardener can prepare it on his own by mixing universal soil with soil brought from a coniferous forest. The components are taken in equal proportions.
It is advised to transplant the plant once every two years. They do this at the very end of spring. When transplanting, it is important to pay attention to the safety of the earthen coma formed around the root system of the plant. The roots of the spruce should in no case be exposed. Otherwise, spruce transplanting can contribute to the death of the plant.
Diseases of conifers
Coniferous ornamental plants susceptible to infections, but early detection of their signs and immediate treatment will help avoid dangerous consequences.
- Rust. It manifests itself as orange blooms on the branches. The needles turn yellow and crumble. Weekly crown treatment with drugs such as Glyocladin and Vectra will help.
- Schütte’s disease is caused by a fungus. Signs: the needles are covered with a white bloom, darken and crumble. If you do not start the situation, the plant can be cured by first spraying it with a solution of copper sulfate, then treating it with Alirin-B and Trichodermin.
Methods of reproduction
Young home tree
The plant reproduces in two ways:
With the help of seeds. In order to grow a forest beauty from seeds, you must use pre-harvested seeds from spruce cones. They are collected from mid-October to the very end of winter.
In a flower pot, seeds are sown not at all deep: about 1,5 cm to the edge of the soil surface. During the rooting period, the container is placed in a cool place. After a year, the seedlings will reach a height of 15 to 25 cm.
Using cuttings. According to experienced gardeners, cuttings up to 12 cm long are considered ideal for planting.
On the lower part of the cutting, there should be a “heel” or a convex part of the bark, due to which the development of the root system of the new plant will take place.
It is important to bear in mind that the minimum length of the cutting is 6 cm. Cuttings are prepared in mid-spring. At this time, sap flow begins in the coniferous plant. This indicates that it has completely recovered after a long winter and is saturated with valuable substances necessary for development.
When propagating a Christmas tree by cuttings, a substrate is used, which includes universal soil, peat, sand and perlite.
After planting, the cuttings are recommended to be covered with a special polyethylene film for a week. At the same time, it is important to take into account that air practically does not penetrate under the film, and therefore, it should be regularly opened and young plants should be allowed to ventilate.
Using the above methods of plant propagation, you can grow a beautiful decorative spruce on your windowsill.
Possible problems in growing
Quite often, flower growers are faced with problems when cultivating araucaria.
- Most often from room spruce needles begin to crumble… This happens when there is a lack of lighting and air humidity. You need to deal with the problem as early as possible – regularly spray and set aside from heating devices.
- Slow growth is observed with depletion of the soil or if it contains a lot of calcium compounds. It is necessary to revise the composition of the fertilizer or transplant the plant into new soil.
- If home araucaria produces very thin shoots, it is recommended to apply fertilizers for coniferous crops more often. This phenomenon is also observed from insufficient lighting or too spacious a pot for a small tree.
- If accidentally or intentionally cut off the top of the Christmas tree, then its growth can completely stop… In the future, it is quite difficult to restore the beautiful shape of the tree.
- In conifers many pests among insects… Mealybugs, aphids or specific bark beetles that live in the trunk of adult spruces can settle on araucaria. Pest control is reduced to spraying with an insecticide solution at the recommended dosage.
It is quite difficult to grow araucaria in an apartment; you will have to constantly monitor the humidity and watering. If difficulties do not frighten, then a home Christmas tree will refresh the air and fill it with useful ethers.
Комментарии (13)
Irina Vitalevna
01.04.2018/00/11 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
We tried to grow a spruce with our own hands from seeds and even by cuttings, but we did not succeed. We decided not to grow from scratch anymore, but came to the nursery and bought ready-made plants in pots for 2-3 years.Reply
Expert Fruit
19.08.2018/21/39 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Good afternoon, Irina! Most likely, your seedlings were affected by the “black leg”. This fungus is a malicious pest of young plants growing on black soil. Therefore, I want to offer you a method of getting rid of this scourge.
Take soil for conifers from under adult plants of the same species. After sowing the seeds, sprinkle the soil with calcined river sand, 0,5 cm thick. In this case, the risk of damage to seedlings by the “black leg” will be minimal!))
Reply
Marina
02.04.2018/00/16 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
If I understand correctly, then the type of the Christmas tree should be different from the way it grows on the street. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how to grow such a tree at home, it will take up a lot of space.
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Expert Fruit
13.09.2018/12/05 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Hello Marina! Nowadays, in the garden centers there is a huge number of a wide variety of conifers. Among them there are those that grow well at home. For example, bred on the shores of Foggy Albion, the cypress “Goldcrest Wilma”. In addition, do not forget about the Japanese culture of creating bonsai (dwarf trees that successfully grow in greenhouses). You can read more about this in Leila Dhanda’s book “BONSAI Culture – Growing Dwarf Trees”.
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Julie
01.07.2018/12/33 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
But we have a tree growing, while the truth is very small. We found her in the park, under another huge tree. I don’t know from what it grew there, maybe from the seeds of a cone. The fact is that the paws of a large Christmas tree did not allow it to grow at all. And after permission to carefully dig it up (and we literally dug it out with a penknife), the Christmas tree was transplanted into our garden. Now she is about 30 cm, beautiful and green. We will definitely decorate it for the New Year.
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Julia Expert Plodogorod
09.01.2020/15/44 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Hello Julie! Young plants, even conifers, which are considered to be frost-resistant, must be covered for the winter. Preparation should start in the fall. All debris and litter should be removed under the plant, pathogenic bacteria and spores, as well as pests, can develop there.
The area under the plant should be mulched with peat or sawdust, the young spruce should be treated with a fungicide in dry and calm weather. You can wrap up the ephedra 3-4 days after the procedure. If precipitation falls after spraying with preparations, you will have to repeat the treatment.
Since the tree is small and not very strong yet, it is worth installing a wire structure around it. Otherwise, the plant can break under the weight of the snow. The shelter is laid on the frame. It can be spruce branches. It is often laid in the form of a hut. If the branches for wrapping are strong, additional construction may not be required.
Alternatively, you can protect the crop from frost with agrofibre, burlap or other material. It is important that it is breathable. We recommend that you wait for the New Year with decorating your coniferous tree, otherwise the tree may get damaged from frost.
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Olga
29.07.2018/08/07 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
I remember our New Year tree was giving roots. So they threw them out. She stood in the water for a couple of weeks, the water was topped up regularly. I wonder if if she were planted with these roots, would she take root?
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Expert Fruit
13.09.2018/12/38 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Good afternoon, Olga! If your spruce has given roots, that’s great. But in order to plant it in the ground, you would have to book all the branches, “at the very least.” The fact is that in plant growing there is a formula according to which the diameter of the crown (when transplanting) should be less than or equal to the diameter of the root system. This is necessary so that the seedling can receive enough nutrients to nourish the crown. As for your spruce, unlike hardwoods, there are very few dormant buds in the tiers of spruce branches. So, in your case, you could get a spruce that is perfect for forming a Harm Resist bonsai from it. However, I have good news for you. The fact is that a plant capable of giving roots transfers its characteristics to its vegetative offspring (read about the technique of coniferous cuttings). If in the first generation of cuttings, out of 100 units, 2-3 pieces will take root – this is already good! Cuttings taken from these seedlings can show an efficiency as early as 40%. The third wave of cuttings is capable of bringing out a plant in which 100 cuttings out of 100 possible take root. So – Go for it! The road will be mastered by the walking !!!
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Olga Tomilina
04.01.2020/07/25 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
In general, of course, people are arranged in an interesting way. Our village is located practically in the forest. There are a lot of pines and firs around. But no, people also plant them in their garden. The question is why they are doing this, I don’t understand.
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Julia Expert Plodogorod
09.01.2020/18/27 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Hello Olga Tomilina! If a coniferous forest is located nearby, this means that such plants will take root much better on the plots than in other conditions. The right soil and atmosphere are conducive to this. Even capricious decorative crops can be planted.
In addition, other ornamental plants may not always develop under conditions suitable for pines and spruces. After all, these crops prefer poor, drained and acidic soils.
Conifers are often used as landscape design elements. Can be supplemented with rockery ephedra, planted near the house to create shade. Planting annual and perennial small flowers under the pine trees brings the garden closer to its natural style. Many owners of plots who mainly come there for recreation like this view.
If there is a coniferous plant in the garden, especially a large enough one, you can decorate it for the New Year. With this approach, the tradition of decorating a living tree or pine tree is preserved, but the tree itself does not suffer.
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Alina
08.03.2020/00/17 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
And if a purchased Christmas tree in a pot woke up in winter and started to grow, is there any point in replanting it later on the street? Will it take root? I often hear that ate bought in a pot rarely take root.
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Julia Expert Plodogorod
09.03.2020/01/52 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Hello Alina! If the tree at home began to develop in the winter, most likely the temperature of the content was inappropriate. This disrupts the natural biorhythms of the culture, which will affect its immunity. Sometimes the described plants gradually wither and die.
Such a plant can be transplanted into open ground. Under natural conditions and a sufficient amount of space for the development of the rhizome, the tree can recover. But, a young seedling will require careful care.
Although this is a street crop, a plant that has spent the winter at home needs to be weathered for several weeks and accustomed to a new microclimate. The transplant process is best done when it gets warmer enough. For example, in April or even May.
It is important to carefully protect the transplanted coniferous plant from direct sunlight, for example, by placing a protective screen in front of the tree or using a scattering mesh. Otherwise, burns will immediately appear on the crown, and the tree will die from dehydration. For the same reason, when the culture takes root, regular watering with lukewarm water is important.
It is better to disembark by the transshipment method, having prepared the hole in advance, having laid a thick layer of drainage there. In the first month, do not feed the ephedra. Watering can be carried out not only at the root, but also by sprinkling.
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Alina
11.03.2020/00/35 at XNUMX:XNUMX |
Thanks for the tips!
Reply
Coniferous indoor plants: a miniature alternative to a living tree
That is, this flower does not grow for everyone, very watch everything. The Flower Growers of Moscow Club is 85 years old! The tasks of the section have always been approximately the same as in our time: propaganda of gardening and floriculture and attracting new members, cn Landscape design Alpine slide Vertical gardening Landscaping for a summer cottage Lawns Ornamental garden Paths, paving Drainage Hedges Stony gardens Lighting Planting trees and shrubs Designing a garden Stylistics of a garden Arrangement of reservoirs Fountains, waterfalls Flower beds Garden colors Ecological design Russian estates Gardens and parks of the world.
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