Ayan spruce: description, features of planting, care and reproduction

Ayana spruce can decorate any site. However, caring for spruce takes a lot of time and patience. Even experienced gardeners sometimes find it difficult to care for a tree. The main thing in this matter is hard work and attention.

Ayansk spruce is a long-lived tree. Her life span is up to 350 years. Some specimens live up to 500 years. The evergreen coniferous tree in the Russian climate reaches a height of 8 m by the age of 36. The maximum height is 35 m. Trees up to 40 m in height are less common.

The largest diameter of the spruce is about 110 cm. The average size of the diameter does not exceed 50 cm. The Ayan spruce has a crown in the form of a pyramid. The needles of the tree are flat and short. The length of the needles is about 20 mm. The tip of the needles is dull.

The color of the needles is very original: on top of the needles of a dark green color, below they have up to 8 rows of white small stripes on both sides from the middle. This color of the needles creates a bluish color of the crown. On branches that do not bear fruit, the needles are linear and flat.

Young shoots are yellowish or light green in color. An adult tree has bare shoots with a deep groove. The color of the shoots can be pale yellow or brownish gray. Shoots have leaf cushions that curve towards the base. Spruce buds are yellow-brown in color or light golden hue. The shape of the kidneys is in the shape of an egg or a cone. The buds do not have resin and are covered with scales with shaggy tops.

The cones of the tree are loose, pointed or cylindrical, and are particularly beautiful. Before ripening, they are purple or green in color. A little later, they become glossy and grow up to 7 cm in length. Spruce blooms up to 12 days in late spring or early summer.

The rhizome is superficial. On shallow soil, the root system tends to deepen by about 30 cm, in deep soil - up to 100 cm.

Ayana spruce prefers to grow in moist soil. An exception is swampy areas. Spruce does not grow in swampy areas. The best growing conditions are considered to be gentle mountain slopes with fertile soil. Such conditions contribute to the rapid maturation of cones and seeds. And also the tree loves dense shade. Shady terrain favorably affects the growth, development of spruce and successful self-seeding.

Young trees grow very slowly and prefer rotten soil. And also young growth does not like loamy soil and is rapidly dying from spring frosts.

The needles contain various essential oils and a large number of substances that have bactericidal and antifungal effects. And also the composition of needles includes tannins, vitamins E and K, carotene, ascorbic acid, resins and trace elements. The buds and buds eaten are also rich in essential oils. Infusions from the needles of a tree of this species are disinfected, warmed up and anesthetized.

Ayan spruce is widespread in the following parts of Russia:

• Primorsky Krai;
• Amur region;
• the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk;
• Kamchatka Krai;
• Sakhalin Region;
• Kurile Islands;
• southeastern region of Yakutia.

In the Primorsky Territory, spruce prefers to grow on mountain plains and slopes, which are located above 800 m above sea level.

It is possible to grow spruce in areas with a cold summer period.

The main distribution area for spruce in the Kuril Islands is the Kunashir region. A large accumulation of trees covers a huge area, which is the Kurilskiy nature reserve. And also the tree is found in the territories of Shikotan and in the southern regions of Iturup. Outside the Russian Federation, spruce is widespread in China, on the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, as well as in Korea.

Some experts claim that this type of spruce can grow in warm, humid places. And there is also an opinion that the tree of this species prefers slopes with dry and rocky soil.

Cones usually ripen at the end of September, in some places in August. Immediately after ripening, the buds open. Therefore, it is worth collecting seeds in a timely manner.

Ayan spruce seeds are gray, brown or black. The length of the seed is 2 mm, the length of the wing is about 0.5 cm. A thousand seeds can weigh up to 3 kg. It all depends on the area where the tree grows.

Trees that grow in a spacious area bear fruit from the age of 25. Ate growing in the forest - from the age of 50. The largest seed yields are observed in trees with an age of 170 years. The ayan spruce bears fruit every 3-4 years.

The optimum temperature for seed germination is about 25 °.

In production conditions, during preliminary sowing preparation, snowing or cold stratification is used. In this case, the seeds tend to remain viable for 3 years.

Under natural conditions of growth, reproduction is observed by rooting the lower branches. NSLater, the branches may move to autonomy. Under cultural conditions, the Ayan spruce can propagate by cuttings. For example, in the Kyrgyz region in greenhouse conditions, rooting by cuttings in summer was 50%, in winter - about 80%. And also when creating an ephedra by seed, different types of grafts are used.

Ayana spruce, as a rule, plays a more decorative role.

Some recommendations should be followed when planting and caring for a tree.

• The landing site should be shady. Spruce does not like swampy ground. Moderately moist soil is best for Ayan spruce.
• The drainage must be made of broken brick with a layer of 20 cm.
• Planting depth is up to 75 cm.
• "Nitroammofoska" is a fertilizer that needs to be fed to a tree.
• In dry times, watering is required once a week.
• The depth of soil loosening is 6 cm.
• In the cold season, young shoots are covered with spruce branches.
• It is recommended to transplant the tree in emergency cases, since after that it is sick and restored for a long time.

It should also be borne in mind that spruce can develop diseases such as ulcerative cancer or cone rust.

How to plant a spruce, see below.