European spruce or ordinary

It is the most widespread coniferous tree in Europe. Its height can reach 50 meters, and the thickness of the trunk can reach up to 1 meter or more. Under favorable conditions, it can live up to 400 years.

This evergreen plant has horizontally arranged branches with flattened tetrahedral hard green needles. Spruce cones look like an oblong cylinder 10-15 cm long and 3-4 cm thick. They ripen in October, but the seeds fall out in January-April. Spruce blooms and begins to bear fruit at the age of 25-30 years.

Of all types of spruce, Norway spruce is the fastest growing. During the first ten years it grows slowly, but after a while the growth accelerates and the annual growth can reach 50 cm. It has a weak root system, a surface-horizontal location. In this regard, it has a weak resistance to wind loads: a spruce can very often be seen upturned from the ground, along with its root system, after strong winds.

European spruce has a light and soft wood with a low resin concentration and a high cellulose content. In this regard, spruce is the main raw material component of pulp and paper mills. Up to 400-500 cubic meters of timber can be harvested from one hectare of mature trees. Spruce is successfully used in construction; it is used to make musical instruments, railway sleepers, telegraph poles, various handicrafts for making furniture.

Resin is collected from mature trees, from which rosin and turpentine are extracted. The bark of young trees is used for the production of tanning extracts.

Branches and needles are harvested as medicinal raw materials. The cones are harvested in summer and dried under awnings. They contain essential oils, resins and tannins. Infusions and decoctions of spruce cones are used for bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases. The needles are used in the preparation of vitamin teas and anti-zing concentrates. In case of rheumatism, it is recommended to use baths made from pine needles of this tree. The needles contain a large amount of ascorbic acid - up to 300-400 mg. In addition, infusions of kidneys or young needles have antimicrobial and antispasmodic effects.

It has already become a tradition in many countries of the world to decorate a spruce for New Year and Christmas, although many people prefer pine or fir.

Growing and care

Spruce propagates by seeds that can be planted without preparation, but pre-planting stratification can improve germination. Along with seeds, it can propagate by cuttings, which take root very quickly. You can get layering by sprinkling the lower branches with earth. At the same time, the lower branches very quickly begin to form a young root system, which is a rarity for conifers.

Caring for a planted plant is reduced to watering and weeding the near-trunk circle with simultaneous harvesting of weeds. It does not need to artificially form a crown, but you need to remove dried or broken branches regularly. Young Christmas trees require protection from severe frost and direct sunlight. In hot weather, you need to regularly spray the crown with water and water every day at the rate of 10-12 liters of water per plant.

For use in landscaping and landscaping, a decorative look is most suitable:

• Akrokona.Bred in Finland in 1890. It has broad-conical foliage 2-4 meters wide and up to three meters high. Prefers well-drained, acidic, suspended or loamy soils. It has beautiful, cylindrical cones.
• Aurea. Recommended for use in decorative group plantings.
• Aurea Nognifica. It belongs to the yellow-colored forms and is one of the most beautiful among the common spruce.
• Berry. Dwarf spruce form with a rounded crown. Known in Western culture since 1891. Strong and powerful dwarf plant.
• Clanbrasilion. Also a dwarf form that resembles a hornet's nest. Rarely grows up to 2 meters. It has been known since 1780 and has survived to this day. It is located near Belfast (Northern Ireland) in the Tollimore estate and has a height of about 3 meters.
• Nana. Has an obovate crown. It appeared in France in 1855, but the origin of the form is unknown to this day.
• Reflex. Refers to hanging forms. A very beautiful old species that can be used for soil cover. First, it forms a long central shoot, and then bends down and, as it were, spreads along the ground.