The sugar loaf spruce originally comes from North America, but it also feels at home here. In addition to cultivation in the garden, planting in containers is also possible.
A spruce tree in the garden - only a few can fulfill this dream? Far from it, because the sugar loaf spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') even fits on the balcony or terrace. The small trees can also be cultivated in buckets. With its pyramid-shaped growth, the conifer is extremely attractive and it is not uncommon for the sugar loaf spruce to dress up festively at Christmas time. The care of the plant, which comes from Canada, is uncomplicated, because the mini trees are very well adapted to our climate.
Origin
The sugar loaf spruce descends from the white or gray spruce (Picea glauca) from North America. This spruce reaches heights of growth of up to 50 meters and would not be an option for the allotment garden. At the beginning of the 20th century, much smaller gray spruces were sighted on Lake Laggan in Canada. Sugarloaf spruce was later bred from this natural mutation of white spruce.
Small description of plants
The dwarf form of the Canadian Picea glauca belongs to the pine family. The sugar loaf spruce grows slowly and only after about 30 years does the little tree reach its final size of around four metres. The conifer grows about eight centimeters every year. This is the ideal little tree for smaller gardens, the terrace, the balcony or the entrance area of the house.
The growth is narrow and upright. A dense cone is formed, reminiscent of a sugar loaf. The needles appear dense and are about an inch long. While the young needles present themselves in a refreshing shade of green, the older plants turn a blue-green colour.
The sugar loaf spruce is dioecious. The female as well as the male flowers form cones. Unlike firs, spruce cones grow strictly downwards. As the seed matures, the cones fall off and begin to germinate when they encounter ideal soil conditions.
| Sugar Loaf Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica' ) | |
|---|---|
| Growth Speed: | 5 - 10 cm a year |
| Growth: | 300 - 400 cm |
| Growth: | 180 - 200 cm |
| Root system: | Shallow roots |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | normal garden soil |
Plant sugar loaf spruce
Find a suitable location
Sugar Loaf spruces are quite demanding when it comes to location. A sunny to semi-shady location alone is ideal. There should be no plant neighbors in the immediate vicinity. If the mini trees feel under pressure or are touched by other plants, they react by turning their needles brown.
Tip: Damage to the touched areas can usually no longer be repaired. The sugar loaf spruce also does not like "touching" fences or walls.
An open and sunny location is ideal. Sugarloaf spruces look very decorative in a heath garden or rock garden and enrich the sunny front yard.
Select ideal substrate
The sugar loaf spruce is native to the mountainous regions of Canada. There is a lot of precipitation here. Therefore, the plant wants a slightly moist and loose soil. It is important to ensure that the moisture can drain off easily. You should avoid waterlogging, because this does not suit the plants.
If the garden soil has the properties mentioned, the sugar loaf spruce will feel at home in normal substrate. The nutrient requirement is rather low. A neutral to acidic soil is acceptable. You should loosen up a garden soil that is too heavy. To do this, mix it with sand or gravel. This increases permeability.
Planting - step by step
1. Choose a location2. Prepare the soil
3. Water the plant
4. Dig a generous planting hole
5. Upgrade the soil6. Create drainage
7. Insert plant
8. Fill up substrate
9. Firm the soil
10. Water the plant generously
Conifers are best planted in autumn. Sugarloaf spruces are commercially available in containers and can theoretically be planted on any frost-free day of the year. The wood should first be placed in a bucket with water. This allows the root ball to soak up enough liquid before planting.
The planting hole is to be laid out generously. Approximately twice the circumference of the root ball is assumed. Before planting, there is an opportunity to upgrade the excavation accordingly. Will the earth in a wheelbarrowgiven, it can easily be mixed with compost there.
You should improve heavy clay soil by mixing it with sand. In order to ensure better drainage of the liquid, drainage made of sand or gravel can also be installed in the planting hole.
The planting can be designed in many ways. Gardens where geometric shapes predominate benefit from the sugar loaf spruce, as do rock gardens and heather gardens. These conifers are also used in the design of front gardens or graves.
Warning: The urban climate is often less beneficial for the sugar loaf spruce.
Special features of pot planting
If you want to cultivate the small and slow-growing tree on the terrace or balcony, you can plant the conifer in a bucket. Here, too, attention must be paid to the unique position. The planter should be reserved for the sugar loaf spruce. In addition, the bucket should get a sunny and free location.
Make sure the planter is big enough and has enough drainage holes in the bottom. Since potted plants often suffer from waterlogging, it is still necessary to check the water level in the planter more frequently. But also make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Warning: If excessive moisture causes the roots to die, the plant can no longer be saved.
Caring for sugar loaf spruce
Water properly
Watering should not be neglected, but still be done with care. The plants do not like dry soil. Waterlogging is not tolerated either. This results in moderate but regular watering. Watering is especially important on hot summer days. Even in winter, the plant should not dry out and should be watered on frost-free days.
Fertilize correctly
When planting, it makes sense to enrich the substrate with compost. This provides the plant with sufficient nutrients for the first few months. A layer of mulch prevents the substrate from drying out on hot summer days. Young plants in particular should be cared for accordingly.
Tip: During the growth period you can fertilize with a commercially available liquid fertilizer for conifers.
Pruning sugar loaf spruce?
A cut is not necessary. The sugar loaf spruce develops its pyramid-like growth all by itself. Inexperienced hobby gardeners can use theDwarf spruce even do more harm than good. Holes or bald spots form that are difficult to repair. Only wild shoots should be removed.
If brown discoloration has occurred due to contact with plants and walls, drought or waterlogging, the affected needles should be removed.
Transplant sugar loaf spruce
It is often necessary to transplant the plant because the location was not chosen carefully. If the sugar loaf spruce reacts with a brown discoloration of the needles, although there are no watering errors, a change of location should be considered.
It may happen, for example, that the plants in the vicinity have grown too quickly and come into contact with the sapling, or that the sugar loaf spruce itself has grown and is now bumping into walls, fences or other plants.
A suitable free location should be found. If this is not the case in the garden, the plant can also be transplanted into a bucket. Transplanting takes place as described in the planting and is possible at any time.
Important planting and care tips at a glance
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Select Location | • sunny to semi-shady • bright • no direct plant neighbors • free-standing |
| Prepare substrate | • permeable • neutral to acidic • slightly moist • no waterlogging |
| planting | • Water the plant • Create drainage • Dig a large planting hole |
| Casting | • water regularly • soil should not dry out • waterlogging is not tolerated |
| Fertilize | • Composting in spring • Liquid fertilizer for conifers |
| Cut | • natural growth habit • pruning not necessary • remove wild shoots at the base |
Propagating sugar loaf spruce
Propagation can be done by cuttings. Cuttings are taken from mature shoots and rooted.
How to proceed:
1. Cut the cutting
2. Remove the needles in the lower area
3. Place the cutting in the ground
4. Wait for rooting
After cutting, the cuttings can be planted directly in the ground or rooted in pots.
Detect diseases and pests
The sugar loaf spruce is more frequently attacked by the red spider. Most often, the infestation occurs in high heat and when the plantbeen too dry for a long period of time. Pinewood spider mites can also cause damage to conifers. The hobby gardener recognizes a white web that surrounds the shoots. Less frequently, an infestation with spider moths or spruce gall lice is possible.
If the needles turn brown, the spruce tube aphid could be the cause. The needles brown from the inside out. A severe infestation will usually not be remedied by chemical pesticides either.
Overwintering sugar loaf spruce
The sugarloaf spruce is native to harsh Canada. Therefore, our winters are not a big problem for the conifers. It is important not to let the plant dry out even in winter. Water moderately on frost-free days.
Potted plants receive winter protection, as the pot quickly freezes through and the root ball can then no longer absorb moisture and nutrients. The plants are watered as usual throughout the winter.