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Serbian spruce Nana is a dwarf variety known since 1930. The mutation was discovered, fixed and polished by employees of the Gudkade brothers nursery, located in Boskop (Netherlands). Since then, the Nana variety has become widespread and is grown in private and public gardens. It is especially popular in Europe and throughout Russia.
Description of Nana spruce
It’s probably high time to divide dwarf conifers into at least two categories – those that grow really tiny, and those that form quite large trees after a few decades. Amateur gardeners are accustomed to believing that if the name of a variety contains the word Nana, the plant will be small. But this doesn't always happen.
The description and photo of the Serbian Nana spruce at a young age show a truly charming, but not so small tree. With good care, its height in Western Europe reaches 1.5 m by the age of 10. For Russia and neighboring countries with a harsher climate and dense soils, these dimensions are much more modest - about 1 m.
But by the age of 30, the Serbian Nana spruce can stretch up to 3 m (in European countries - up to 4-5 m) with a crown diameter of 2 or 3-4 m, respectively. Over the course of a season, the crop adds 5-15 cm in height, and increases in width by about by 5 cm.
The shape of the crown changes with age. Spruce trees are considered young up to 10 years old. At this time, the Nana variety has a rounded-ovoid crown, very dense, with a weakly defined leader. By trimming it you can form a ball, a cone, placed on the blunt end of the ovoid. An adult tree gradually becomes more loose, broadly conical, with a pointed top.
The branches of the Serbian Nana spruce are hard and short, densely pubescent. The length of the needles is less than that of the species plant, and is 7-8 mm, width - 1.5 cm. The color of the needles is yellowish-green on top, blue on the bottom, which creates an interesting visual effect.
Cones are formed infrequently, but their occurrence cannot be called very rare. They are 3-6 cm long and spindle-shaped. As you can see in the photo of the Serbian Nana spruce on a trunk, at first the color of the cones is purple.
Then they change color to dark brown. The bark of the Serbian Nana spruce is flaky, reddish-gray. The root system is superficial. The trees are believed to live for more than 100 years.
Use in landscape design
Conscientious manufacturers do not release conifers under 4 years of age for sale. This should be remembered by those owners who are engaged in the design of the site themselves, without the involvement of landscape designers. As well as the fact that by the age of 10 the Serbian spruce Nana will stretch to 1-1.5 m, then it will grow faster, and will soon take its place among the medium-sized trees, although it is considered a dwarf.
So, Serbian spruce should be placed in flower beds and ridges with small plants only if they are expected to contain a large tree. Or when the owners like to constantly change and move something. But still, you need to take into account that after 10 years, spruce trees should be replanted only as a last resort. However, by this time the Nana variety will have already formed a rather large tree, and moving it from place to place will be problematic.
This Serbian spruce is inappropriate in rock gardens and rock gardens, since when replanting you will have to destroy the entire composition, dig up the plants and turn out large stones. Unless the ensemble was originally composed of large cultures.
Serbian spruce Nana will look harmonious in large and small landscape groups and single plantings. It is planted in alleys and at the front entrance. Can be used as a “family tree” or decorated for the New Year.
Planting and caring for Serbian spruce Nana
Serbian spruces are not as decorative as Canadian or prickly ones, but they behave much better in Russia - they take root faster, are less likely to get sick and affected by insect pests, and require less care. But they cannot be left completely unattended. Serbian spruce is not intended for low-maintenance gardens and areas rarely visited by the owners (unless a gardener will look after the plants in the absence of the owners).
Preparing seedlings and planting area
The plant is shade-tolerant, but forms a thick, dense crown in an open sunny place; it prefers loose acidic or slightly acidic loams.Serbian spruce Nana does not tolerate stagnant water, but its root system is superficial, so it will grow where other tree crops feel good. It is enough not to place it in hollows and grooves, on constantly soaking dense soils.
It is not necessary to completely change the soil in the planting hole. It can be improved by adding:
- high-moor peat to neutral or alkaline soil, and the higher the pH, the more;
- clay is introduced into light sandy soil;
- on dense soils, a larger drainage layer is made and the structure is improved with leaf humus, red peat and turf soil.
Depending on the age of the Serbian Nana spruce, it is necessary to add from 100 to 150 g of nitroammophoska to each planting hole.
When choosing seedlings, preference is given to those grown in a local nursery. You can buy them either in plastic containers or with a burlap-lined earthen lump.
The substrate and earthen ball covered with burlap should be moist.
Standard trees are grafted, the vast majority of them come from abroad. Particular attention should be paid to the place where crops grow together. The graft should heal well and not even show signs of damage: discoloration, cracks, wounds, rot or unknown plaque.
The needles should be carefully examined to identify pests and signs of disease, damage to the bark or branches. The needles must be of a characteristic color for the crop and flexible. The presence of needles on 3-year-old branches is an indicator of the health and quality of the Serbian Nana spruce. You cannot buy a tree if at least some of the needles on the shoots have dried out at the age of 1-2 years. Even the red tips of Serbian spruce needles are a sign of trouble, perhaps critical.
Landing rules
You can plant container Serbian Nana spruces at any time, but in the south in the summer it is better to refrain from this. If possible, the operation is carried out in warm regions from the beginning of autumn and throughout the winter. In cold weather, planting is best done in the spring.
You need to prepare a pit for the Serbian Nana spruce no less than 2 weeks in advance. It’s even better to dig it up in the fall for spring planting and vice versa. The diameter of the hole should be 1.5-2 times the size of the earthen ball, the depth should be the height of the container or earthen ball plus 15-20 cm for drainage and approximately 10 cm for adding soil. You can make it larger, but smaller is undesirable.
Before planting, part of the soil is removed from the hole and set aside, a seedling is installed in the center, carefully measuring the position of the root collar of the Serbian Nana spruce. It should be flush with the ground surface or slightly elevated. When filling the earthen lump, the substrate is constantly compacted. Serbian spruce is watered and mulched abundantly.
Watering and fertilizing
Soil moisture is of greatest importance for a newly planted plant. Watering is carried out regularly, not allowing the soil to dry out, but so as not to drown the Serbian spruce in water. In this case, there is a high probability of root rotting.
An adult tree is watered less frequently, spending at least 10 liters of water per meter of growth. The top layer of soil should dry out a little between moistenings. In hot summers, watering may have to be done every week.
Irrigation of the crown is of great importance. From time to time, and in the hot summer - every day, Serbian spruce needs to be doused with water. If there is a fog-forming installation on the site, there is no need to carry out the procedure.
Serbian spruce Nana needs to be fed with special fertilizers for conifers. All substances there are selected in accordance with the requirements of the culture. They produce two types of fertilizers: spring fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for late summer and early autumn.
Serbian spruce Nana absorbs trace elements better through the vegetative organs. Therefore, no more than once every 2 weeks it should be sprayed with a well-soluble fertilizer for conifers, or even better, with a chelate complex. It is useful to add magnesium sulfate, epin or zircon to the balloon.
Mulching and loosening
The first two seasons after planting, the soil under the Serbian spruce Nana needs regular loosening. Its branches lie on the ground, so you will have to do this by carefully lifting them with your hands.
Then it will be inappropriate to carry out the procedure. The sucking roots come close to the soil surface and are easily damaged. The soil under the Serbian Nana spruce is mulched with acidic peat or pine bark sold in garden centers. This way the branches will not come into contact with the ground, moisture will be saved and a microclimate beneficial for conifers will be created.
Trimming
The Serbian spruce Nana has a beautiful and symmetrical crown. You don’t have to specially shape it. In a young plant, sanitary measures are replaced by cleaning and sprinkling. When the Serbian spruce stretches out and its crown becomes sparse, you will have to remove all dry, broken branches with pruning shears every spring.
If necessary, you can trim the crown.Serbian spruce trees tolerate shearing well. But if you plan to give it some exotic shape, you should start “raising” the tree as early as possible.
Crown cleaning
The photo of the Serbian Nana spruce shows that at first its crown is dense, but with age the trees become tall and more sparse. Cleaning is most important for young plants. Inside the crown, the needles without access to the sun and an influx of fresh air quickly dry out, become dusty, and spider mites appear and multiply there. True, in this regard, Serbian Spruce is not as problematic as Canadian Spruce.
If you move the branches apart every spring, carefully clean off old needles and dry twigs, and regularly sprinkle, the crop will not cause any special problems. And the operation itself will not take much time.
Sun protection
Young Serbian spruce trees need to be protected from direct sunlight from mid-February until the buds begin to open. At this time, active evaporation of moisture occurs from the upper part of the plant, and the roots are still at rest and cannot compensate for the lack of water.
This should be done only in sunny weather, throwing burlap or white non-woven material over the Serbian Nana spruce.
Preparing for winter
Serbian spruce Nana overwinters without shelter in zone 4. Only young trees need to be protected from frost in the first year after planting. To be on the safe side, in cold regions they make shelter for the second winter. To do this, Serbian spruce is wrapped in white spandbond or agrofibre, secured with twine, and the ground is covered with a thick layer of acidic peat, which is embedded in the ground in the spring.
Then in zone 4 and warmer regions they limit themselves to mulching. Where winters are traditionally harsh, Serbian spruce is covered until it is 10 years old.
Reproduction
Serbian spruce is propagated by grafting only in nurseries to create beautiful standard trees. Amateurs cannot do this.
The Nana variety sometimes produces cones from which seeds can be obtained. It is not difficult to germinate them; it is much more difficult to bring the seedlings to transplant to a permanent place. In addition, it is not a fact that the seeds will grow into spruce trees that inherit varietal characteristics. In nurseries they begin to be culled starting from the second year of life.
Until the Serbian spruce acquires a marketable appearance, it is replanted several times from place to place, and besides, the percentage of varietal trees will be low. Growing conifers from seeds requires not only certain skills, but also sufficient space and large labor costs. For amateur gardeners, doing this makes no sense.
You can propagate the Serbian Nana spruce yourself by cuttings. But the process is also not easy, there will be many attacks. It’s especially disappointing when a plant dies 2-3 years after the cuttings take root. But this happens often, and not all spruces will survive to be planted in a permanent place. You just need to be prepared for this.
Cuttings can be taken from the Serbian Nana spruce all season, but it is better to do this in the spring so that they have time to take root before the cold weather and cause less trouble. The shoot is torn off with the “heel” and freed from the lower needles. After using a stimulator, they are planted in sand, perlite, or a peat-sand mixture.
Keep at high humidity of the substrate and air in a cool place, protected from the sun. When the cuttings of the Serbian Nana spruce take root (after about 2.5-3 months), they are transplanted into a more nutritious mixture.You can take equal parts of sand and leaf humus or a purchased substrate for conifers. Holes are made in the cups for water drainage and drainage is installed.
In this way, you will have to grow the cuttings of the Serbian Nana spruce until the seedling begins to branch.
Diseases and pests
Serbian spruce is considered the healthiest among the representatives of the genus. But this does not mean that you can ignore preventive treatments, or not deal with the health of the tree at all.
The most common pest on the Serbian Nana spruce is the spider mite, especially if sprinkling is carried out rarely. The appearance of an insect will not lead to the death of the tree, but will significantly reduce its decorative effect. Other pests of Serbian Nana spruce:
- caterpillars of the Nuns butterfly;
- mealybug;
- spruce budworm;
- aphids;
- hermes;
- sawyer
When pests appear, Serbian Nana spruce is treated with insecticides.
Among the diseases that can be treated with fungicides are:
- Schutte snowy and ordinary;
- rust;
- rot;
- traumatic cancer;
- fusarium;
- necrosis.
To reduce the damage caused to the Serbian Nana spruce by diseases and pests, treatment should be started as early as possible. To do this, the tree is regularly inspected by spreading the branches and using a magnifying glass.
Reviews of Serbian spruce Nana
Conclusion
Serbian spruce Nana is an unpretentious tree that decorates the site in summer and enlivens the dull landscape in winter. Even a novice gardener can take care of it without experiencing any problems.
