Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea Glauca Conica) Profile

Written by Maggie

The Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea Glauca Conica) is an evergreen tree, up to 30 m tall. DBH: 1 m; Crown is conical, bark gray, scaly peeling. Branches are smooth glabrous, 1-year old branches white slightly brown, 2-year old branches gray, leaf pedicle short, oblique or nearly parallel to the branch, buds ovate, apex pointed, brown. Leaf is four prismatic needles, short, 0.7 1.2 cm long, curved, apex blunt tip. The surface blowhole line is not obvious, the green, cone oval oblong, both ends of round, 5.5 -- 6 cm long, diameter 2.5 3.4 cm, greenish brown, scales broadly obovate, apex broadly rounded, have not even teeth or nearly entire, bract scale small, oblong ovoid or oblong, apex with teeth, seed obovate, 0.4 cm long, brown, white lines, wing 1.3 cm long, oval.

Dwarf alberta spruce picture

Dwarf alberta spruce info 

Botanical Name Picea Glauca 'Conica'
Common Names Dwarf Alberta spruce, dwarf white spruce
Plant Type Evergreen conifer tree
Sun Full sun; will tolerate some shade
Hardiness Zones 3 to 8 (USDA)
Flower color Non-flowering
Native Area Canada and northern U.S. The dwarf 'Conica', was discovered at Lake Laggan, Alberta, Canada, in 1904.
Mature size 10 to 13 feet tall, 7- to 10-foot spread

Dwarf alberta spruce morphological characteristics

Dwarf alberta spruce is an evergreen tree, up to 30 m high. DBH 1 m; Crown is conical, bark gray, scaly peeling. Branches are smooth glabrous, 1-year old branches white slightly brown, 2-year old branches gray, leaf pedicle short, oblique or nearly parallel to the branch, buds ovate, apex pointed, brown.

Leaf of Dwarf alberta spruce is four prismatic needles, short, 0.7 1.2 cm long, curved, apex blunt tip, the surface blowhole line is not obvious, the green, cone oval oblong, both ends of round, 5.5 6 cm long, 2.5 3.4 cm diameter, greenish brown, scales broadly obovate, apex broadly rounded, have not even teeth or nearly entire, bract scale small, oblong ovoid or oblong, apex with teeth, seed obovate, 0.4 cm long, brown, white lines, wing 1.3 cm long, oval.

Dwarf alberta spruce origin and habitat

Dwarf alberta spruce grows in moist, well-drained silty soils at altitudes of 0-1500 m, but poorly on heavy, low-lying and calcareous soils. 

Canada and northeastern United States: from the Great Lakes states and Newfoundland and Quebec in Canada in the east to the mountains and forests of Alaska in the west. Dwarf alberta spruce was introduced in Liaoning, China. 

Dwarf alberta spruce propagation 

① Sowing time. The seed of Dwarf alberta spruce should be sown in the early stage when the average ground temperature reaches 10℃, which is from late April to early May in Liaoning, China.

② Soil disinfection. Sow 1 weeks before doing a good job on the bed with 3% ferrous sulfate disinfection, or with pentachloronitrobenzene 75 kg/ha mixed with 200 times the fine sand spread after disinfection of the bed surface sowing.

③ Sowing quantity. Dwarf alberta spruce has a 1000 grain weight of 2.45 g, germination rate is 80%, and seeding rate (bed seeding) is 12-15 g/m2.

(4) Sowing method. First fill the foot water, when the soil is loose, loose, fine rake. Try to choose in the wind or wind small weather sowing, in order to seed evenly, and can be mixed with fine sand and then sow, sow after cover 0.5 cm thick river sand, with straw and other cover.

How to grow and care for dwarf alberta spruce

Light

Dwarf alberta spruce performs best in full sun but will tolerate some shade.

Soil

Grow dwarf Alberta spruce in moist, well-drained soil. It does best in soil that is slightly acid to neutral in pH.

Water

Provide Dwarf alberta spruce with water when the top 3 inches of soil becomes dry. Container specimens will need more water than those planted in the landscape.

Temperature and humidity

Dwarf alberta spruce requires good air circulation and does best in low-humidity environments. It performs best in areas with cold winters and cool summers.

Fertilizer

Young Dwarf alberta spruce responds well to mixing in a granular fertilizer around the base of the tree once a year. Mature trees require no feeding.

Pruning

Pruning is not necessary with dwarf Alberta spruce since it grows so slowly. Damaged branches should be removed whenever you find them. Pruning to shape them can be done in late winter or early spring when new growth starts to appear. Cut no more than 2 to 3 inches off the tips of the branches.

Prevention of diseases and pests of dwarf alberta spruce

In order to prevent the harm of underground pests such as grubs, trichlorfon was used in ridging.

Dwarf alberta spruce uses

Dwarf alberta spruce is grown widely in Canada for papermaking and is of major economic importance in Canada. It can also be used as a Christmas tree on a small scale. The Dwarf Alberta Spruce is also exported to Japan as Shin-Kaya, a replacement for Acer discs in Japan.

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