When growing trees, especially in limited areas, such as summer cottages, the type of their root system should be considered. This is required, first of all, in order to avoid unpleasant moments, such as the possible destruction of the foundation by overgrown roots.
Features of spruce root growth
The first 10–15 years of a tree’s life, its root system is of the rod type, after which the central root dies, and the spruce feeds mainly through roots located in a radius of 1.6–1.8 m from the trunk. Due to the shallow location of the roots, the tree does not tolerate strong winds. Most of the spruce roots, more than 80%, are in the surface soil layer, at a depth of 10 cm. The roots are very thick and intertwined.
Starting at 10 cm depth, the root system loses its density. At this level, the root volume is only 16–18% of those located above, just below the layer by the surface of the soil. In addition, in the upper layer, there are about 10 times more large roots than in the deeper (below 10 cm). At a depth of more than 30 cm and up to half a meter, there are only 2% of the total mass of spruce roots. But in the uppermost layer of the substrate (5–8 cm), the root system densely branches, is well adhered to the remains of organic matter.
Important! Do not plant spruce closer than 4 m from the house. After 20 years of life, the roots can reach 3–3.5 m in diameter, depending on the type of soil.
In total, the roots of the tree rarely reach 1.5–1.6 m. In the vertical direction, the roots develop much weaker than in the horizontal plane. They grow best in the topsoil with good air access. Small roots are small in size, there is no hair covering, the color is brown-black, and the finer they are, the darker. On top of the roots are covered with scales having a lamellar structure.
Spruce root development
If we consider the development of the root system of spruce ordinary by years, then we can draw the following conclusions:
- in the first 5-6 years of life, the root system has a rod type, grows mainly in the vertical plane;
- after five years of life, the root root turns into a small thickening, up to 18 cm long, giving processes of the first order in the horizontal direction;
- plant roots under the age of 14, on loams and gray forest soils, grow at a depth of up to 0.3 m;
- after 10 years of life and up to 14 years old, III-IV order roots begin to grow abundantly, in a radius of 0.4–0.45 m;
- by the age of five, the tree has mainly roots of the first order, by ten years, more roots of the second and third orders;
- roots of the VII order (highest) are observed in well-developed spruces, starting from the age of 14 years, their number is not more than 0.5% of the total length of the root system.
Types of root system and its size
As already mentioned, before the age of five, the root system of spruce has a rod structure. Closer to the age of ten, the root stem completely atrophies, more precisely, it transforms, overgrowing with woody bark of roots of the first order. So, from about the age of 6 years, the root system becomes fibrous type. Vertical processes penetrate the soil to a depth of 1.5-1.6 m.
Did you know? Norway spruce is quite capable of living for 3-4 centuries. Her growth by that time could reach 35–45 m.
But the system reaches such an indicator closer to 15-16 years, when the main root is no longer there. Although the roots are nearly 100% denser than the crowns, this has little effect on the radius of the system. The roots do not just grow horizontally, but begin to branch and interweave abundantly, creating a kind of ball.
In width, they also grow, but mainly, develop inside this tangle. The growth in width, especially in the upper layers of the soil, where there is good aeration, continues throughout the life of the tree. By the age of 20 years, the radius of the root system can reach 2 m or more.
How to avoid damage during transplantation
There is an opinion that it is better to grow a coniferous tree dug somewhere in the neighborhood on its own site. It is easiest to transplant a spruce taken from a nearby forest to a summer cottage. Such plants adapt better and take root faster.
Regardless of where you take the Christmas tree, at the edge of the forest (there they are the most furry), or within your own area, the most suitable for transplanting are two-year-old trees 1-1.3 m high. At this age, the root system of the Christmas tree is still not so branched and damage it when digging is more difficult.
Did you know? In Sweden, there is the Fulufjellet park reserve, in which spruce grows older than 9.5 thousand years. It is the oldest tree growing on the planet.
The procedure for digging and transplanting is performed as follows:
- Mark the north side of the tree trunk carefully. Use chalk or garden var.
- Dig a Christmas tree around a circle whose radius is not less than the length of its largest roots. To do this, start digging at a distance of 30-40 cm from the trunk, if there are no roots at a depth of 15 cm, you can narrow the circle a little. Your task is to dig a half-meter hole, if possible without damaging the root system, or causing minimal damage.
- Carefully remove the dug tree from the hole, being careful not to damage the roots, holding them. Place the dug plant in a pre-prepared piece of natural fabric of a suitable size.
- Take the top of the soil selected when digging the tree with you. This substrate will be needed when planting a plant in a new place, it will help it to adapt faster and better.
- In the new section, the bottom of the dug hole (depth - 60–70 cm, diameter - 1 m) is covered with a layer of drainage, for example, expanded clay and soil (thickness 15–20 cm) taken from the old place of tree growth. You can use as a drainage a mixture of equal parts of river sand, chipped bricks and gravel.
- The seedling should be installed taking into account the mark left on the trunk - it should be oriented in exactly the same way as in the previous place of coniferous growth.
- Spill the bottom with a solution of universal fertilizers for conifers, then plant a Christmas tree and fill the hole with the remnants of the substrate taken out from the previous place of growth.
The total mass of the roots of the spruce is almost two times greater than its crown. Due to this circumstance, in the immediate vicinity of the tree, nothing will normally grow, except for the same spruce. Sometimes, trees planted nearby (1.5–1.8 m from one another) are intertwined with roots, which facilitates their survival and better growth. Extremely cautious should be transplanted conifers, this must be done very carefully, trying to save as many roots as possible.
If you are transporting a tree from one place to another, or if the tree is outside the soil for some time, the roots must be wrapped in a dense, moistened cloth. At the same time, do not forget to keep a sufficiently large amount of soil on the roots.
Important! Near the spruce 3 m high, there should not be other plants, at least within the radius of the same 3 m.
Although the root system of spruce is quite developed and well branched, when transplanting a tree, you need to pay increased attention to its preservation. The better the roots will be after digging a tree, the sooner it will take root, will be able to grow healthy and beautiful, delighting others in a new place.
