What to plant next to a spruce: fruit and ornamental crops

Spruce is a powerful plant that needs a lot of water and nutrition. Even low-growing specimens need space and regular fertilization. In such a situation, the question of neighborhood with other crops becomes acute.



Some novice gardeners dream of planting a spruce on the site to admire it all year round, and in winter to decorate it for the holidays. But before buying a seedling, you need to carefully think about the place for planting, since spruces grow quickly and uprooting them later is not easy.

It should be remembered that spruces prefer diffused light, moderately moist, slightly acidic and fertile soils. The root system of plants is mainly superficial, so they do not like drying out of the soil, severe frost and deep loosening.

Why is neighborhood with spruce dangerous for other plants? A young neat spruce is still quite harmless. But as the roots and crown grow, it begins to absorb more and more moisture and nutrients from the soil, gives shade that many garden crops cannot tolerate, releases substances into the soil and air that inhibit the development of other plants, acidifies the soil. However, it is not at all necessary to leave the spruce to grow in proud solitude.
 

Without sufficient sun, moisture and nutrition, neither apple nor pear will bear fruit well, so such plants are traditionally planted in the best places from the point of view of gardening. And the presence of spruces nearby is usually not welcomed, because fruit crops do not tolerate acidic soil, are very sensitive to lack of mineral and organic substances. And if the spruce grows and gives dense shade, they will even begin to wither from lack of light.

However, there are plants that will normally tolerate such a neighborhood. But, of course, provided that a minimally acceptable distance is observed between them, taking into account the size.

To calculate the distance from the spruce seedling to the nearest fruit crop, you should add about 1-2 m to the height of the spruce in adulthood.

So, next to the spruce it is allowed to plant:

These plants are a little less demanding than apple and pear, they can tolerate partial shade within reason. You just need to choose the most unpretentious, zoned species and varieties.

Serviceberry, aronia, viburnum almost do not require care and are able to provide themselves with everything necessary thanks to the peculiarities of their structure and strong immunity.

It is better to choose stone fruit trees on vigorous rootstocks, whose roots go deeper into the ground.



If it is necessary to plant apple or pear trees nearby, the selected area should be fenced off from the roots of the spruce so that the fruit plant has time to build up the volume of roots and above-ground mass and in the future can more calmly compete with the spruce for vital resources.

For this, the planting pit is made larger in size and its walls are reinforced with strong geotextile. In such conditions, the plants will need regular care, including fertilization, watering and control of soil acidity.

The older the spruce on the site, the less likely fruit plants will take root well next to it. The best result will be given by simultaneous planting of young crops. It is advisable to study the composition of the soil before planting and, if necessary, improve it. During planting, fertilizers should be applied to the pit taking into account the needs of the selected crop.

Planting fruit crops next to a spruce is fraught with risk. If, despite all precautions and good care, the plant cannot withstand the neighborhood with the spruce, it should be transplanted to a more suitable place.
 

The same principle works here as with fruit crops. As "neighbors" for spruce, you need to choose unpretentious crops that can either "fight" with it for resources, or will not become its competitors at all.

First of all, attention should be paid to other conifers – thuja, pines, junipers, firs, hemlocks, etc. In addition to the fact that they coexist quite well with spruce, they can become the basis of very effective compositions, in which it is easy to combine crops of different heights, shapes, needle colors.

However, it is important to remember that diseases/pests are often common in conifers. Therefore, such plantings must be regularly treated with biological preparations. For diseases, Fitosporin-M and others are used. For pests – Fitoverm and others.

As for ornamental foliage crops, the choice is also quite large. So next to the spruce, plants that like acidic soil will develop well, for example, hydrangea, rhododendron, heather. But it is better that the spruce is not too tall.

You can also plant next to the spruce barberry, spirea, ninebark, forsythia, dogwood, viburnum Buldenezh, snowberry, decorative willow, elderberry, ornamental honeysuckle, euonymus, mountain ash. But for birch, bird cherry, rose and lilac, spruce is a "bad neighbor".

Green and blue spruces look beautiful next to ornamental shrubs with bright colored leaves.



Among perennials, preference should be given to shade-loving and shade-tolerant ones that normally tolerate acidic soil, for example, ferns, lilies of the valley, ornamental horsetails, mosses.

At a short distance from the spruce, you can safely plant unpretentious ground cover flowers: periwinkle, bugleweed, saxifrage. Among primroses, the most favorable neighborhood with spruce will be noble liverwort, true primrose, scilla.

In a composition with conifers, it is also allowed to include iris, lily, daylily, astilbe, peony, hosta, clematis, heuchera, delphinium, phlox, chrysanthemum. Among annuals – marigolds, viscaria, escholzia, gypsophila, godetia, calendula, nasturtium.

And can cereals be planted next to spruce? Quite! Neighborhood with conifers will be well tolerated, in particular, miscanthus, fescue, wheatgrass, sedge, reed grass.

For ornamental plants to feel good next to spruce and other conifers, it is important not to forget about regular watering and fertilization, mulching, sanitary pruning and professional treatments against diseases and pests.

And, of course, you should not plant plants directly under the crowns of spruces. It is necessary to observe distance and not forget about a sense of proportion. It is also useful to find out the composition of the soil on the selected bed in advance and, if necessary, increase its fertility.

Vegetables, greens and spicy herbs are not planted next to spruce, because these plants need special conditions for good growth and fruiting.

Solitary planting of spruce on a garden plot of standard size is not always possible. But there is no particular need to isolate the plant from other garden crops, because with competent planning it is allowed to plant fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, and various perennials/annuals next to spruce.