The elegant and tall Fraser fir (abies fraseri) is a plant of the Pine family. The name is given in honor of the American botanist John Fraser. The ephedra is most widespread in the south and east of the United States. In 1811, it was cultivated not only in industrial but also in private gardening.
Fraser fir - features of cultivation
Brief information about the species
- Colour: green, with a bluish tint.
- Height: 15 m, sometimes 25 m.
- Crown width: circumference 5 m.
- In which regions is it growing: this coniferous culture is widespread throughout Ukraine. Suitable for cultivation in the southern part of Russia, as well as in the middle and central zone, subject to good shelter of young plants for the winter.
- Landing features: loves a sunny place. Scheme - 2x3 m.
- Immunity: good resistance to frost and disease, but this is subject to all the rules of agricultural technology.
General characteristics
A slender, beautiful and evergreen plant is used as a Christmas tree by the President of the United States in the White House.
The culture description includes several unique parameters:
- the maximum height is 15 m, in some specimens it can reach 25 m;
- the crown is conical, with a circumference of 5 m;
- the trunk is upright, thick - 40-50 cm in diameter;
- shoots are straight or at an angle of 40-45 °;
- in young conifers, the aerial part is thicker than in adults;
- the bark is grayish-brown, smooth, thin, covered with resin droplets, becomes darker with age, becomes covered with scales and cracks;
- buds are formed at the top of the branches, they are round, purple;
- needles are short - 1-2 mm long, flat, soft, green with a slight bluish tint;
- cones of different colors: unripe purple, ripe - purple-brown, 3.5 to 7 cm in size.
Growing regions
This coniferous culture is widespread throughout Ukraine. Suitable for cultivation in the southern part of Russia, as well as in the middle and central zone, subject to good shelter of young plants for the winter.
Order fir seedlings on the website of one of the nurseries. The price for one copy varies from 450 to 650 rubles.
Open ground planting rules
It is not difficult to grow a Fraser fir on a personal plot, the main thing is to choose a good and healthy planting material, plant it on time and correctly, and also provide proper care.
Selection of seedlings
It is better to buy seedlings in nurseries.
When choosing a plant for planting, give preference to a specimen in a container - they can be planted at any time of the year without the risk of drying out the roots, which occurs in conifers with an open root system.
In addition, the roots in the pot are well developed, and the earthen lump remains intact, so the risk of injury during the transplant process is eliminated.
It is better to buy in a specialized nursery, where you will get a real bush with all varietal characteristics.
Landing technique
Young fir trees can be planted both in spring (in April or May) and in autumn - in the first half of September. The second option is more suitable for regions with a warm climate, where the plants have time to take root before the onset of cold weather and do not freeze over the winter.
Choose a sunny place in the garden, where there is no stagnant water and strong winds. The plot is prepared in advance - it is cleared of the remnants of vegetation and weeds, dug up, leveled.
Planting technology consists of several stages:
- dig a hole slightly larger than the size of an earthen coma;
- a drainage layer of broken brick, pebbles or rubble is laid on the bottom;
- the dug soil is mixed with compost in a 2: 1 ratio, then it is poured into the pit up to half;
- the roots are lowered all the way to the ground, all voids are filled with fertile soil, tamped;
- grooves for irrigation are made 50 cm from the near-stem zone - the consumption per plant is 10 liters;
- to avoid water evaporation, mulch with a thick layer of peat, pine chips or sawdust.
When planting this ephedra, it is important to adhere to the rule - the deepening of the trunk should be such that the root collar remains 4-5 cm above the surface of the soil, otherwise the tree will begin to rot and die.
If a group planting is planned, it is necessary to strictly observe the scheme - 2x3 m. So young fir trees will fully develop without suffering from a lack of light, moisture and nutrients.
Care requirements
All care for this coniferous culture is not difficult and even a beginner can do it.
Watering
For the rapid survival of young plants, building the aboveground and underground parts in the first two weeks, frequent watering is required - every other day. All subsequent moistening is carried out as the soil dries out and taking into account the amount of precipitation.
An equally important care procedure is the sprinkling of the crown. Moisture-saturated shoots and needles fully reveal their decorative properties, are less damaged by parasites and develop intensively.
Loosening and mulching
The loosening procedure provides full access of water, oxygen and fertilizers to the roots. It is carried out every other day after each watering. Additionally, they weed the soil between the rows, remove harmful vegetation.
Mulching protects against moisture evaporation and prevents weed growth. Peat, pine chips or sawdust are used as mulch.
Top dressing
Fir needs to be fertilized regularly
Young fir abies fraseri requires regular feeding. The first fertilizer is applied one year after planting. Nitrogen-containing preparations are used, which promote the growth of roots and green mass.
A solution of urea, azofoska or nitrophoska is suitable - 15 g is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Consumption per seedling - 5 liters.
The second feeding with a complex mineral composition can be carried out in the fall - a month before the onset of persistent cold weather. Superphosphate with potassium nitrate - 15 g per bucket of water, will provide good winter hardiness to young ephedra and immunity against diseases.
Pruning
This plant initially develops a neat and compact conical crown, so it does not need a shaping haircut.
To protect against diseases and pests, every spring it is necessary to cut out all dried, frozen and damaged parts. To do this, use a sterile sharp object. The cut is carried out obliquely, the wounds are treated with fungicides (a solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid), then they are covered with garden var.
For better ventilation and access to light, you need to remove the branches growing inside the crown and at the wrong angle.
Preparation for wintering
The adult fir abies fraseri successfully endures the most severe frosts and snowless winters. During the first three years, young seedlings need good insulation:
- a month before the onset of frost, the near-trunk zone is mulched with peat or sawdust;
- then the branches are bent to the central conductor, tied up with twine or rope;
- cover with burlap, roofing felt or spruce branches.
The shelter is removed in the spring, as soon as the snow melts and the sun becomes less active.
Growing in a pot
Many gardeners successfully grow this crop in a pot without the need to transplant to an open area. For a year, the plant forms a young growth of about 10 cm long.
It can be planted both in spring and autumn. Planting technology is simple and even a beginner can do it.
- Use a planting container for the size of the root system - a flowerpot, pot or container with several drainage holes.
- Pebbles or expanded clay are laid at the bottom. Then it is filled with a mixture of sod land, peat and coniferous sawdust (1: 1: 1).
- An earthen lump is lowered, fertile soil is poured, tamped and watered.
Care features
The main care consists in carrying out several manipulations.
- Periodic watering during the dry season. Sprinkling the crown in the morning or evening - once a week.
- Loosening the soil after wetting to prevent the appearance of an earth crust on the surface. Mulching the near-trunk zone with peat.
- To increase decorativeness and intensive growth, before hilling, special granular fertilizers for conifers are applied twice a season - in spring and autumn.
- You do not need to do a shaping haircut. Sanitary pruning is carried out every spring - all damaged, yellowed and bare branches are removed.
Reproduction methods
Seeds can be taken from trees over 15 years old
You can propagate the Fraser fir using seeds. You can have ripe and high-quality seeds from plants over 15 years old. They germinate well in peat, mineral soil, mosses or other moist materials.
Seeds are sown in early spring before the awakening of vegetative buds. Some germinate them successfully in the fall. To grow successfully, they must undergo long-term stratification in a snow cover or in a refrigerator for two months.
Sow in seedling boxes or plastic containers filled with peat. They pull out grooves up to 1-1.5 cm deep, plant seeds, sprinkle with coniferous sawdust or sand, irrigate with warm water, cover with a transparent film.
Optimal conditions for germination:
- temperature in the range of 18-19 ° C;
- humidity at the level of 60-65%.
Germination will take several months. During this time, the seedlings need to be periodically sprayed and ventilated. As soon as the sprouts break through the ground, they remove the shelter and grow at home for another year. The transplant is carried out in early autumn according to the same scheme and rules as the planting of purchased seedlings.
Diseases and pests
Fraser fir is one of the most disease-resistant and pest-resistant conifers. But in the absence of elementary care, the plant becomes weakened and various infections and harmful insects attack it.
Spruce-fir hermes
A small parasite of light green or green color - aphids, likes to feast on young needles, as a result of which they turn yellow and crumble.
For treatment, two drugs are used - Antio or Rogor. A solution is prepared from 20 g of the substance per 10 l of water.
These same remedies help prevent aphid infestation. Preventive irrigation is carried out in early spring.
Pine cone roll
This insect eats away the growth point on young shoots, enveloping it with cobwebs. For treatment and prevention, the drug Decis or Kinmix is used at the rate of 20 g per 10 liters of water.
Preventive treatment is carried out twice - in spring and autumn.
Shoot moth
It damages young cones and seed material, therefore, when planting it, it is necessary to reject and soak in a manganese solution.
For prevention, young and adult plants are irrigated with Actellik or Decis. In case of damage, a two-time treatment with these agents is required with an interval of 7 days.
Rust
Ephedra, affected by a fungal infection, begins to turn yellow en masse, red or yellow swellings appear on the shoots and trunk. All infected organs are removed on infected plants, the cut sites are treated with Bordeaux liquid, and after drying they are covered with garden varnish.
In order to prevent it, it is necessary to avoid thickening of the plantings, use healthy seedlings, regularly loosen the soil and destroy weeds.
Fir bonsai. Landing and first formation.
Abies balsamea & Abies fraseri
Landscape use
The ever-green plant has been used for more than one year in the decoration of park areas, personal plots. Planted separately or used in group plantings.
Form a beautiful hedge with the Fraser fir. It goes well with maples, white-trunk birches, various shrubs, larch, pine and spruce.
It is popular not only in landscape design, but also in floristry for creating original compositions. When cut, shoots and needles retain their decorative effect for a long time - they do not turn yellow and do not crumble.
A grown coniferous culture in a pot can be a great decoration for New Year and Christmas.
Gardeners reviews
The slow growing Fraser fir attracts the attention of gardeners; they describe it as a catchy, unpretentious and frost-resistant coniferous tree.
Many people note that the plant is demanding on moisture and will delight with its decorative effect all year round, subject to frequent sprinkling and regular watering.
As practice shows, those specimens that were planted on sandy loam or loamy soil grow well, and if they are fed in addition, they practically do not get sick.
For beginners, this variety was attracted by several qualities - it does not require shaping pruning, it grows well in adulthood without fertilization and does not need shelter.