Korean fir (Latin abies koreana) - a representative of the pine family, genus Fir. The tree stands out among other representatives of the genus with its wide crown, which reaches a diameter of several meters. This appearance is due to the slow growth of the tree in height, but the intensive development of the stem.
Evergreen tree. The needles of the Korean representative Abies are short - up to 20 mm in length and up to 2.5 mm in width, slightly curved. She densely fills the branches in the form of flooring. In young plants, the needles are prickly and stiff, in larger plants with a blunt tip. Saturated bright green, at the base has 2 stripes characteristic of the genus.
Crohn wide pyramidal, bright green all year round.
The height of the plant in natural conditions can reach 15 meters. The trunk of a young shoot is smooth, light gray. With age, the plant turns the bark brown with a reddish tint. The diameter of the trunk of a giant living in natural conditions reaches 40 cm, for artificially grown - no more than 25 ... 27 cm, despite good care.
In the vast majority of cases, the tree has a normal developed trunk. But under adverse conditions or under the influence of other factors, the stem develops poorly, its height does not reach normal, then the fir resembles a rounded bush.
The fruits of Korean fir are purple-purple cones. Their length is about 4 ... 8 cm, diameter - up to 2 cm. They are planted vertically on a short stalk on the branches, concentrated in the upper parts of the tree and on the young ends of the branches.
Cones contain seeds that ripen by fall. By the time the seed is ready, the cone flakes open, planting material is released.
The average life span of a tree in nature is 150 ... 200 years. There are representatives who have survived the 400-year-old threshold.
Spread in nature
The birthplace of Korean fir is Korea, where it was first described as a separate species. Gained distribution in the northern hemisphere.
It can grow both in mountainous areas alone and in mixed forests. It develops well on light soils with moderate acidity or alkalinity. Does not tolerate prolonged drought.
Winter hardiness of fir is excellent, they are not afraid of any frosts.
Reproduction and care
Representatives of the genus reproduce vegetatively or by seed.
The vegetative method involves the development of new trees from existing branches and shoots that take root and take root. For artificial reproduction, young shoots are taken and germinated.
A slower way to get a seedling is to sprout the seeds. To speed up the process, you can buy in the botanical store ready-made planting stock by the age of 5 ... 10 years or find it yourself in the forest belt.
Korean fir is planted in prepared soil in early spring before buds bloom.
To populate the plants, you should choose a secluded shady place - in such conditions, seedlings better take root and develop in the first years. The plot may be open, then a young tree will require more careful care.
Drainage, fertilizer are poured into the excavated hole and a young plant is planted, leaving its root neck above the surface of the earth. For better adaptation, the seedling is constantly watered and sprayed on the crown to maintain a high level of humidity.
Caring for a young plant is to constantly maintain the desired level of humidity, timely weeding of the site and periodic top dressing with mineral fertilizers.
Despite the fact that the winter hardiness of Korean fir is high, it is better to cover a young seedling with insulating material in the first winter.
Disease
Like any plants, fir-tree trees periodically suffer various diseases:
- One of the common ailments that affects the coniferous world is hermes. This is a species of aphid that is populated by needles and draws juices from a tree. As a result, an adult tree slows down in development; for a young tree, infection can be fatal. In appearance, hermes resembles a fluffy white coating like snow (as in the photo).
Treatment - treatment with pesticides or garlic juice, green soap, ash.
- Butterfly - moth, or rather its larvae, loves coniferous plants. They eat needles until they turn into a chrysalis.
- Similar damage to the plant causes Siberian silkworm.
Description of species
Korean fir is one of the few plants that has many species and varieties bred for use in urban landscaping. Botanists around the world are engaged in breeding, which is the reason for such a number of varieties.
Korean Fir Molly
The molli tree grows to 5 ... 7 meters in height, while the crown girth reaches 2 meters. A slow growth of 5 ... 7 cm per year ensures the fluffiness of the plant. The shape of the regular cone makes fir the decoration of any garden.
The branches look up, the needles on them are densely located. The variety is characterized by a pale green color, the cones are bright and large.
Silberlock
A unique grade of fir, bred in Germany in the 19th century. The perfect symmetrical shape was awarded the AMG Award from the Royal Horticultural Society.
A cone-shaped silberlocke tree, whose height does not exceed 5 meters, while the crown girth is 3 meters, can have up to 3 vertices.
A unique distinguishing feature of the silberlock variety is its decorative needles. The upper part of the needles is dark green, the lower (visible to the eye) is silver. The silberlocke needles are curved in a spiral, which reveals the silver part, which creates the effect of frosting. For such a decorative property, silberlocks are very fond of using in the design of urban squares, at the entrances to the buildings of large companies.
Young fir silberlocke abundantly bears fruit in the first years with large cones.
Silver star
“Star” varieties of old fir are similar to silberlock - their needles also have a silver color. Star is a compact representative of fir, its height is 0.8 meters to 10 years, the maximum growth is 2.5 meters. The crown shape is cylindrical, the branches look up.
Star goes well with shrubs and low landscape compositions.
Silver show
Silver show has a more intense color of needles in white, which creates the effect of snow cover, which implies the name of the variety. The height of the tree reaches 6 meters, the shape of the crown is narrow, conical, the lower part in diameter does not exceed 1.5 meters.
A slender silver show loves a humid, temperate climate without strong winds. It is worth giving preference to an open, lit area for planting. Winter hardiness is good - the tree calmly tolerates thirty-degree frosts.
Korean diamond
A unique variety of coniferous dwarf tree. A diamond is mainly a pot plant, if necessary, planted in the ground in landscape compositions. The bush grows up to 50 cm, the diameter of the crown is up to 70 cm. The needles are soft bright green, silver or bluish on the back. A diamond has no bumps.
Blue emperor
Blue Emperor Fir is sometimes referred to as the Emperor. In fact, the plant can hardly be called majestic: the fir does not have a pronounced developed trunk, therefore it more closely resembles a spreading bush or pillow. The maximum height of an adult blue emperor is 1.5 meters.
The needles of the tree are soft, with a characteristic color: bluish with a silver tint on top, white underneath.
Blue fir is actively used in landscape design to decorate undersized compositions, in alparias, and to design gardens in the style of the East. Blue emperor belongs to the exotic species of cultivated plants.
Compact
The compact photophilous monochromatic fir belongs to low trees, whose growth reaches only 3 meters. The shape of the crown is conical. A distinctive and unique feature of the compacta tree is a long (up to 4 cm) needles, curved to the top in the form of a sickle. The crown color is silver-blue.
A tree can form up to 3 peaks. The growth is slow, only 3-5 cm per year.
Compact photophilous. To get the fir of the correct form with a silver crown, you need to plant a seedling in an open area. In the shade, the trunk is greatly extended, the needles turn green and the original decorative properties are distorted.
Green Carpet
The name of Korean fir, a variety of which was bred in the Netherlands, translates as "green carpet." It is difficult to call a tree as such - the plant does not have a central developed trunk; fir has the form of a flat shrub. The plant grows to 30 cm by 10 years, the maximum height is about 1 meter with a crown diameter of 3 m by 45 years.
The needles are short, bright green. Cones are formed in an adult bush, quickly acquire a beautiful purple color.
The winter hardiness of the Green Carpet variety is low, in the middle and gray latitudes of Russia it is recommended to cover the plant for the winter.
Oberon
A dwarf fir variety with a domed crown shape grows 1 meter high with a girth in the wide part of about 60 ... 100 cm. There is no developed trunk; an existing shoot may form a reversible shoot (crown). Such an instance extends up to 1.5 meters. Twigs are arranged evenly densely around the center, creating a pillow effect..
The fir needles are oberon green: in young shoots it is light, in adult branches - saturated dark.
Kohouts icebreaker
An interesting variety that stands out for its unusual appearance. A dwarf with a maximum bush height of 0.8 m with a crown girth of up to 1.2 m.
The icebreaker is distinguished by an interesting needles: its lower part is white, the top is green. Length up to 2 cm with a width of 2-3 mm. The needles are twisted in such a way that their lower white part opens to the eye. The needles densely sit on short branches, creating the effect of neat bundles or cones on the trunk.
A small “white” fir is planted in different landscape compositions as a color accent to the foreground.
The winter hardiness of the Icebreaker variety is high, the plant tolerates negative temperatures well.
Tundra
An interesting variety of dwarf fir trees. The crown is round, domed or pillow-shaped, formed by dense branches evenly spaced across the entire surface of the central stem. The needles are deep green in color.
The height of the plant by 10 years reaches only 0.4 m and the crown girth of 0.5 m. Fir tundra is used to create decorative group compositions or single planting. It grows equally well on open ground and in special containers.
Select
An evergreen tree, growing in natural conditions up to 15 meters. The crown is of a classical conical shape, with the age of the tree becomes more regular and accurate. Branches are arranged in frequent rows. The needles are short - up to 3 cm in length, soft.
Cones are blue-violet small, up to 3 cm in height, sitting on branches vertically.
The reviews of the owners of these trees often come down to one thing: the fir of the select variety is very similar to a Christmas tree, it is decorated instead of the traditional New Year tree. On the other hand, this species is not as prickly as spruce needles.
Aurea
In the varietal line of Korean firs there are not only silver representatives, but also golden ones. The needles of the aurea cultivar on the young shoots are distinctly golden, with the age of growing green. For this property, gardeners and designers like to use this tree as a decoration for personal plots and various botanical compositions.
The fir itself is low - up to 10 meters, the diameter of the wide part of the crown is only 3 meters. The form of gardening is conical.
To get the desired effect of golden needles, the plant must be planted in open sunny areas. This quality does not appear in the shade.
Blue standard
The tree of this grade of fir has green soft needles. Crohn is rarely symmetrical, its main form is a cone. The height of the plant reaches 8 meters, but the tree grows very slowly.
Fir decoration is standard - purple small buds that cover branches abundantly.
Taiga
Korean fir taiga is a dwarf plant widely used in landscape design. The shape of the crown is rounded, flattened with the effect of spreading. Green needles with a blue coating on the underside.
The plant grows very slowly - 0.3 m by the end of the first decade, while the crown has a diameter of 0.6 m. Fir of the taiga variety looks great in the design of flat and mountainous landscapes.