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Fir is widely known in much of the world as the quintessential Christmas tree. Currently it is very common to choose artificial trees such as Christmas fir for many reasons, but there are still many people who do not conceive of these holidays without having an authentic natural fir.
This need not be a problem if the proper conditions are met. Caring for a fir tree so that it lives not only throughout Christmas, but for many years to come, is perfectly possible. If you want to learn what the fir care In order to keep it healthier, stronger and more beautiful every year, join us in this Green Ecologist article.
Fir characteristics
The common fir receives the scientific name Abies alba, although in reality we can find a large number of varieties and species of trees that are marketed as firs or Christmas trees, most of them of the genus Abies.
In all cases, they are trees of the Pinaceae family, which are trees with pineapples originating in the mountains of europe. They can reach great heights, sometimes up to 50 or 60 metersAlthough the firs that we find as Christmas trees are, of course, much smaller. They are pyramidal trees, with a columnar trunk of whitish bark that darkens with age.
The leaves are linear needle-shaped although they do not puncture and they are perennialHence its success as a Christmas tree. Spruce blooms in spring, usually around April in the Northern Hemisphere, with cones that are ready for the following fall.
How to choose a fir tree for Christmas
When looking for a natural fir to celebrate the Holidays, we will always want the tree to survive Christmas so that it can be with us for many more years. This is not possible indoors, but transplanting it to the garden or taking it to a large enough pot and outdoors, it is perfectly possible to enjoy a fir tree for as long as we want.
However, there is a very important point to achieve this: choose the tree that is acquired well. Many marketers tend to sell Christmas fir trees that have been carelessly cut down at the roots, so it will be impossible to make them last beyond the Holidays. To avoid this cruel practice it is important to ensure that always buy fir trees with their roots properly extracted, which retain a root ball that allows replanting them without problems. In addition, many sell them already planted in a pot more or less big.
Climate and location for fir
This tree comes from mountainous and moderately cold climates, so it is not difficult to understand why the heat inside our homes does not suit you at all. In addition, the tree tends to undergo a drastic change when it is acquired at Christmas, going in an instant from low street temperatures to around 20 ºC that most homes maintain.
Fir needs a temperature as cool as possible, in a well-lit area, ideally with direct sunlight near some window. It is especially important to keep it away from heat sources, such as air conditioning or heating radiators, which quickly dry the fir.
It is also an important detail, in this sense, to emphasize that if Christmas lights are used on the tree, they must always be LED lights so they don't produce heat. Even traditional small light bulbs radiate heat, and this will be especially stressful and damaging to natural fir.
Finally, if after the Holidays it is transplanted to a larger pot, outdoors, a container with many drainage holes and a good depth should be used, since the fir roots develop considerably downwards. Another option, and the best if we really have it, is plant the fir in the ground of the garden or field, where it will grow a lot.
Irrigation of the fir
Fir requires a constant amount of moisture, so irrigations must be very frequent but not too abundant. The ideal is to maintain a certain level of humidity in the substrate, always avoiding puddles and accumulations of water that would damage the roots.
Water it every day if you have it inside, without flooding and making sure to remove the excess water from the dish ten minutes after you have watered it. Outdoors, with a colder and more suitable temperature and environment, it will need much less watering, although in summer it will be necessary to increase the frequency again.
It is also advisable to spray water on its leaves once or twice a day to combat the dryness that heating homes causes in winter, even if the tree is away from heat sources.
Soil for fir
These trees need well-drained soils that protect them from waterlogging that their high need for humidity could cause, in addition to a good amount of nutrients. Ideally, prepare a mixture with equal parts coconut fiber, peat and worm castings, to which you can add perlite and vermiculite.
In the garden, it will be enough to find an area with good drainage and add worm castings, vermiculite and perlite to the soil, to enrich it sufficiently. Both as well as in a pot, it will be enough to add vermicompost to the surface layer in spring and summer to renew its supply of nutrients.
If you want to read more articles similar to Fir tree care, we recommend that you enter our category of Cultivation and care of plants.
