Balsam fir nana planting and care in the open field

Various plants are used for landscaping the territory. Balsam fir Nana is a great option for such an occasion. This evergreen coniferous tree is part of the pine family. Its decorative properties evoke one admiration.

Description

Balsam fir Nana has a height of 23-35 m. The tree has a regular cone-shaped crown, which descends to the ground. The smooth bark is gray-brown in color. The length of the needles is 15-25 mm. The top is dark green and the bottom has whitish stripes.

Nana balsamic fir cones have an oval-cylindrical shape. They are 10 cm long and 20-25 mm in diameter. The plant has a superficial root system. The life span of a plant can be more than 200 years.

Characteristics

Balsam fir Nana has the following characteristics:

1. The tree grows slowly, fertilization, watering and sun are needed to accelerate it.
2. The plant loves moisture.
3. You need acidic or neutral loamy soils. Earthen mixtures for conifers are suitable for planting.
4. The plant is shade-tolerant, but grows in the sun and in open places.
5. It can withstand severe frosts: a special frame is installed to protect it from snow.
6. It is affected by spruce-fir hermes.
7. Planting takes place from March to November.
8. Regular watering, processing from hermes, top dressing are required.
9. Perfect for decorating small gardens, landscaping roofs, loggias, balconies.

Planting and leaving

It is better to plant balsam fir Nana in spring and autumn. In order for the plant to take root and delight in its beauty, it is necessary to plant according to the following rules:

• On heavy soils, it is necessary to arrange a drainage of 20 cm.As a rule, small crushed stone is used.
• Then a mixture of minerals and sawdust is poured out.
• The root system of the plant is established in a soil mixture of clay, leafy earth, humus, peat and sand.
• There should be 2.5 m between the trees.
• The planting pit should be 50x50 cm or 50x60 cm in size.

The root collar of the tree should be flush with the ground. The best survival rate for seedlings 5-10 years old.

Care

Balsam fir Nana is shade-tolerant and frost-resistant, which makes it easier to care for it. But in a harsh climate, due to frost, there may be freezing of the stem of the plant. The tree does not need decorative pruning, it forms an original crown on its own. Sanitary pruning can be performed, which removes old and damaged branches. The procedure is best done in the spring.

Although it is a drought-resistant balsam fir Nana, gardeners' reviews indicate that regular watering is useful for the plant. In the summer, sprinkling of the crown of the tree is necessary, which should be done every week. Due to the shallow root system, the plant is not completely resistant, it is damaged in strong winds.

After planting and for the winter, you need to mulch the near-stem section of the seedling at a distance of about 50 cm. For this, chips, sawdust or peat are used. Mulch is laid in 5-10 cm layer. The plant needs feeding 2-3 years after planting. In the spring, you need to enter 100-125 grams. "Kemiri Universal" in the near-barrel section.The mulch should not touch or cover the fir root collar.

Dwarf fir

There is a dwarf species of Nana fir. The plant is attractive in appearance, has a small size, an original crown shape and a beautiful color of needles. It is suitable for decorating areas, terraces, roofs and slopes. Single, group plantings are used, and the tree is also planted in containers.

In group plantings, plants are combined with heather, erik, rhododendrons and other flowering perennials. They look beautiful on their own. Small, conical shapes are ideal for rock gardens and stone gardens. A single tree looks great on the house plot. The view of such a territory will delight everyone.

Benefit

Fir oil is obtained from different types of fir, but the most effective are products from the Siberian and balsamic species. In Canada, the remedy is in demand as a healing balm. It has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, disinfectant properties.

The oil is used for face and hand skin care. Healing masks are prepared from it using other medicinal components. The oil is good for your hair - it will become stronger and look prettier.

In the landscape

Buttermilk looks great in the alleys. Plants are often used for hedging. The decorative properties of balsamic fir makes it attractive singly and in group plantings. Also, the plant is combined with other trees.

Under natural conditions, the plant grows remarkably in the coastal area, so it is ideal for planting near water bodies. When building a personal plot, it must be remembered that 2 varieties of plants are in demand in landscape design - Hudsonia and Nana. Wonderful decorative trees will be a real decoration of the site.

The homeland of the fir is North America, here it can be found in the swamps. It has been cultivated as a cultivated plant since 1850. The name of the fir Abies - abh in translation from the Indo-Germanic language means abundance. Fir branches are densely covered with needles and branch strongly, this is indeed an abundance of fragrant green needles.

Characteristics of nana fir

• Size of an adult tree: height up to one meter at the age of ten years, crown diameter up to two meters.
• Growth rate: grows very slowly, accelerated growth is facilitated by regular fertilization, watering and a sunny place for planting.
• The need for watering: loves moisture, does not tolerate drought, regular watering is necessary in the absence of rain. To reduce moisture evaporation, the soil around the tree is mulched, sprinkled with sawdust.
• Requirements for the composition of the soil: prefers acidic or neutral loamy soils, you can use special earthen mixtures for conifers.
• Attitude to light: shade-tolerant, but grows well in sunny, open places.
• Frost resistance: tolerates severe frosts well. To protect against breakage of branches under the weight of snow, a special frame is installed in winter.
• Pests: affected by spruce-fir hermes.
• Planting: seedlings are planted from March to November in a soil suitable for conifers in composition, avoiding sandy soils.
• Care and protection: regular watering is recommended, preventive treatments against hermes, feeding, if necessary, for young plants.
• Usage: used for decorating small gardens, landscaping roofs, loggias, balconies, alpine slides. A traditional decoration for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Ethnoscience.

This small tree, similar to a shrub, attracts with a wonderful aroma of needles, an unusual color and a neat dense crown. The shape of the crown is round or conical. Dark green fir needles have two bluish-white stripes on the underside, the middle and edge of the needles are lighter - yellowish-green in color. The height of the tree is from fifty centimeters to one meter, it grows very slowly. It reaches its maximum size in forty years. Life expectancy is three hundred years.It is grown by amateurs in the open field, in containers, in winter gardens and on the roofs of buildings.

Fir fruits are reddish-yellow cones, five to ten centimeters long.

Care features

Temperature, lighting, soil. The tree is unpretentious. Shade-tolerant, frost-resistant, strong wind resistant. Loves cool and humid places. Prefers loose, fertile soil with an acidic or neutral environment. Dislikes sandy soil and high air temperature and drought.

Watering. In the absence of rain, it requires additional abundant watering. You need to water the fir with settled water twice a week. Since the dwarf fir does not like compacted soil, the ground around the tree is regularly dug onto the floor with a shovel bayonet; for additional moisture conservation, it is mulched with sawdust or peat. It is not necessary to dig near the trunk itself, so as not to damage the root system.

Fir formation. The branches of the tree are quite strong, but with a lot of snow in winter they can break. To prevent this from happening, props are installed. Fir is very sensitive to highly polluted city air, so it is better not to plant it in an industrial area. Fir pruning for crown formation is not performed, since this does not lead to branching. The tree is formed by removing the central buds of the lateral shoots in the fall. For the winter, young plants are sheltered in severe frosts.

Pests and diseases. Fir is resistant to disease. When the plant is weakened due to unfavorable weather conditions or rare watering, it can be affected by spruce-fir hermes. This is reflected in the yellowing of the needles. On the needles of a diseased plant, you can see small black insects and white lumps, similar to cotton wool. The disease begins most often in the spring. If its signs are found, fir should be sprayed with systemic insecticides.

Planting balsam fir

Fir seedlings, grown independently from seeds or purchased from a nursery, are planted in open ground from early spring to late autumn. The best earthen mixture for planting will be a combination of three parts of clay, three parts of humus, one part of peat and one part of sand. If the land in which the fir is planted is not loose enough, drainage from rubble is placed on the bottom of the planting pit and sawdust is added.

You need to fertilize the planted tree no earlier than two years later with mineral fertilizers for conifers so that it grows better. When planting, you can also add a little mineral fertilizer. Fir planted in a container is transplanted into a large container as the root system grows. Although the plant is shade-tolerant, it loves sunlight and grows well in an open, lit place.

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) belongs to the Pine family, or Pinaceae. This common evergreen coniferous tree is popular in many countries. Currently, a large number of decorative forms of balsamic fir have been bred.

Description of the plant

Under natural growing conditions, the height of this type of fir very often reaches 23-35 m. The tree has a regular, conical crown that descends to the ground. The bark is gray-brown, smooth. The length of the needles varies from 15 to 25 mm. The needles are dull or have a slight notch at the end. The upper part is dark green, shiny, whitish stripes in the lower part. The arrangement of the needles is comb.

Cones are oval-cylindrical. Their length reaches 10 cm, and their diameter can be 20-25 mm. In the initial phase of development, the cones are dark purple in color. The plant is characterized by a superficial root system. The average life expectancy often exceeds 200 years.

Popular varieties

One of the main forest-forming species in North America at the present time - balsam fir - is gaining popularity in our country.In nature, there are about twenty varieties of this plant, including cultivated and wild forms. Dwarf, slow-growing forms of balsam fir are especially popular.

Also read: Evergreen Beauty Fir

Landing rules

Fir can be planted both in spring and autumn, but spring planting in pre-prepared pits is still preferable:

• on heavy soils, it is required to equip a drainage layer of 20 cm of fine gravel or brick breakage;
• a mixture of mineral fertilizers and rotted sawdust should be poured over the drainage layer;
• the root system of the plant should be installed on a layer of soil mixture consisting of clay, leafy earth, humus, peat and sand;
• the minimum distance between neighboring trees should be about 2.5 m, which is due to the peculiarities of the root system of the plant;
• the planting pit should be 50 x 50 cm or 50 x 60 cm.

The root collar of the planted plant must be located at the same level with the ground. The best survival rate is shown by seedlings, the age of which varies from five to ten years.

How to plant balsam fir (video)

Care features

Balsam fir is characterized by sufficient shade tolerance and frost resistance, which greatly facilitates plant care. However, in too harsh climatic conditions, under the influence of return frosts, freezing of the trunk of a fir is often observed.

The plant does not need decorative pruning at all and is able to form an attractive crown on its own. Sanitary pruning, which allows you to remove old and injured branches, is carried out in the spring, before the start of active sap flow.

Despite the relative drought resistance, balsam fir is very responsive to regular watering. In addition, it is recommended to carry out weekly sprinkling of the plant crown in the summer. It should also be remembered that the shallow root system makes the plant unstable and can be damaged by strong gusts of wind.

Beneficial features

Medicinal fir oil is extracted from almost all types of fir, but the most valuable and effective is the oil of Siberian and balsamic fir.

In Canada, balsam fir is very popular and is used as a source of healing Canadian balsam. Such a remedy has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, disinfectant, analgesic, antispasmodic, warming, antirheumatic and antiarthritic, as well as general stimulating properties.

You may also be interested in the article on the solid color fir.

Balsam fir in landscape design

Balsam fir looks very impressive and harmonious in alley plantings. Plants look great as a classic hedge. Such decorative qualities of balsamic fir, as slenderness and elegance, allow the plant to look as attractive as possible both in single and in group plantings.

Under natural conditions, fir of this type grows well on the coastal line, which makes it possible to plant a tree near natural and artificial reservoirs. When decorating a personal plot, it should be remembered that two forms of balsam fir are most in demand in landscape design, which are named Hudsonia and "Nana".

Today, among Russian consumers, it is the decorative forms of balsam fir, slowly growing, with a flat-shaped habit, which are especially popular.

For connoisseurs of unusual plants from the Pine family, we can recommend the balsamic gray Fir, or Glauca, with bluish needles, Silver Fir, or Argentea, with white needles at the ends, Variegated Fir, or Variegata, with yellow-variegated needles, or Columnar Fir.Such decorative and unpretentious plants are perfectly adapted to growing in central Russia and are completely undemanding to care for.

How to care for a fir (video)

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Balsam fir is one of the most favorite plants for decorating gardens and orchards by landscape designers and amateur gardeners. And this is not surprising. The plant has not only excellent decorative qualities, but also a surprisingly pleasant, tart, resinous and healing aroma, which helps to destroy bacteria and disinfect the air. The native land of this plant is North America, where balsam fir is the main tree of local forests.

Aromatherapists believethat this plant has an excellent property - to restore the human psyche, return a great mood and relieve depression. Balsam fir is valued by many peoples and is considered a sacred tree among them.

Description of the plant

Fir belongs to the pine family and has more than 20 varieties, which differ in appearance and useful qualities. The growth of each species can also be different. In nature, you can find both small ornamental shrubs no more than 50 cm high, and giants up to 40 meters high. Almost all types balsamic fir have a pyramidal shape and widely spread branches with lush needles.

The cones of the plant are cone-shaped, brown, brown-violet and purple. The bark of the tree is very smooth brown. In the wild, the plant reaches a height of no more than 25 meters. The upper part of the needles is dark green with light stripes at the bottom. A feature of this variety of fir is the complete absence of resin passages in the wood. They are located only in the bark, which is completely unusual for the pine genus of another type.

Most popular types

In nature, there are more than twenty varieties of plants, including decorative and cultural forms. The most popular varieties that are suitable for growing on a personal plot are dwarf slow-growing varieties:

• Kiwi is a slow-growing shrub, reaching a height of no more than 50 cm. The plant has a rounded crown and dark dense needles. The needles are small, fluffy. A young tree has a pale blue tint. This variety is perfect for growing in small stone gardens and rockeries, and is also often found in offices and homes. This plant is ideal for growing in pots.
• Nana is a small dwarf plant that grows to a height of 1 meter. The crown of the plant is quite large in girth, reaching at least 2 meters. On the trunk are spreading dense branches with dense, dark green needles. This variety of fir belongs to shade-tolerant and frost-resistant trees. It is easy to care for and plant, making it a favorite of many gardeners. Perfect for landscaping rocky gardens or terraces.
• Hudsonia is the most widespread variety in Russia. The variety was bred in the USA, where it still grows in the upper forests. This variety has dense green needles with a bluish tint underneath.
• Piccolo is a highly decorative variety that has an extremely low growth. The tree does not reach a height of more than 30 cm. Its crown has a rounded shape and dense dark green needles. An excellent plant suitable for alpine slides and container plantings.
• Green Globe is a small coniferous plant with very soft and delicate needles. Its crown does not require pruning due to its evenness and accuracy from nature. This fir is planted alone and is perfect for container planting and alpine slides.

Features of planting a plant

Balsamic fir diamond is a very beautiful tree with a lot of useful properties. But in order for it to please you with its appearance and aroma should plant it correctly and in time in open ground.

So, it is preferable to plant this individual of the pine family in the spring, and not in the fall. For this, you need to choose a shaded place, because fir belongs to shade-loving plants. It is great if there is a reservoir near the landing site.

The shrub grows well on soft, well-drained and loamy soil. It will grow on heavy soil, but for this you have to try and make a lot of effort:

1. To begin with, you need to fill in a drainage layer of at least 20 cm into the hole prepared for planting. For this, broken brick or small pebbles are perfect.
2. A layer of rotted sawdust or a mixture of complex mineral fertilizers should be poured over the drainage.
3. But it is imperative to take into account the fact that the plant, despite its great love for moisture, does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil.

Planting and care rules

In order to plant a tree on your site, you should buy seedlings at least 4 years old. The landing should be carried out closer to mid-April and the day for this should be cloudy, and even better rainy. Two weeks before landing a pit with dimensions of 60x60x60 cm should be prepared. Two buckets of water are poured into it, after which the soil must be dug up one bayonet into the depths.

A drainage layer of broken brick or small rubble is laid on the dug soil. A layer of prepared substrate is poured over it, which should fill the hole to half. It is better to prepare the substrate yourself. For this, three parts of humus, two parts of clay, peat and sand, 10 kg of sawdust, 300 grams of nitrophoska are taken. Two weeks after the soil has settled, it is recommended to start planting. To do this, the root system of the seedling must be carefully distributed over the surface of the soil. The root collar of the seedling should be level with the upper edge of the hole. After that, you need to fill the hole with the remaining substrate and compact the soil. When growing planting alleys, they must be located at a distance of at least 5 meters from each other.

Balsam fir is distinguished by its high shade tolerance and frost resistance, so caring for it is not particularly difficult. But if it is grown in conditions frequent changes in temperatures and harsh winters, frostbite of the trunk and branches is observed. Therefore, for the winter, you should cover the young growth with spruce branches. But do not forget that the plant has a superficial root system, and therefore remains rather unstable in strong winds.

Despite its resistance to drought, fir loves very much when it gets a lot of moisture and on time. In summer, it is recommended to apply the crown sprinkling method. In the spring, two or three waterings are sufficient for this purpose. After that, it is required to thoroughly weed the soil from weeds and loosen it.

After planting, as well as for the winter, it is required to carefully mulch the trunk ring with chips or sawdust. Mulch must be laid in a layer of at least 10 cm. This will help to avoid drying out of the soil, and also exclude freezing of the root system. The plant should be fed for the first time no earlier than two to three years after transplantation. In the spring, you need to add 150 grams of Kerima Universal to the trunk circle.

When mulching, do not stack a layer of mulch above the root collar. In order to get a lush crown, the beauty should be periodically trimmed. Pruning is done in early spring before the juices flow down the trunk. With scissors or pruning shears, you should carefully remove the light dried branches. Decorative pruning is carried out only for the purpose of necessity, because the crown of the tree by nature has an almost perfect shape. But the shoots should be shortened by no more than a third of the original length.

Pest and disease control

It does not take much effort to plant a fir on the site, as well as to care for it. But the plant is susceptible to diseases and pests. Most often this tree species is affected by the spruce-fir hermes, which belongs to the varieties of aphids. During the development of the insect, the needles of the plant lose color and turn yellow, over time it can simply crumble. To combat this parasite, the drug Antio or Rogor is perfect, with which you need to treat the plant in early spring. The product should be diluted strictly according to the instructions. This is done in order to destroy the surviving insect specimens after a frosty winter.

Often, the plant infects moths and leafworms, which are located in the cones and do not allow the plant to develop further, eating the needles. These pests are destroyed the same drugs as aphids.

If the tree is affected by rust, then the affected branches should be cut and burned. Needles, which have fallen, must also be removed and destroyed. All cuts must be lubricated with garden varnish, which will help protect the branches from infection. After that, the crown should be treated with a 2% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

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