Indoor fir – care, cutting and wintering

Indoor firs need a bright, but cool location. In summer they like it bright, but without blazing sun and temperatures up to 18 ° C. In winter, the place must also be light, with temperatures between 5 and 10 ° C. These conditions can often not be offered.

In addition, the plants need a high level of humidity. The higher the temperatures, the higher the humidity must be. This is not always easy to do. Although the plant forgives care mistakes, it usually loses its beautiful appearance if it is handled incorrectly. The branches hang limply, the needles or, in the worst case, the entire fronds fall off. These deficiencies can no longer be remedied. The plant becomes bald from below. Not a pretty sight. Only good care and a suitable location can prevent this.

Prices

Firs are expensive. This is simply because they grow very slowly. I advise buying a young plant, because if it dies, you can get over the loss better. While caring for an indoor fir is not difficult, the plant is a bit of a diva in terms of location. In addition, there is the required humidity. Not many plant enthusiasts can offer that together. Our warm houses are just not ideal for these crops. The best place is probably an unheated winter garden with an indoor fountain.

location

The location is a bit tricky. Fir trees need a lot of light, but cannot tolerate strong sunlight. A south-facing window is only suitable if the window area is shaded over midday. Otherwise an east or west window is better. What the room fir cannot tolerate at all is the combination of dry and warm air.

• Bright but not in the sun
• A large north window is convenient in summer.
• No drafts
• In summer also like outdoors, but never in the sun
• Morning and evening sun is tolerated, only midday sun is to be avoided at all costs.
• The warmer a room fir is, the higher the humidity needs to be!
• Keep in a cool place in winter, but frost-free. Temperatures between 5 and 10 ° C are ideal.
• What the plant also doesn’t like is constant touch while walking by. It is better off where it is at rest and without contact.
• Always turn the planter so that the fir tree develops evenly and does not incline towards the light.

Plant substrate

The plant substrate should be slightly acidic. Flower or standard soil can be improved by adding peat. Many people use azalea at the same time. Bog bed soil is also recommended, I would think it’s too acidic. Those who can put together their own substrate. It is important that it is permeable. The indoor fir cannot stand feet that are too wet, but that is the case with many indoor plants.

• Flower or unit earth
• Weakly acidic soil – mix in peat or use bog or azalea soil
• pH between 4.0 and 5.0
• Mix the substrate together yourself – compost, bark mulch, sand and clay
• A permeable substrate is important.

plant

Fir trees grow slowly. This has the advantage that they do not have to be repotted as often. The plant shows when it is time again. The roots grow out of the bottom of the pot or the top of the ball. Be careful when repotting so as not to break a twig. With the even growth of the plant, this can always be seen immediately and nothing grows back below.

• The best time is in spring.
• Do not plant any deeper than the fir tree was before! There is a threat of stem rot.

Watering and fertilizing

The most important thing when watering is that only lime-free, soft water is used, also for spraying. The root ball should never dry out. Plenty of water must be poured in the summer. Avoid waterlogging. In winter, the watering depends on the room temperature. The cooler a room, the less water is required. Fertilization is only used sparingly.

• Pour only with soft water, preferably rainwater.
• In summer you have to water regularly and a little more abundantly.
• Standing moisture must be avoided at all costs!
• You wait between watering until the top layer of soil has dried up.
• Water significantly less in winter.
• The cooler the location, the less water is poured.
• Fir trees like to be sprayed with water. Again, only use soft water.
• Fertilize from March to the end of August, about every two weeks.
• Fir or rhododendron fertilizers are well suited, but acidic fertilizers in any case.
• Do not fertilize too much, especially not nitrogen, as this will lead to unwanted length growth. The individual “floors” of the fir tree are then too far apart.

To cut

You can cut the floor of the room, but then it’s crippled. As with other conifers, the fir tree no longer sprouts from old wood. If the plant has grown too high, it can be cut off at the top. But then she looks mutilated. So-called clipping is a suitable alternative. This means that the side branches on the trunks are removed. Disturbing branches can be cut out completely. They are removed directly at the base without leaving a stub there.

Long branches are diverted, that is, cut back a branch that is too long at the branch to a suitable shorter one underneath. The previous branch is replaced. It is important not to leave any stumps. These affect the growth habit.

Overwinter

Wintering is the most delicate part of caring for the indoor fir. The temperatures must not be too warm, then the plant becomes ailing and often it also dies. Pouring is sparse. Those who do not trust the foundry can ensure sufficient moisture in the winter quarters by spraying them regularly. Then it is enough to water the bale directly once a month. In my experience, too much water is more harmful than too little. Damage caused by dryness is easier to repair than damage caused by moisture.

• Bright and cool
• Temperatures between 5 and 10 ° C, optimally 8 to 10 ° C.
• Not below 5 ° C!
• Lots of ventilation
• Also spray in winter quarters
• Water very moderately
• The bale should stay slightly damp.

Multiplication

It is not easy to multiply. There is a lot to consider and many more setbacks. In any case, ground heat is necessary. Head cuttings still work best, but you have to look where to take them off, because a cut can usually be seen. Cutting cuttings from already diseased plants would be ideal, because it would not matter if you wanted to dispose of them, but only healthy cuttings have a chance.

• Head cuttings – difficult, in addition, the cut cuttings spoil the appearance of the mother plant. Cut under the second wreath of branches. Side shoots are less suitable because their growth is uneven.
• Cuttings do not make beautiful plants.
• Cut cuttings in winter if they are not too soft and not lignified. A cutting must have a fully developed whorl. The central bud should be sprouting.
• Remove resin from wound and immerse in charcoal powder.
• Put the cutting into the substrate. Put a bag over the vessel to increase the humidity.
• Rooting within 2 to 3 months.
• In nurseries – cultivation or meristem propagation
• Only fresh seeds are suitable for sowing.
• Ideal time – early spring
• Put the seeds individually in small pots (peat-sand mixture)
• Cultivation temperatures between 18 and 20 ° C.
• Place moistened, crushed sphagnum over the substrate.
• Do not pour! Lots of ventilation!
• Putrefaction often breaks seeds or seedlings.

Pests and diseases

There are no typical diseases and pests that occur exclusively or mainly in indoor firs. Most of the problems that can arise have to do with maintenance errors, but mostly with incorrect location.

• If the branches bend down in winter, it is too warm or too wet. The branches no longer stand up.
• If the needles fall off, the air is too dry or the bale is dried out.
• If the branches fall off, the location is too warm.
• Stem rot – progressing upwards from the base of the shoots – fir planted too deeply or kept too wet
• Thrips – to be recognized by light, small sucking spots
• Mealybugs – white wax threads and cotton-wool-like structures that occur especially on the tips of the shoots and in the leaf axils, soiling from honeydew and sooty fungi

Conclusion
The linden tree is not really difficult to cultivate, but also not that easy. You just have to be able to offer the plant the right location. The rest is not difficult then. The humidity is important and that only soft water is used. Otherwise, maintenance is very easy.

I admit, I’m not exactly a fan of the room fir. The plants always remind me of my grandparents. They had such a fir tree in the connecting room, healthy and not ugly either, but somehow never my thing. It is no different today. Retro is in, but I don’t care. For me there are so many other beautiful plants that the indoor fir cannot keep up. But I would also have difficulties with winter quarters. So I’ll save myself that.