If a fir is cultivated in your own garden, then the question arises as to how fast the tree will grow. Because then it can quickly take up a lot of space in the garden and provide shade or serve as a Christmas tree in winter.
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Fir trees – different varieties
When talking about a fir tree, a tree with needles is usually described colloquially. But even here there are some differences that should be noted. Above all, there is only one in the local latitudes that is also native here and grows naturally in the forests. This is the silver fir (Abies alba). The following firs have found their way to us through cultivation:
- Balsamtanne (Abies balsamea)
- Blue noble fir or blue fir (Abies procera ‘Glauca’)
- Gray or Colorado Fir (Abies concolor)
- Korean (Korean Abies)
- Nordmanntanne (Abies nordmanniana)
- Giant fir or coastal fir (Abies grandis)
- Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo)
Nordmann fir growth
Nordmann firs grow relatively continuously once they have been given the right location. Especially in summer the fir trees grow several centimeters taller. The following growth steps are to be observed:
- hardly at a young age
- first five years are used for growth
- then the taproots grow into the earth
- needle mass also forms
- thereafter growth rate increases
average growth
The following average growth rates apply to Nordmann firs:
- annual growth in height 25 – 30 cm
- Annual width growth approx. 15 cm
- up to a maximum height of 30 meters
- a maximum width of 8 meters
Achievable heights
The different varieties of fir trees all grow to different heights. The following achievable heights can be named:
- Noble fir up to 80 meters
- Helmlock (Tsuga) up to 55 meters
- Colorado fir up to 50 meters
- Korean fir between 10 and 18 meters
- Coast fir up to 85 meters
- Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) between 15 and 50 meters
- Silver fir between 30 and 55 meters
Slow and fast growing species
The slow-growing species include the Nordmann fir and the Korean fir. The latter can also be cultivated in a pot for its entire life. In all slow-growing species, the increase in height is less than 30 cm. But there are also fast-growing fir trees, such as the following:
- Coloradotanne
- coastal fir
- cedar
- more than 30 cm growth per year
Accelerating Growth
Anyone who cultivates one or the other fir tree knows that conifers usually grow all by themselves. They do not require any special care for this. But there are several ways to accelerate annual growth. For this purpose, the annual shoot growth is promoted as follows:
- always choose the right location
- usually shady rather than sunny
- Sun dries out the needles
- Air at the site should contain few pollutants
- So not directly on a busy road
- evenly moist, slightly loose soil
- humus soil
- Water young plants regularly
- Fertilization not required
- Conifer fertilizer still helpful for resilience
stop growth
On the other hand, it can also be the case that the fir should no longer grow because it has already become too big for the location. Stopping Nordmann fir growth is relatively difficult, but still possible. You can proceed as follows:
- with an appropriate cut
- especially in width can be cut back
- Shorten taproot
- only possible at a young age
- not affect the tree too much
