Fir
Abies nordmanniana
Also known as: Caucasian fir, Nordmann fir
Widely used as a Christmas tree in Europe. In a pot it gets through the holidays fine if it spends only a few days indoors, away from heating, with moist soil.
- Type
- Tree
- Where
- Indoor and outdoor
- Light
- Sun · Part shade
- Water
- Moderate water
- Cold
- Very cold-hardy
Where to put it
In sun or part shade. In the wild it grows in damp mountains, in deep, cool, fertile soils with good drainage, and it doesn’t like clay soils. Over the years it becomes a very large tree: it can grow over 30 metres tall and 4 metres wide. Bear that in mind before planting it.
Watering
The roots should never dry out, but they shouldn’t be waterlogged either. While it’s indoors, check the soil often.
At Christmas
A fir in a pot is a living tree, and a dormant one. The less time it spends indoors, the better: a few days, and never more than a week or ten days, because in the warmth it starts to wake up and then finds it harder to go back outside.
Until you bring it in, leave it outside in a cool, sheltered spot. Indoors, keep it away from heating, the fireplace and draughts. If you put lights on it, make them small LEDs, and don’t load it with decorations. When you take it out, leave it in a protected spot for at least a week before planting it or putting it in its permanent place.
Pruning
It doesn’t need pruning.
In our climate
It’s a mountain tree, and hot, dry summers like the ones in our area don’t suit it. If you plant it, take it out of the pot, loosen the roots a little, water it well and cover the soil with a mulch to keep it moist. In summer, make sure it never goes short of water. If you’re looking for a garden tree that can also be your Christmas tree, ask us.