Organic Algerian fir Seeds (Abies numidica )

It is a tall tree, up to 25 m in height, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. The bark on young trees is gray and smooth, later becoming scaly, cracked with age, and brownish-gray. The crown is conical in shape, dense, and branched. Branches are directed horizontally. Shoots range from yellow-green to brown, bare, shiny. Buds are ovoid, large, dark brown, not resinous or almost not resinous.

Needles are densely arranged, 15–20 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, thick, rigid, dark green in color, with 2 greenish-white lines underneath. Tips are usually pointed, less often slightly notched.

Cones are bluish-green with a pink or violet tint, turning brown after ripening, cylindrical in shape, 15–20 cm long, 3.5–5.5 cm wide. Seeds are 12–14 mm long, with wings longer than the seed.

Hardiness zone: zone 2a (-45°C).
 

Location: shade-tolerant, but develop better in full light, requiring partial shade in the first years of life. Wind-resistant. Very demanding of high air humidity. Sensitive to air pollution by smoke and gases.

Soil: prefer fertile, moist, and well-drained soils.

Planting: in avenue plantings, spacing between plants is 4–5 m, in loose groups 3–3.5 m, in dense groups up to 2.5 m. Planting time: spring – April, autumn – late August – September. Seedlings aged 5 to 10 years take root better.

Care: 2–3 years after planting it is advisable to apply “Kemira Universal” 150 g/m² in spring. Watering of balsam fir, as a moisture-loving species, is 2–3 times per season at the rate of 15–20 liters per tree; in dry summer periods, sprinkling (spraying) with water is recommended once every 2 weeks.

Excessive waterlogging of the soil is not tolerated by firs. Loosening and mulching are mandatory in young plantings to a depth of 25–30 cm, simultaneously with weed removal. Mulching is done with sawdust, chips, or peat in a layer of 5–8 cm around the trunk circles of young plants. In spring, dry branches are removed. Crown shaping, only if necessary, is carried out in early spring before sap flow. Cultivars of subalpine fir at a young age can be shaped by cutting shoots damaged by late spring frosts at the end of May, giving the plant a more compact form.

Propagation: by seeds, which are harvested at the beginning of cone ripening. Sowing is carried out in autumn, or in spring after 30–40 days of stratification or snow storage. Seeds under normal conditions are stored for up to one year. Can also be propagated by one-year cuttings with an apical bud. Roots on cuttings form only after 8–9 months. The crown forms naturally.

Usage: grown as ornamental trees in parks and large gardens.