Chilean silver fir, Araucaria araucana - care from A-Z

The Chilean silver fir is one of the oldest plants on earth. Their cultivation prevented extinction. The not very easy to care for fir is also becoming more and more popular in the local latitudes because, in contrast to the well-known domestic fir, it has particularly beautiful needles. Since it is only partially hardy, it can be cultivated either in the garden bed or in the tub. Everything that Araucaria araucana needs in terms of care is explained in the following article.

Characteristics

• Other names: Andean fir, shingle fir, snake tree
• Genus: Araucarias
• Fossil finds of related species: up to 90 million years old
• Height: 30 to 40 meters, sometimes 50 meters
• Growth form: conical and upright, recognizable layers on the branches
• Trunk diameter: between one and two meters
• Tree diameter: between two and four meters
• Growth: very slow, no more than 30 cm per year
• Flowers: only from the age of thirty
• Flowering period: July and August
• Cones: upright and spherical (female), hanging and cylindrical (male)
• Seeds: edible
• toxic: no
• Age: up to 2,000 years in the wild
• Bucket cultivation: is possible
• hardy: only to a limited extent, tolerates little frost
• Substrate: light, medium to heavy
• Soil moisture: water regularly, avoid waterlogging
• Humidity: ideal
• pH value: neutral to slightly acidic
• Location: bright, sunny, sheltered from the wind
• Cut: no, does not sprout again

Care from A - Z

Caring for Araucaria araucana is not that easy, but with the help of the tips below you can Cultivate the Chilean silver fir in your own garden or in a bucket and stick to it for a long time delight.

sowing

The sowing of the Chilean silver fir works well in the local latitudes because it is a cold germ. The seeds can be obtained from the cones of existing fir trees. The advantage here is that the trees have already got used to the local winters and so an offspring could be much more hardy. When sowing, the following should be observed:

• first put seeds in moist sand in a closed container
• Let rest in the refrigerator for three to four weeks
• A temperature of 5 ° Celsius is ideal
• Put potting soil in pots
• mix these with sand
• Put seeds on the ground
• a part should be above the earth
• always keep moist
• Temperatures can fluctuate
• germination begins after about 12 weeks

If more than one seed has been put into a pot, it must now be pricked out. To do this, each seedling is placed in its own pot. On warm days, the buckets can be placed on the balcony or terrace, protected from the direct sun. In winter they have to be brought inside. A greenhouse or winter garden is ideal here. When the fir trees are around three years old, they can also move outdoors in mild climates.

floor

The Chilean decorative fir places high demands on the floor. Because it does not thrive everywhere and above all the right substrate is important for the growth of the fir. Therefore, the soil conditions should look like this:

• permeable
• consistently moist without waterlogging
• slightly sour
• few nutrients
• Mix the garden soil with sand, loam and a little humus
• Use normal potting soil in the bucket
• enrich with sand and clay

Fertilize

The Chilean silver fir needs little fertilizer. Above all, the plants that are cultivated in the garden bed hardly need to be fertilized at all, depending on the nature of the soil. A layer of mulch, which should also serve as protection against dehydration and cold, is sufficient as a fertilizer. In the case of ornamental firs cultivated in a bucket, the following procedure should be followed when fertilizing:

• Use liquid fertilizers from the trade
• Give every two to three weeks with the irrigation water
• Ideally, fertilizer is organic

to water

The Chilean silver fir should always be sufficiently watered, whereby waterlogging should be avoided in any case. Once the top layer of the garden soil or the soil in the bucket has dried, it's time to water again. However, the whole soil must not dry out because

Araucaria araucana does not tolerate drought. However, if there is waterlogging in the soil, the roots will rot. Therefore, the following should be observed when watering:

• give water every day on hot days
• better less than more
• always in the early morning or late evening hours
• shower off the plant in the evening after sunset
• not in blazing sun
• otherwise the needles will burn
• there is enough water on rainy days
• Take care of potted plants even on rainy days
• here the natural rain often does not get into the earth

Diseases

Diseases are usually rare in the Chilean silver fir. If so, it is care mistakes that lead to the diseases. Therefore, it is important to properly carry out the care of the plant. This can lead to the following diseases:

• yellow or brown needles appear
• these could be rotten roots
• these are caused by waterlogging
• immediately dig up the plant
• cut off damaged roots
• Let the root ball dry
• insert into new substrate
• Soil is too dry
• Roots dry out
• Pour well over several days

Especially in winter on frosty, sunny days when the ground has frozen for a long time, the Chilean silver fir threatens to dry out in the garden bed. However, if a thick layer of mulch was placed on the ground before the frost, the water does not evaporate as easily and drying out can be avoided.

Bucket cultivation

In climates in which the winters are very frosty, it is advisable to cultivate the Chilean silver fir in a bucket. Because the larger the Araucaria araucana becomes outdoors, the more difficult it becomes to protect it from frost. The bucket, on the other hand, has the advantage that it can be moved inside quickly in winter. To be successful, please proceed as follows when planting pots:

• Choose a bucket large enough for a root ball
• Place drainage over the drainage hole
• Use pottery shards or gravel
• plant fleece over this
• so soil cannot clog the hole
• Pour in part of the prepared soil
• Insert Chilean decorative fir
• fill up the rest of the soil
• water well
• after half an hour drain the collecting plate

plants

If the Chilean decorative fir is planted in the garden, it needs a lot of space here, because the fir can become very large over the years. When cultivating in the garden bed, make sure that the tree is only partially hardy and needs to be protected on frosty days. Constant outdoor cultivation is therefore only recommended in milder climates. Please note the following when planting:

• Dig a sufficiently large planting hole
• according to the root ball
• put drainage on the bottom of the hole
• to do this, put a layer of stones or gravel
• insert the decorative fir
• Fill in prepared soil
• press down well
• water well

Cut

As a rule, the Chilean decorative fir does not need a cut. Because it will not sprout again at the interfaces, as is usually the case with other plants. When making a cut, if it cannot be avoided at all, proceed as follows:

• Remove dried branches
• cut diseased branches
• annoying branches only in an extreme emergency
• When planting, be aware that branches could be a nuisance
• remove directly from the trunk
• not leave a stump
• otherwise does not look very decorative
• Never cut branches only in half
• nothing grows back
• looks like plucked

Location

The decorative fir wants a bright, sheltered, and also full sun location. Above all, there should be high humidity at this place. When cultivating directly in the garden, be sure to consider the size of the tree to be expected. Therefore, when choosing the location, it is important that there is sufficient distance to walls and house walls, but also to underground water pipes. The ideal location therefore looks like this:

• as a solitaire on a large meadow
• a hedge on the windward side as protection
• on the south or west side of a house
• Cultivated in a tub on a light-flooded terrace
• or a south-facing balcony
• possibly near the pond for air humidity

Overwinter

Outdoors

The Chilean silver firs can tolerate temperatures of up to -15 ° Celsius for a short time when they are older. Young plants should never be planted outdoors before the age of three, even if the climatic zone is relatively mild. Especially on days when the ground is frozen, but at the same time the sun is shining, the plants are more at risk of dehydration than of frostbite. You should therefore observe the ornamental fir regularly when it is overwintered outdoors. The procedure is as follows:

• Cover the earth around the fir tree with a thick layer of mulch
• helps against frost and dehydration
• Brushwood mats are also suitable
• Wrap the trunk with brushwood mats
• protect the fir from too much winter sun
• Pour lightly if necessary
• only on frost-free days
• do not fertilize

In the bucket

If the Chilean silver fir was cultivated in a bucket, wintering is relatively easy. Before autumn and with it the first frosty nights come, the bucket moves inside. A greenhouse or an unheated winter garden are advantageous here. So the winter location should be bright and cool without frost. In autumn, the plant should no longer fertilize, but continue to water regularly if necessary. In spring, on warm days, the bucket is brought outside again and placed in a protected place. On frosty nights, however, the tree must be turned inside again. The fertilization can now also start again. If the bucket is to winter outside, the following procedure is recommended:

• Only leave outside in mild climates
• sheltered corner on the balcony or terrace
• place on wooden beams or styrofoam
• Protection against the cold from below
• Wrap the bucket with plant fleece
• Wrap the plant with fleece on expected frosty nights
• Remove fleece on nice winter days
• water regularly
• not in frost
• do not fertilize in winter

If you also use your terrace or balcony in winter, you can wrap the bucket with brushwood mats, this is visually more beautiful than plant fleece. It is also an advantage if the soil in the bucket is also protected with mulch. You should also protect the plant in the tub on the terrace or balcony from direct winter sun, for example with an awning or something similar.

Repot

Since the Chilean silver fir grows very slowly, there is no annual repotting. Repotting every two to three years is sufficient. This is especially important so that the plant is given new substrate. So a slightly larger pot should be chosen. When inserting, proceed as under the point cultivation of tubs. It is important that you remove the plant from the old container very carefully to avoid damaging the roots. So it is helpful to work in pairs on an already larger specimen.