Korean fir Silverlock

In the wild, Korean fir grows on the Korean Peninsula, forms coniferous forests or is part of mixed forests. In Germany, in 1986, breeder Günter Horstmann created a new variety of culture – Silberlok fir. In Our Country, a coniferous tree is grown relatively recently. The decorative habit of a perennial culture has found application in landscape design.

Description of Korean fir Silverlock

A perennial coniferous plant is the most frost-resistant representative of its species. Silberlok fir feels comfortable in the climate of central Our Country. Buds bloom when the positive temperature is established, and are extremely rarely damaged by return frosts. A culture with high drought tolerance, so coniferous trees can often be found in the southern regions.

Korean Silverlock fir is undemanding to the composition of the soil, grows on neutral, slightly acidic, alkaline, even saline types. The only condition is that the soil should be light, the best option is a loamy composition or deep sandy loam. Korean Silverlock fir does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, loses the decorative effect of needles in the shade.

The evergreen tree grows slowly, the annual growth is 7-8 cm. By the age of 10, the height of the Silberlok fir reaches 1,5-1,7 m. Then the growth is reduced, the tree does not grow above 4,5 m. The duration of the biological cycle of the Korean variety Silberlok is within 50 years.

External characteristic:

1. Korean Silverlock fir forms a symmetrical cone-shaped crown. The volume of the lower part is 1,5 m, when it reaches the end point of growth, it grows up to 3 m. The lower skeletal branches are low, touch the ground, grow at an angle. The higher the branches are located, the smaller the growth angle and length. The trunk is wide, from below to the top tapers into one, less often into two tops.
2. The bark of a young Korean fir is dark gray, smooth, the color darkens with age, longitudinal furrows form on the surface. Young shoots in spring with needles in the form of yellow rudiments, by autumn they become maroon.
3. Decorative needles give Korean fir, it reaches a length of up to 7 cm, flat, sickle-shaped, the ends are concave to the trunk. Grows in two rows. The lower part is light green, the upper part is light blue. The needles are thin at the base, expanding upwards, the point is absent, they are as if cut off, soft and non-prickly. Visually, the crown is perceived as completely green, covered with frost on top.
4. When the plant reaches 7 years of vegetation, cone-shaped cones form on annual shoots. They grow vertically, the length of the seed is 4-6 cm, the width is 3 cm. The surface is uneven, the scales are pressed tightly, they have a bright purple color.

Korean fir does not have resin channels, the enzyme accumulates on the surface, the seedlings are heavily impregnated with resin, sticky to the touch.

Young trees are brighter, there are more cones on the branches. After 15 years of growth, the lower part of the needles becomes dark green, the upper one acquires a steel color.

Silverlock fir in landscape design

A variety of Korean Silverlock fir, due to the decorative habit, is a favorite in designer compositions. The blue color of the needles and bright cones give a festive solemnity to the site. Single and mass plantings of Korean Silverlock fir are used to decorate city parks, front entrances of private estates and office buildings. Used as an element of landscape design for landscaping:

1. Garden paths – planted in a line along the edges to simulate an alley.
2. Coastal zone of artificial reservoirs.
3. Japanese rock garden to mark the border of the rockery.
4. Background rock garden.
5. Urban neighborhoods.

Used as a tapeworm in the center of flower beds and lawns. Korean blue fir Silverlock looks aesthetically pleasing in composition with barberry, spirea. Harmoniously combined with juniper and golden thuja.

Planting and caring for Silverlock fir

The place for the Korean Silverlok fir is determined taking into account that the evergreen tree will be on the site for many years. Coniferous culture does not tolerate transplantation well, in most cases, after the transfer, Korean fir does not take root and dies.

For the normal development and formation of a decorative crown, Silberlock fir photosynthesis requires an excess of ultraviolet radiation. A perennial culture is placed in a well-lit area. The root of the seedling does not respond well to waterlogging; soil with closely adjacent groundwater is not considered for planting.

Seedling and planting preparation

The designated place for Korean fir is prepared 3 weeks before planting. The soil is dug up, weed roots are removed, ash and a complex of mineral fertilizers are applied. The root system of fir is deep, the fertile soil layer nourishes the tree only for the first 2 years, then the root goes deeper. For planting, a nutrient composition is prepared from sand, soil from the location of the seedling, peat in equal parts. For 10 kg of the composition add 100 g of nitroammofoska.

Korean fir seedlings are purchased at least 3 years of age. It should be with a closed root system, with a smooth trunk and the presence of needles. If fir is bred with its own material, the root system is prevented and disinfected before planting. The seedling is placed in a 2% solution of manganese for 5 hours, then for 30 minutes in an antifungal drug.

Rules of landing

You can plant fir seedlings in the spring, when the earth has warmed up to 15⁰ C, or autumn. For regions with a temperate climate, it is better to carry out work in the spring, so that the seedling has time to take root well over the summer. For a warm climate, landing time is unprincipled. Work is carried out approximately in April and early September. The best option is in the evening.

Planting Silberlok fir:

1. They dig a hole taking into account the size of the root system: measure the length of the root to the neck, add 25 cm to the drainage and the mixture layer. The depth will be approximately 70-85 cm. The width is calculated by the volume of the root with the addition of 15 cm.
2. Drainage is placed at the bottom, you can use small brick fragments, coarse crushed stone or gravel.
3. The mixture is divided into 2 parts, one part is poured onto the drainage, a hill is made in the center of the pit.
4. The root system is dipped in a thick solution of clay, placed on a hill in the center, and the roots are distributed along the bottom of the pit.
5. The remaining soil is covered in parts, gently tamped so that there is no void left.
6. Leave 10 cm to the top of the hole, fill it with sawdust.
7. The root neck is not deepened.

The trunk circle is mulched with crushed tree bark or peat.

Watering and top dressing

Caring for Korean Silverlock fir is not labor intensive. The tree is unpretentious, well tolerates low humidity. Water only young trees up to 3 years of vegetation, use the sprinkling method. If precipitation falls 1 time in 2 weeks, there is enough moisture for fir. In dry summers, the plant is watered according to the same schedule. In an adult culture, such a procedure is optional. The tree receives enough moisture from the soil due to the deepened root.

Nutrients when planting fir are enough for 2 years. In the next 10 years of growth, mineral fertilizers are applied every spring, the Kemira remedy has proven itself well.

Mulching and loosening

Loosening of Korean fir seedlings is carried out constantly; compaction of the top layer of soil should not be allowed. The root system will be weak with oxygen deficiency. Weeds are removed as they grow. After 3 years of age, these activities are irrelevant, weeds do not grow under a dense crown, and the root system is sufficiently formed.

Mulch fir immediately after planting. By autumn, the seedling is spudded, covered with a layer of peat mixed with sawdust or tree bark, covered with straw or dry leaves on top. In the spring, the trunk circle is loosened and the mulch is replaced, taking into account that the neck is open.

Trimming

The formation of the crown of the Korean Silverlock fir is not required, it forms a regular pyramidal shape with a decorative blue color of the needles. Perhaps, in early spring, a cosmetic correction will be required, consisting of the removal of dry areas.

Preparation for winter

For an adult tree, preparatory measures for winter are to increase the layer of mulch. If the summer was hot and without precipitation, about 2 weeks before possible frosts, fir watering is carried out.

Young trees up to 3 years of vegetation in cold winter conditions require protection:

• the seedling is watered abundantly;
• spud, mulch with a layer of at least 15 cm;
• branches are carefully collected to the trunk, covered with covering material and wrapped with twine;
• cover with spruce.

In winter, the building is covered with snow.

Reproduction

You can propagate Korean fir on the site by seeds, layering and cuttings. An alternative method is to purchase a 3-year-old seedling from a nursery. Silverlock fir is not a hybrid, it gives a full-fledged planting material that completely preserves the habitus and varietal characteristics of the mother tree.

Generative reproduction:

1. Cones are formed in the spring, they ripen until autumn, for the winter the seeds remain in fruit until the next spring.
2. Cones are taken in early spring, open ones are chosen, where seeds are well defined on the scales.
3. Seeds are sown in a mini-greenhouse or bulk container.
4. After 3 weeks, shoots will appear, if there is no threat of frost, the plant is taken out to the site in a shaded place.

Cuttings are carried out in spring or autumn:

• take material from annual shoots;
• cut cuttings 10 cm long;
• place the bottom of the shoot in wet sand for rooting;
• after rooting, they are seated in separate containers.

The following year, they are transferred to a place designated for fir.

The fastest and most productive method of propagation of Korean Silverlock fir is by layering from the lower branches. Shoots are located close to the soil, many lie on the ground and take root on their own. The rooted area is separated from the branch and immediately transplanted to another place. If there are no layers, they are received independently. The lower shoots are fixed to the ground and covered with earth.

Diseases and pests of Silverlock fir

A variety of Korean fir Silberlock rarely affects the infection, the appearance of the fungus is promoted by waterlogging of the root system. Debuts red-brown, rarely motley root rot. The disease spreads to the trunk, then affects the crown. Deep depressions remain at the site of the localization of the fungus. The needles turn yellow and crumble, the tree begins to dry.

At an early stage, an infected tree can be saved with Fundazol or Topsin. If the lesion is extensive, the antifungal treatment has proven ineffective, the tree is removed from the site so that pathogen spores do not spread to healthy trees.

Parasites on Korean Hermes fir, pest larvae feed on needles and quickly spread through the tree. The crown is treated with insecticides, the trunk – with copper sulphate. Areas of mass accumulation of larvae are cut and removed from the site.

When the spider mite spreads, the tree is sprayed with Aktofit.

Conclusion

Silverlock fir is a variety of Korean fir. Frost-resistant, light-loving culture, tolerates high air temperatures well, grows with minimal humidity. A coniferous tree with a decorative blue crown is used to decorate home gardens, squares, recreation areas, and administrative institutions. The culture is adapted to the ecology of megacities, Silberlock fir is planted in urban microdistricts, on walking grounds for children’s and educational institutions.