Abies Koreana

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arfitz Caldwell, NJ(Zone 6a) Oct 30, 2010

I grew a small 3' specimen of Abies Koreana Horstmans Silber Show, a wonderful specimen, successfully for 5 years until suddenly, 5 years ago it started to deteriorate. It has gone downhill gradually since that time. I thought it was the deer, the drought, the spray I use as a deer deterent, the spray I use to kill catepillars in the Spring, too much water etc., but I now doubt that any of those things played much of a part in its illness. It is still barely alive, so in desperation I just dug it up today, washed all the soil off the roots, and replaced it with a new mix of soil. peat, and bark mixture and kept it in a large 18 ' tub and watered it in well. The plant was gradually losing all its new growth, especially at the top. In fact the top 6 " are dry, dead, and bare of all folliage needles. I know it is hard if not impossible to diagnose from this E-mail, but I am wondering if any one else has had a similiar experience with this cultivar, or has any other ideas as to what the cause is.

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HoosierGreen Danville, IN Nov 05, 2010

You might be in an area that is not well-suited to grow any type of fir. In general, firs require moist, well-drained, acid soil and high atmospheric moisture coupled with cooler temperatures. Hot, dry summers limit their use. They are not suited for city plantings and do not tolerate air pollution. In general, firs are not troubled by disease and insect pests, so in your case, it might just be that the decline is due to nothing you have control over. Although Korean Fir is slightly more heat tolerant than other firs, it still does best in cold climates, Zone 5 especially.

The new soil mix, containing peat, might help. You'll know by spring.

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Weerobin Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a) Nov 06, 2010

I have a Horstmann's Sillberlocke - I'm not sure if yours is english translation of mine, or a different cultivar.
Mine was a truly beautiful plant when it was small, but started to look unhappy as it got older.
Mine is in a container; it's doing better this year after repotting in fresh mix.
It gets root-bound quickly, so I suspect will need to be repotted annually.
It wants to grow big, so I suspect will not be suitable for a container much longer.
My success with firs planted in the yard is dismal, as HoosierGreen notes.
As mine outgrows the container, I will probably plant him out and hope for the best.
I've fantasized about bonsai'ing it, but I know nothing about it...

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