Algerian fir

How to recognise it

Habit

Dense, regular cone with branches in clear whorls; 20–25 m in the wild, usually 12–20 m in Belgium.

Needles

Short (1–2 cm), thick, flat and blunt or slightly notched; densely set, pointing mainly upwards and sideways like a brush. Dark green, two white bands below, often a greyish patch on the upper side near the tip.

Flowering

In April–May: small male cones under the shoots and small upright female cones at the top of the crown.

Cones

Upright, cylindrical, 12–18 cm, brown when ripe; the bracts are hidden between the scales. They break up on the tree in autumn.

Bark

Grey and smooth for a long time, cracking into small plates on old trees. Young shoots are hairless and shiny brown.

Look-alikes

Spanish fir also has short, stiff needles, but they stand very evenly all round the shoot. Greek fir has longer, sharp-pointed needles that prick. European silver fir has longer needles in two flat rows.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: February–March

Why grow it?

• A dense, dark green cone that looks good all year, even close up.
• Copes with lime and drought better than many other firs.
• A rarity: in the wild it grows only on a few Algerian mountains.
• Evergreen shelter for birds such as goldcrests, tits and chaffinches.
• Grows steadily and stays narrower than many other firs: suitable for a larger garden, not just a park.
• Seeds from the disintegrating cones feed squirrels and seed-eating birds.

Algerian fir: where does it grow best?

• In the wild in cool mountain forests on limestone, with Atlas cedar and oaks, in a climate with plenty of rain and snow in winter.
• In the garden: sun to light partial shade; young trees tolerate more shade.
• Well-drained, fairly moisture-retentive soil; lime is no problem. No waterlogging.
• Preferably sheltered from cold, drying east winds.
• Allow for a crown 5–7 m across and plant at least 8 m from buildings.

Goes well with

• Atlas cedar: Grows in the same mountains in Algeria, and its blue-grey needles make a fine contrast.
• Spanish fir: A related Mediterranean fir with equally short, stiff needles: together an absorbing collection.
• Holly: Evergreen underplanting for shade, with berries for birds.
• Snowdrop: White in February at the edge of the crown, where there is still light.

Algerian fir: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy a young tree in a container or rootballed from a tree nursery that grows collector’s trees.
2. Plant in October–November or March–April, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
3. Dig a generous planting hole, loosen the bottom and mix some coarse sand into heavy soil; set the tree at the same depth as before.
4. Firm in, water generously straight away and mulch around the base with wood chips or leaf mould, keeping it off the trunk.
5. Stake a larger tree for the first few years with an angled stake on the windward side.
6. Never dig up young trees in the wild: buy them from a nursery. In the wild this species is also rare and threatened.

Care

Watering

For the first two summers, water weekly in dry spells; after that only in long droughts.

Feeding

Not needed. Leave the needle litter under the tree.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould or wood chips keeps the soil cool and moist, especially in the first years.

Leader

Always keep the straight leading shoot. If it forms two leaders, cut out the weaker one.

Space

Give it light all round: in the shade of other trees it goes bare on that side.

Tip: Plant it where you can get close to the tree: its beauty lies in the dense, brush-like shoots, which are best seen up close.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: February–March.

When: Almost never needed. Do small corrections in February–March, before the buds break.

How:

• Remove dead or broken branches back to the trunk or to a healthy side branch.
• Keep a single leader: cut out a second, competing top.
• On a free-standing tree, leave the lower branches: the dense cone right down to the ground is exactly what makes it beautiful.

Caution: Never cut into the top or back to bare wood: a fir will not regrow from there.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Pick cones in September before they break up and let them dry. Keep the seed cold and moist for 4–6 weeks, then sow in a tray in March–April. A solitary tree often produces mainly empty seeds.

Grafting

Nurseries sometimes graft it onto a rootstock of another fir; for the amateur, sowing is the usual way.

Algerian fir: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Evergreen and hardy to about −20 °C.
• In winter the dense crown offers a refuge for small birds.
• After bud break, late frosts can damage the young shoots; the tree usually recovers quickly.
• Wet snow lodges in the dense crown: gently shake it off young trees.

Diseases and pests

• Frosted shoots: Brown, limp young shoots after a late frost. Cut them off in June; the tree will reshoot.
• Woolly adelgids: White, woolly tufts on needles and shoots. Usually harmless; hose young trees down with a strong jet of water.
• Root rot: Yellow or brown needles and a declining tree on wet, compacted soil. Only plant in well-drained soil.
• Drought in young trees: Brown needle tips or falling needles in the first summers. Water weekly and mulch the soil.

Through the year

• February: Cut out dead or broken branches.
• March: Plant. Remove a second leader if there is one.
• April: Flowering begins: small male cones. Watch out for night frost at bud break.
• May: Flowering and new growth. Water young trees in dry spells.
• June: Cut off frosted shoots.
• July: Water in dry spells, especially in the first two years.
• September: Cones ripe: pick them for seed.
• October: Plant. The cones break up on the tree.
• November: Plant. Mulch around young trees.
• December: Rest. Shake off wet snow.

Did you know?

• Numidica refers to Numidia, the ancient Berber kingdom in North Africa, roughly the north of present-day Algeria.
• In the forests of Mount Babor where it grows, a new bird species was discovered in 1975: the Algerian nuthatch, which lives only in a small part of northern Algeria.
• Together with the Spanish fir from Andalusia and the Moroccan fir, it belongs to a small group of western Mediterranean firs with short, stiff needles.