Propagate an indoor fir requires a lot of knowledge about caring for and growing houseplants. It takes time for new indoor fir trees to grow from cuttings or seeds. It is also difficult to get cuttings or seeds.
How can you successfully propagate an indoor fir?
An indoor fir can be propagated either by top cuttings or seeds. For cuttings, cut in winter, strip off resin, dip in charcoal and keep warm. Sow seeds in spring in seed pots with azalea or rhododendron soil, place in a bright and warm place, keep moderately moist.
Where do you get a cutting from?
Only head cuttings are suitable for propagating indoor fir trees. Other cuttings grow too unevenly and often do not root well.
If you cut a top cutting from your indoor fir, it will be at the expense of the mother plant. It then develops several head tips and loses its characteristic appearance.
Cutting cuttings from the indoor fir only makes sense if you want to dispose of the tree anyway because it has become too big.
Propagation of indoor firs from cuttings
Cut the cutting in winter as it will then be neither too soft nor too woody.
- Strip resin
- Dip the end of the cut into charcoal
- Place cuttings in prepared pot
- cover with plastic wrap
- set up warm and bright
Place the cutting at least 20 degrees, very bright but not sunny. It takes several months for the head cutting to sprout roots. Make sure that the cuttings do not rot.
Propagate an indoor fir tree from seeds
You can get seeds for indoor firs from specialized nurseries. It is better to avoid buying online, as only very fresh seeds germinate. You cannot harvest your own seeds from your indoor firs.
The best time for sowing indoor firs is early spring. Prepare nursery pots. Place one seed per pot and cover it lightly with sphagnum or picked peat moss.
Place the pots warm and very bright, but not sunny. The ideal growing temperatures are 18 to 20 degrees. Keep the substrate moderately moist but definitely not wet. The seed rots easily if the soil is too moist. It can take several weeks or even months for germination.
Tip
Azalea soil (€11.00 on Amazon) or rhododendron soil is suitable as a substrate for the non-toxic indoor firs. You can also mix the soil yourself from garden soil, compost, sand and gravel.
