Japanese Fir (Abies Firma) 15 seeds (#532)

The wood of the momi fir is light colored and traditionally used to make coffins in its native Japan. A tall-growing evergreen, momi fir grows in Japan's highlands intermixed with other conifers. This tree grows slowly in its youth, retaining a dense, upright pyramid shape. When mature, the straight trunk becomes massive and the scattered horizontal branches look somewhat like the silhouette of an old white pine.
The emerald green needles are flattened and are alternating on the twigs in two planes. Young trees' needles are sharply tipped. Needle undersides are markedly white and the needle tips have a minute V-shape. The bark is dotted with resin, but as branches or the trunk ages, it becomes gray with lots of cork. Female cones are pendent cylinders, initially green but maturing yellowish brown.
Grow momi fir in full to partial sun. Best performance occurs in moist, organic-rich, acidic soils with good drainage. In dry or higher pH conditions the needles become more yellow-green. In the winter sun the normally lush green needles may also temporarily scald to yellow.
Use this fir as a specimen tree in a spacious landscape. It demonstrates good tolerance to long, hot summers, including those with high humidity. Momi fir's growth rate increases after several years in the ground.

Genus - Abies
Species - Firma
Common name - Japanese Fir
Pre-Treatment - Required, (30 days cold moist stratification)
Hardiness zones - 6 - 9
Height - 15 - 27 m
Spread - 3 - 6 m
Plant type - Tree
Vegetation type - Evergreen
Exposure - Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth rate - Slow
Soil PH - Acidic, Neutral
Soil type - Clay, Loam, Sand
Water requirements - Average
Landscape uses - Feature Plant, Screening / Wind Break
Leaf / Flower color - Green, Dark Green / --

GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
A short period of cold and moist stratification (in the fridge) needed.
1. Soak the seeds in clean water for 24 hours. Fully drain away all of the water and place the seeds in a zip-lock freezer bag. Place the seeds in the fridge at +2-+4C. Make sure the seeds during this period not dry out or are waterlogged otherwise the pre-treatment will be ineffective.
2. After 6-8 weeks of teh pretreatment seeds are ready to be sown.
3. Sow in a good quality potting compost. It shoudl be sterile and clean, never used before. Firm the compost gently, water and sow the seeds on the surface. Cover the seeds lightly (~2 mm) of vermiculite or sieved compost. Keep moist and at room temperature.
4. Germination will begin in a few weeks.