I've been there, done that. Purchase a smaller one for under $50. You'll save a lot of time planting it and a lot less time watering it. I don't think I would ever purchase another 6' tree again, it's just to much work.

For a propagator who could graft 20 and sell 15 for 20 bucks each and still end up with the same-sized-tree, a great deal!

Dax

Unless you're in a temperate zone 10 I'd think this plant would struggle big time.

I dumped $125.00 on a 4 foot 'Silberlocke'...my most expensive conifer. $375 is killer in my opinion.

The reason I want a big one is to grow in a pot for living Xmas tree. Since this guy grow so slow I need to get a big one. I'm in so cal sunset zone 23

it is a VERY HIGH retail price....

i am no expert in your zone [nor what things cost in CA] .. but can this thing live in mother earth in your zone.. let alone torturing it in a pot ...

is it already potted.. or will you be potting a BBurlap???

will you be able to plant it in mother earth in the future..

and the final and most important question .... will a $375 loss make your head explode.. or will that money alone.. be well spent on a one season xmas tree ... if you have the money.. and can accept total failure.. go for it ... [not that it will necessarily fail.. but simply that you can accept said potential]

if you are like most of the rest of us.. we could not accept such cost.. let alone loss .. but we invest in decades of joy.. we focus on the long run ...

MERRY Christmas.. and all that.. make yourself happy is the usual bottom line ...

and if you go for it.. PLEASE post us some pix of your decorated tree ... i really gotta see this ...

ken

ps: will you be dragging it indoors for the xmas season???? this would add a whole other list of variables ....

To my surprise I see Sunset Publishing has this species zoned all the way down to San Diego.

bboy,
Exactly my point! Ten years ago an article in Sunset Magazine said that Abie koreana can be grown in pot as living xmas tree in So Cal that is why I am trying this.

ken_adrian,
My local nursery said that they can get this deliver from Washington/Oregon so the deliver cost is included in the $375. I spent $80 for a choose-and-cut 8' Pinus radiata this year and I usually spent average of $70 each year for the cut Noble Fir. Nobel Fir cannot be grown here in So Cal. I figured in a long run I would save money to buy a live tree like Korean Fir and grow it out. Am I crazy?

Am I crazy? ===>>> i hesitate to guess???? .. i dont know you well enough ....

rotflmbo ...

you did not answer about actually planting it in the ground ... or whether you have any experience growing a large conifer/tree in a container ....

this is not a pot of annuals/perennials .... its a tree ... and they have very specific needs and requirements when potted ...

do you have any experience in growing trees in pots???

and ... do you plan on dragging it in the house for xmas.. and do you have any clue how much a potted 6 foot tree weighs .... i will guess it will come in at least a 24 inch wooden cube [dont forget it will be 8 foot in a two foot pot] .. and weigh 2 to 3 HUNDRED pounds ... you aint gunna be whipping this thing around the house or garden

at the link.. second pic down.. i would not buy anything at this cost.. if in anything smaller than one of those wooden boxes .... the box implies it was field grown.. and basically balled and burlapped and then placed into a shipping crate ... i would be very hesitant on a tree this size having been pot grown for 10 years .... it would really help to know who the wholesaler is ... and to talk directly to them.. your retailer should not mind such .. presuming you arent screwing him out of his cut on the deal ...

LISTEN TO ME ... i am a cheap SOB .... i can not.. in my entire universe ... think of spending $375 for any conifer .... i like to think.. i have more time than money.. and would buy 10 plants at 37.50 .. rather than one plant of size .... and i tried very hard.. in the first post to say that ... w/o offending you

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY ... and dont fear loss of said money [since large conifers are hard to mess with in pots, especially if you have no experience] ... AND IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY ...

well .. THEN KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF.. and make yourself happy ...

i have some superficial experience in conifers in pots [much smaller of course].. with a 50/50 success rate ... I WOULD NOT PLAY AROUND WITH A TREE OF THIS COST ...

what you should do???? .. WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY ...

ken

ps: i have friends who live in a different universe [his name is jerry ... lol] .. and that price .. for that size.. is well within normal bounds ... $375 for a 6 foot conifer.. that took a decade to get that big.. is VERY reasonable .... if that is any consolation ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thank you ken-adrain,
What I am planning to do is to bury the pot half way in the ground with more holes in the bottom of the pot so that the roots would grown in the ground then when Xmas comes I would dig it up and trim the roots that are outside the pot. After xmas I would reburied it. What do you think?

The grower said the the plant is in a 15 gallon pot. Not sure if it is in the pot all this time. He said it is super nice. I am considering this since Korean fir is so slow growing I cannot wait 10 years for the grafted trees to get this big.

I think delivery cost is what makes this plant get to $375. I am pretty sure it is at least $100 to have this deliver to So Cal.

Yes, I've lost a $350 Pachypodium rosulatum and a $300 Phalaenopsis schilleriana before. I was not happy about that but I knew the risk. I am sure these plants are more high maintenance than Korean Fir. May be I am wrong since I've never grown Korean Fir this big before. (I've have a few Korean Firs that the tallest one is about a foot tall for about 2 years.)

Thank you for the tips though. I understand that Abies koreana 'Aurea' can get sunburn. I think I might have to grown it in somewhat shady area since sun in the summer is really scorching here in So Cal.

Anymore tips would be appreciated. Thanks again.

I think that's crazy... but that's just me lol. If you leave that thing buried in the pot in the ground for an entire year, you may not be getting it out without some kind of equipment. The roots will find the holes... plus I wouldn't want to be moving something like that around every christmas. In time the root system will destroy that container... pruning the roots aren't going to keep them from getting fatter and stronger.

My parents just purchased an x-mas tree at the local HomeDepot, they were running a special $15 bucks and it's a real nice huge tree. If one of your main reasons to buy this is to have it as an X-mas tree, I would go another route.

gotsomerice

What area in So Cal are you in.

Mountain foot hills or valley? Big difference.

My daughter lives in Redlands. One hour west of Palm Springs. West side of San Bernardino Mountains.

This conifer would never grow there.

Dave

Dave,
Foothill of Santa Monica Mountain (Griffith Park). This is not as hot as Redlands.

375 would be a typical retail price for 'Aurea' in a #15 in my neck of the woods
keith

Sounds like an interesting project. If you want to bring it inside every year, it might be easier not to put it in the ground as ricksample mentioned. Just keep it as a containerized tree, above ground. You also could try the container forum, or even the bonsai forum for tips on doing something like this. Do you have pics of your current Korean firs?

gotsomerice,

It doesn't sound like money is an issue. If not then go for it. The fact you are in the foothills is a plus.

Micro climate could be a issue moving it from one environment to another. You will know soon enough. When moved inside lower the room temperature and mist if humidity is at a low level. The main thing is to try and keep it in a dormant state.

Dave

Something made Sunset zone the species for pretty much all of Los Angeles in the last edition of the Western Garden Book. I assume the web site has it the same. You would hope that a local retailer bringing it in would also have some basis for thinking it was a viable product to offer there. You wouldn't expect a silver fir to be a good choice for LA but some plants have potential hidden in their genes that may not be seen until they have been tried outside of what appears to be their normal comfort zone. Modern wild distribution may be much more restricted than what occurred in the past, with human intervention enabling some plants to grow once again over much wider ranges.

At least as garden subjects, if not as spontaneously reproducing wild stands.