Planting and caring for Siberian cedar. Siberian cedar - reproduction, planting and care

Even an apple tree can sometimes make you tired of waiting for the first fruits. What can we say about cedar!

In your own words about the Siberian cedar

Even an apple tree can sometimes make you tired of waiting for the first fruits. What can we say about cedar! AT best case it will take 18-25 years to wait for the fruits, in the worst case (in the taiga forest stand) this burden can last 40 years, or even all 70. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the love of gardening wakes up in us not at 25 years old or even at 30 , and almost by forty, when the chances of seeing the fruits of one's labor are already small. I don’t know how lucky I am: my first cedars, although 32 years younger than me, were transplanted three times, and they were not planted in the most ideal place.

Strictly speaking, the Siberian cedar pine(Pinus sibirica) cedar is mistakenly called. When and how this popular nickname stuck to her is now beyond the reach. Real cedars (Cedrus), and there are 4 species, grow much further south. All of them are extremely decorative and majestic in their general appearance, needles collected in a bunch and upright cones. It seems that the Siberian pine was called cedar by the one who saw real cedars, or heard about their greatness.

Scientists believe that the the globe about 100 species of pines grow.

In the Russian flora there are three pine trees at once, to the names of which the epithet "cedar" is added. Without going into botanical details, I will note the most characteristic of these trees. All of them are five-needle pines, i.e. their needles are collected in bunches of 5 pieces, and not two, like in Scots pine. By the way, other pines have 3 or even one needle each. Korean pines (Pinus koraiensis) and Siberian pines grow big trees, but everything is more impressive in Korean: needles are longer, cones and nuts are larger. Cedar elfin (Pinus pumila) is a pleasant coniferous bush that winters under the snow in nature.

And they all grow in our family garden, and, comparing their characters, I can state that the Siberian and Korean cedars require only the creation of normal growing conditions, and subsequently they are practically maintenance-free. But the cedar elfin causes a lot of trouble and disappointment, although that is why it is especially dear to me.

I received its seeds several times from three regions that are far from each other: Yakutia, Sikhote-Alin and the Baikal region. Each time the seeds germinated more or less successfully, but the subsequent drop of the seedlings was catastrophic. This seems incomprehensible, because in terms of its plasticity and adaptability, elfin is considered more versatile than large pines and is able to survive almost anywhere in Russia where at least some kind of tree can grow at all. It seemed to me that seeds from wild trees were deprived of immunity to fungal diseases that infect the soil of gardens and orchards.

Seed propagation of cedars has several features, and I would like to reveal some secrets that may be useful to those who want to breed these useful plants on their own. In my opinion, the most crucial period in growing a handsome Siberian is the time from sowing seeds to 3 years. It is at this time that the greatest loss of seedlings occurs. Those plants that overcome this boundary, in the future, die only for external reasons.

There are a few common mistakes, which must be avoided when seed breeding cedar. Firstly, crops should not be placed on cultivated horticultural soils. because of their contamination with pathogenic microorganisms. It is necessary to sow only freshly picked nuts and only before winter.

Cedar seeds that have ripened in taiga conditions are not immune to unusual mushroom misfortunes, although under similar conditions my nuts sprouted with a brush, but then they also died together. Sowing outside the city turned out to be the most effective, on fresh, i.e. not knowing digging, medium or light loamy soils. I dig up the earth in advance (at least two weeks in advance), thoroughly cleaning it from weeds, and let it settle. Then I scatter a 3-5 cm layer of “heather earth” over the surface of the bed, i.e. the top layer of sandy loam forest litter taken from a pine forest. I sow seeds on this pillow, simply laying them out on the surface with a density - a piece per centimeter. From above I sprinkle with the same heather earth with a layer of 1-3 cm. Heather earth contains mushroom mycorrhiza necessary for seedlings, symbiosis with which will protect them from exposure to harmful microflora.

Secondly, rodents and birds are no less dangerous for seeds and seedlings., and if the first are mainly outside the city, then jackdaws and crows are everywhere. On the one hand, cedar nuts need stratification, which they naturally undergo during winter sowing. But as it turned out, the mouse population is just what you need. Sowing before winter, in the spring you will find that your garden bed is completely pitted with passages and holes, and if individual nuts remain there, then only due to mouse oversight. Taught by bitter experience, in winter I store the seeds in a saucepan with a bottom perforated in the form of a sieve. And I lay it out in the garden in early spring, usually at the end of April. By the way, nuts by this time for the most part peck or sprout slightly.

The first shoots appear already in mid-May, but this process often stretches for a long time. A reddish loop of a sprout is first shown on the surface of the soil. Straightening, she brings out the shell, which crowns the unopened whorls of the first needles with brown caps (in fact, these are not real needles, but only cotyledons. Ed.). In this form, cedar seedlings are extremely attractive to birds, and they destroy most of the seedlings. At this time, they should be covered with spruce or pine branches, or a metal mesh.

Siberian cedar- slow growing tree, especially in the early years. In the first year, seedlings are only a match high, with a whorl of needles at the top. At two, they only slightly thicken and lengthen, remaining "below the grass." Even at the age of five, the seedlings that have undergone picking often do not reach a height of 15 cm, although they can have a solid “stocky” and “dumpiness”. I note that such plants that have undergone several “moves” of the plant, due to the compactness of the root system they have acquired, continue to tolerate the transplant procedure well in the future. But the first picks can cause a significant drop. Trees older than 10 years old do not tolerate this operation just as well, due to significant damage to the roots extending to the sides. The most successful transplant is in early spring, with a frozen earthen coma, or in late autumn. When grown in containers, seedlings practically stop growing, but they do not fall out at all during transplantation.

Cedar pines, unlike Scotch pine, are more moisture-loving, and grow worse on sandy soils. Under natural conditions, cedars settle more readily and grow more actively on moist, humus-rich loams. In culture, they also do better on fresh, medium and light loamy soils, with a powerful loamy subsoil. Possible option The soil substrate can be a mixture of soddy soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 3:2:1. In case of forced landing on the sand, holes are dug under the trees with a depth and diameter of at least 1 m, and they are filled with the specified substrate. When planting, near-stem circles of seedlings are formed with a slope to the stem, with a diameter of about 2 m, for irrigation, fertilization and atmospheric precipitation retention.

Suitable soils minimize further care . And yet, for the first ten years, fertilizers, fertilizing and watering are useful for the trees, which can give a powerful impetus to their development, significantly bring the fruiting phase closer. Fertilize is shown in the first half of summer, by making organic fertilizers under the digging of the trunk circle. Dosage - 1-3 buckets of humus per square meter, plus in addition 30-50 g of superphosphate. It is useful to mulch the trunk circle with peat, loose humus or compost. During irrigation, the mulch will absorb moisture, and then slowly release it, thus providing a favorable regime for the activity of soil microorganisms necessary for the root system of trees. When the trees reach a height of 1.5-2 m, the branches in the lower third of the trunk are gradually (no more than 1-2 per season and in the second half of summer) cut into a ring, thus preventing the process of exposure from below, which is natural for large pines.

Siberian cedar or Siberian cedar pine - belongs to the pine family, all year round turning green coniferous trees. By its height cedar

can reach forty meters, and in terms of life span, these mighty trees with a chic spreading crown delight more than one generation with their longevity, living up to 800 years, although on average they have terms of 500 years.

Siberian cedar is distinguished from a relative of ordinary pine by needles. The needles of the cedar are tender, soft, dark green in color, growing in bunches of 5-6 pieces, and pine needles are less fluffy, 2-3 pieces in a bunch. The tree is shade tolerant, frost tolerant, slow growing and wind pollinated.

Siberian cedar has a gender division into male and female cones. Male cones are located on elongated shoots, and female cones are located on the tips of the growth ones. Cedar cones are large, smoothly turning from purple to brown.

Siberian cedar is the only plant in the world that has an unusually powerful healing power, and at the same time has no contraindications. To say that this tree is simply beautiful, and simply has numerous medicinal properties- not to say anything, and besides, to insult the tree a little, which is soaked through with incredible strength, health and well-being. You will not find a person who will remain indifferent from meeting and communicating with a massive healer, about whose most wonderful qualities one can write tens of thousands of words. But words, unfortunately, will remain words, and to see for yourself how amazing the cedar is, you need to grow it on your own land.

Besides pine nuts- this is one of the many bonuses from the mighty Siberian resident.

cedar resin has embalming properties, it is used for all types of external injuries (wounds, cuts, abscesses, boils, burns and much more), in the treatment of gums and teeth.

AT needles contain many acids, vitamins and essential oils. Infusions, tinctures, oil are made from it, which are useful for various diseases of the joints, as well as for cleansing the lungs by inhalation. By putting fresh branches in the water in the apartment, you can clean the space from the negative effects of the TV and other equipment that has wave radiation.

cedar cones treat well gastrointestinal tract, joints, get rid of cough and improve the protective functions of the body. There are many recipes for using cedar cones.

cedar bark you use with ease and joy as a mulch for your favorite numerous plants.

nuts- the sweetest treat. Healing oil, flour and milk are made from the nut. And cake is an excellent dietary product, similar to muesli.

Shell pine nuts useful for the preparation of various medicinal potions (decoctions, tinctures, infusions), as a good fertilizer for the soil, can be used as a raw material in construction, make paint, apply in landscape design.

very valuable and from a mighty tree, it is used in the manufacture of furniture, floors, houses, amulets and different kind jewelry. Wood is famous for its bactericidal properties and favorable aura.

Siberian cedar is an excellent helper, actively purifying and disinfecting the air in its habitat, filling the space with oxygen and an unforgettable aroma of pine needles. He does not like excessive gas contamination of the air, so he does not take root in cities.

For the Siberian cedar, sandy, loamy soil, drained soil with an upper level of groundwater, and podzolic gray forest soil are favorable. In chernozem and sandy, clayey, swampy soils, cedar feels bad.

Reproduction.

There are two methods: vegetative and seed. Vegetatively propagated by grafting or rooting cuttings. This method is rarely used, mainly for the purpose of cloning unique forms.

The seed method will require patience and effort, but will reward you with quality seedlings.

They start by soaking cedar seeds in warm water for 3-5 days, renewing the water once a day. This procedure will help to identify seeds that are suitable for growing and those that are not suitable. Suitable seeds will swell and sink, and those that float will be empty, not suitable for growing.

Good nuts are transferred to a solution with potassium permanganate for several hours, and then mixed with moistened sand, peat or sawdust in a ratio of 1: 2 and placed in a refrigerator or under snow. If the number of seeds is not large, then they can be stored in fabric bags, which are made in several layers. The main thing is to maintain and maintain moisture. This stratification lasts at least three months.

If you are going to germinate nuts, separate the substrate from them and soak in a solution with potassium permanganate for about a day, then dry naturally. Seeds are ready to grow, now you choose whether to grow seedlings and then replant or plant the seeds immediately in the ground in a permanent place. You can also plant the seeds in the fall in the ground without using stratification in the refrigerator or under the snow. The main thing is to secure the place from mice and other pests.

It is more favorable to grow seedlings in greenhouses or greenhouses in loose peat soil, protecting young seedlings from hungry birds. I advise you to fill the sowing places wood ash with peat or potash fertilizers. It is permissible to plant up to 150 seeds per 1 meter with a depth of three centimeters. It will be useful at the initial stage after sowing to water the ridges with a 0.4% solution of potassium permanganate.

After three years, seedlings can be dug up and transplanted for growing to a stronger and larger development. Before planting a cedar in a permanent place, make sure that its root system is sufficiently formed. If it is not possible to grow seedlings yourself, they are available to purchase at the nursery.

Planting Siberian cedar.

The Siberian cedar is freedom-loving, so when planting several trees at once, keep a distance of at least 8 m. When planting cedars, it is important to pay attention to the state of the tree's root system. It should have free, even branches, and if, after removing the seedling from the container, you find a tangled ball, then carefully unravel it, freeing the roots and straightening them.

Cedar is characterized by a superficial spread of roots, so a seedling is planted in the topsoil, which, unfortunately, in most regions is the most fertile layer(20 cm).

The planting hole should go down 1 meter, and its diameter is about 1.8 m. The huge size of the hole is necessary to fill it with a suitable substrate, which will later become the home of a strong tree. Vertically insert dry branches of alder or birch along the diameter, when they rot, they will accelerate the development of the root system of the seedling, which will go deeper.

We fill the pit itself with good fertile soil and add compost to it in in large numbers. If your soil is clay in nature, then be sure to add sand to the soil. The entire substrate should be thoroughly dug up and moistened, getting rid of voids. This procedure is carried out a couple of days before planting the cedar to allow the soil to settle. Cedar is planted within 20 cm of the top layer of a light, fertile substrate, providing decent breathability.

Remove the seedling from the container carefully and together with the soil clod. So that in the future the roots do not dry out, dip them in water, allowing them to absorb moisture. Build a mound in the center of the pit from above, place a seedling on it and evenly distribute the cedar root system over the entire circumference. Place the seedling evenly, and if it is slightly curved, then with the wrong side towards the sun. The stem of the seedling is allowed to be tied with a figure eight.

Sprinkle the root system to the beginning of the trunk with fertile soil, not forgetting to compact. The perimeter of the pit also needs to be sprinkled a little with earth, and then watered abundantly (40-50 liters). Next, mulch will go with a layer of about 8 cm from compost and mowed grass (1: 2), and lay turf along the edges of the pit.

Siberian cedar is planted in a group method (3-4 trees each) in open places, making it possible to form a chic crown, acquire resistance to winds and heavy snowfall. In such conditions, the cedar is able to generously bestow fruits ahead of schedule.

Next to the cedars, it is useful to plant berry bushes and low trees that give fruit. But plant in such a way that during the growth of the cedar, the neighbors do not darken it. An excellent biological fertilizer that accelerates the growth of seedlings will be lupine.

Care.

Mulching is a mandatory process, it creates a favorable atmosphere for maintaining fertility and humidity, provides the root system with the necessary amount of oxygen. A great mulch will be deciduous stands that protect the cedar from many diseases.

For the active growth of cedar, its adventitious roots are stimulated by adding a layer of mulch (once a year). In dry weather, be sure to water the cedar (preventing the soil from drying out with a layer of 5 cm) and spray the needles (in the evening), removing dust particles, improving gas exchange. Digging the earth is prohibited - only loosening upper layers soil, pruning of lateral branches is also excluded.

We feed with potassium sulfate (20 g per 10 l per 1 seedling) seedlings during the vegetative period three times: in May, in June, in July, watering the near-trunk circle. Fertilizers containing nitrogen begin to be used no earlier than one year after picking.

If the needles are strewn with cotton balls, wash them off under a powerful pressure of water and treat the branches with the Actellik medicinal solution. In long standing wet weather, a white coating sometimes appears on the branches, which, during its development, significantly slows down the growth of cedar and contributes to the death of shoots. In this case, draw warm water, add to it laundry soap, whipping the foam, and wipe the infected places soft cloth repeatedly.

It will be productive to put large flat stones to the tree trunk, which over time will give rise to a fungal growth that contributes to the same growth of your seedling.

Varieties of Siberian cedar.

When choosing which varieties to plant on the site, consider what exactly you need cedar for. There are many types of varieties, both exclusively decorative and bearing fruits, as well as varieties that begin to bear fruit 5-6 years after planting, however, the number of fruits will be small. Below are the types ornamental varieties Siberian cedar, bred specifically for those who want to have a small but very valuable tree.

Variety President. Cedar with full-fledged large cones and high fruiting in relation to its low growth (up to three meters). It has a low density of a cone-shaped crown with long coniferous needles. Green colour and good growth rate. The variety was presented to V.V. Putin for his anniversary.

Variety Oligarch. It was bred as a gift to M.B. Khodorkovsky. It grows slowly, fructifies abundantly, stands out with small flattened cones and an average density of an ovoid crown.

Variety Narcissus. It has original decorative qualities, velvet needles of a pale green color, a very dense crown. spherical shape. It grows slowly and does not bear fruit, the cones are very small, do not have time to ripen.

Variety Biosphere. In its qualities it resembles a variety of daffodil. Grows a little faster than narcissus, has low fruiting. The crown is spherical in shape, dense with green needles and medium-sized cones.

Variety Ideal. Doesn't bear fruit. A variety with an ideal spherical dense crown, long green needles, on which small cones are located. Great for decorative landscaping your site.

Variety Subalpine. It grows rapidly with a cone-shaped loose crown with long dove-gray needles and large buds that have low fertility.

Variety record holder. Elite variety with high yield and fast fruit ripening. It grows slowly with a medium-dense spherical crown with green needles and large full-fledged cones.

Variety Emerald. Differs in bright green needles with medium-sized cones that have moderate fruiting. The crown is dense, cone-shaped, the degree of growth is average.

Tamagotchi variety. This variety stands out from the rest, grows very slowly, has abundant branching, is sterile (does not bear fruit). Spherical crown of high density with short gray needles and small cones.

Sort of He-and-She. It has a spherical loose crown, the usual green long needles, on which large fruiting cones are located. The growth rate is average.

Variety Highlander. It grows slowly with a dense ovoid crown with ordinary green needles. middle length and cones small sizes that do not bear fruit well. This variety will appeal to fans of the bonsai direction.

Variety Plantation. This variety grows well and pleases with good fruits, in its qualities it resembles the president variety. The spherical crown is loose, with long green needles, on which large full-fledged cones ripen.

Planting and caring for Siberian cedar

The root system of the seedling should be freely placed in the planting hole without bending the ends of the roots. At the same time, taking into account the superficial nature of the distribution of the root system of the Siberian pine, the roots should be located within the upper fertile soil layer. AT middle lane Russian soils are thin. The thickness of the fertile layer rarely exceeds 20 cm.

When planting cedar in heavy clay soil, add sand to the planting hole.

Dig a planting hole 1 m deep, 1.8 m in diameter (when planting large cedars, the diameter is larger).
Fill the hole with a mixture of fertile soil with sand (if the soil in the area is clayey), if the soil is sandy, sand is not required.
Top with 10 buckets of compost and dig carefully.

Top 20cm. the soil layer should be light fertile sandy loam (to provide air access to the cedar roots).

Carefully remove the seedling from the container (pre-compress the walls of the container - it will be easier to remove the soil lump).
Straighten the twisted ends of the roots of the seedling without destroying the soil clod.
Place the roots of the seedling in a bucket of water (the roots should not dry out when planting).
Form a cone of soil in the upper part of the planting hole and carefully spread the roots of the seedling along it.

If the crown of the cedar is asymmetrical, the less developed side is located to the south (in the south direction, the branches grow faster, and the crown will even out).

When planting large seedlings, drive a strong stake into the center of the pit and tie the cedar stem to the stake with a fabric tape (“eight”).

Cover the roots with soil and compact the soil with your hands.
Form a ring of soil around the planting hole and water the seedling abundantly (about 5 buckets of water).
Mulch the soil surface with compost (after the water has been absorbed into the soil).

The soil in the pit will settle by 8-10 cm, so plant the cedar in a small mound so that after precipitation - root collar was at ground level.

On the damp areas, with a high level ground water, cedars are planted in bulk areas, 0.4-0.8 m high, with a diameter of at least 3 m. The soil is pre-dug with the addition of compost and sand (if the soil is clayey). Brushwood is placed in the sites (supply of cedar nutrition, improvement of soil structure). Along the edges - it is desirable to lay layers of turf (protection against soil erosion).

The active part of the root system (small suction roots) of the cedar is located directly under the forest floor. Therefore, when planting cedar, it is imperative to mulch the soil surface to maintain high fertility and good aeration of its upper layer. The best mulch is hardwood forest floor. In such a substrate, the activity of soil animals and microorganisms is active. It contains the mycelium of fungi - symbionts that improve the mineral nutrition of the Siberian pine and protect its root system from pathogens of the root fungus and other diseases.

A layer of mulch retains moisture in the upper soil layer, which is especially important when growing cedar on light sandy loams, and on heavy clay soil protects its root system from squeezing out in the winter. It is necessary to add a layer of mulch annually to stimulate the formation of adventitious roots in the cedar, which enhance its growth.

During dry periods, cedars are required to be watered to maintain the moisture content of the topsoil. It is also desirable to periodically spray the crown of young cedars with water in the evening to remove dust and improve gas exchange through the stomata in the needles.

The soil under the cedars cannot be dug up - the roots will be chopped off (loosening only its upper layer is permissible).

You can’t remove side branches from a cedar (the more needles, the faster the cedar grows).

When small cotton balls appear on the needles (under them are small Hermes sucking aphids), wash them off with a strong stream of water and treat the shoots with ACTELLIK.

Trees and shrubs should not shade cedars. On the open space cedar forms a decorative spreading crown, is resistant to wind and snow, begins to bear fruit earlier and is more productive.

Cedar is a self-pollinating breed, but for the best cross pollination it is advisable to plant not single trees, but groups of 3-4 trees (at a distance of 8-20m from each other).

Details about the Siberian cedar and the features of its cultivation are on the author's website "Growing Siberian cedar in central Russia" http://kedrovik.forest.ru.

Below are my detailed step by step recommendations planting cedar.

Planting a seedling of Siberian cedar

Notes:
The root system of the seedling should be placed within the upper fertile soil layer on the site (about 20 cm). In the zone of the root system and above it there should be a light fertile sandy soil(to ensure air access to the roots of the seedling).
During the growing season, it is necessary to feed the seedling 3 times with a solution of potassium sulfate - 20g / 10l. water (water around the near-stem circle, consumption - 10 liters per seat).
Top dressing - at the end of May, June and July. Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied only one year after planting.
Regular watering is necessary in dry weather so that the top 5 cm layer of soil does not dry out.
Mulch - forest floor prepared under alder, birch, or hazel (mowed grass can be used). The soil in the pit will settle by 8 - 10 cm, so the seedling should be planted in a small mound (taking into account the sedimentation of the soil).

Planting Siberian cedar.
Photos were kindly provided by the customer Troshin Igor Mikhailovich.

Photo 1. Cedar removed from the container

Photo 2. Landing pit depth - 1m, diameter - 1.8m.

Photo 3. Fill the planting hole with a mixture of the top fertile soil layer with compost (if the soil is clayey, add sand to the mixture)

The mixture, when filling the pit, constantly moisten so that there are no voids.

Photo 4. top fill the planting hole with fertile sandy loam (lighter fertile soil) and form a gentle cone of soil.

The planting hole must be prepared in advance, 2-3 days before planting the cedar, so that the water soaks into the soil and the soil settles!

Photo 5. Set the cedar soil clod in the center of the planting hole, release the twisted ends of the roots (without destroying the clod) and spread the roots over the cone of soil.

Photo6

Photo 7. After the water has been absorbed into the soil, mulch the soil surface 3 cm. a layer of compost and, additionally, 5cm. a layer of cut grass (to retain moisture in the soil)

Photo 8. Pieces of turf can be laid along the edge of the planting hole.

Photo 9. Cedar - a year after planting.

Photo 10. Cedar - 3 years after planting.

I wish you success in growing these wonderful trees.
Sincerely, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Ageev Alexander Borisovich.

Powerful and a big tree cedar! Planting and caring for him, despite his parameters, is not at all complicated. The main thing is to find a place for this beauty. In our time, the cedar tree has become very popular due to the benefits it brings to man. To the question of how to grow cedar, for example, in a summer cottage, there is an answer: breeders have bred dwarf varieties this tree. Ordinary cedars can reach a height of 30 meters or more, while dwarf cedars barely grow to 1 meter. They look good in single landings, and in groups. excellently proven in the form of a hedge, he perfectly tolerates a haircut, which allows you to give free rein to your imagination and create a variety of green forms. In addition to the fact that this tree gives beauty, it also brings health benefits.

Since ancient times, it has been believed that cedar is an elixir of youth, it is a symbol of power. Especially its action is important for men's health and power. It is also established that this plant is a source of healing energy. If every day for an hour to rest near the evergreen miracle of nature, then you can completely get rid of many diseases. So the cedar, planting and caring for which will not cause you much trouble, can take its rightful place on your site. This article will help you learn how to grow beautiful and healthy plants at home.

Description of cedar

Cedar in the country looks great. This evergreen tree will please its guests all year round. beautiful view. It belongs to the pine family and can live up to 800-1000 years. This long-liver, as it grows, acquires several peaks and a dense crown.

Old cedars are brown, with a grayish tint, cracked bark in the form of rough scales. Young shoots are dark brown in color with a huge amount of long red hairs. The needles are dark green soft, grow in bunches of 5 needles, triangular with small notches, reach a length of 5 to 15 cm.

Cedar is a monoecious plant, both female and male cones grow on it. The female cone of cedar is at the end of the shoot, and the male one is at the base. The wind causes pollination. The kidneys are conical, up to 10 mm long. The ripe cone reaches 15 cm in length and 5-10 cm in width. They are diamond shaped brown shade. Young cones are ovoid and purple tint. Full maturation occurs within 15-16 months. The cedar begins to bear fruit, the planting and care of which are carried out according to all the rules, at the age of fifty.

The seeds of the evergreen handsome are large, dark brown, ovoid in shape. In one cone, from 50 to 150 seeds can ripen.

Types of cedar trees

Before you learn how to plant a cedar, you need to familiarize yourself with what species exist in nature and how each of them is characterized so that you can choose the best option for yourself. In total, the genus of cedar trees includes 4 tall species:

Lebanese - is distinguished by the power and sprawling branches that grow horizontally. The Lebanese cedar looks very unusual, planting and caring for this species is very simple, since it is completely unpretentious to growing conditions. This tree is slow growing and barely reaches 2 meters by the age of 10 years.
Atlas - This species will require a lot of space to grow, as it is extremely powerful. By the age of 10, it reaches 3 m in height. After planting, the seedling needs a garter. The branches of the plant are raised up.
Himalayan - by the age of 10 it grows up to 3 m. The branches are falling, drooping type, the top is sticking out.
Cypriot - originally from the island of Cyprus. The crown at the beginning of growth is cone-shaped, then it develops into a wide-spreading, in old age it becomes umbrella-shaped. AT adulthood reaches a height of 40 m.

Place to land

Cultivation of cedar begins with the selection of a suitable place for the plant. recommended where the soil is not too dry and rich in nutrients. Plants in the neighborhood should be lower than cedar, as it needs a high level of light as it grows. Trees that have reached the age of 7-8 years can already develop normally further in partial shade.

How to plant cedar

The very first thing you need to know about is that cedar seedlings should be at a distance of 7-8 m from each other. Marking the territory during planting is very milestone work. Care must be taken to ensure that the distance from the tree to the house and nearby buildings is at least 3 m. root system plants did not destroy the foundations of structures over time.

When the markup is finished, you can start landing, this is not at all a difficult process. Cedar is not too picky about the soil, and it does not require additional bedding. In hard ground, it is recommended to fill up a drainage layer (15-20 cm), consisting of coarse sand or broken bricks.

Watering and spraying

Cedars when grown in the garden usually do not need watering. Unless young trees and cedar seedlings are an exception, they need to be watered in dry and hot summers. Watering is required moderate, so as not to form stagnation of moisture.

Evergreens also treat dry air calmly. But at the same time, young cedars need to be sprayed periodically in summer days. This way you will provide the needles with a rich color.

Cedar Care

How to grow a cedar so that it is strong, beautiful and healthy? The answer to this question is simple - you need to properly care for it. While the plant is still young, it grows very slowly, yielding primacy in growth to other conifers and deciduous species. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that small and still weak cedar seedlings do not disappear into the shadows and thickets of their faster neighbors. It is necessary to remove self-seeding of foreign plants in time.

top dressing

Best of all, the tree will develop in an area open to the sun's rays. The evergreen handsome man does not tolerate an excess of nitrogen, this can lead to the fact that the root system will develop poorly. At the same time, he needs potassium.

Saplings need mulching, it will keep the roots in winter from frostbite when severe frosts. Every year it is advised to increase the layer of mulch, this will contribute to the formation of adventitious roots.

In spring and autumn, the circle of soil around the trunk can be mulched with organic matter. AT summer period twice a month, it is recommended to feed the cedar with a complex

Reproduction by seedlings

Very carefully you need to choose cedar seedlings. It is better to purchase those that are sold in containers or with big ball soil on the roots. This condition increases the chances that the plant will tolerate the transplant well. It is recommended to buy 2-3 year old seedlings. If open roots and yellow withered needles are visible on the planting material, then it is better to refuse such a purchase.

Having picked up seedlings, you can start planting, adhering to the following recommendations:

Dig up the soil within a radius of 3 meters around the planting hole.
The landing pit should be 40 percent larger than the earth seedling.
Before planting, dip the roots of the seedling in a creamy clay solution.
First fix the peg in the hole, only after that you can place the seedling there. Dig everything together with earth.
Tie the seedling to the support with twine.
Water the plant moderately. If there is no rain for 14 days, then you need to continue watering every 2 days.

How to grow a cedar from a nut

To grow a cedar from a nut, you first need to choose the right seeds. Make sure that the planting material does not have bad smell and not moldy. Now that the material is selected, you can start sowing.

Before sowing, so that the seedlings are not affected by the fungus, the seeds must be pickled in a weak solution of manganese for two hours.

Seeds do not germinate right away, first they pass long preparation, which lasts about 5 months. The first step of preparation is soaking the seeds in water for 3 days, changing the water daily. After that, the nuts are mixed with sand, moistened and put into a cloth bag. Now you need to place them in a wooden box with holes on the sides and refrigerate. Periodically, planting material should be checked and moistened as needed. If mold is noticed on the nut, it is immediately thrown away, and the sand is changed.

After six months, the nuts are thoroughly washed and planted in pots to a depth of 1 cm. Sandy soil is used for this. At room temperature after 30 days, the seeds will germinate. Now the seedlings can be placed in a lighted place, but not under the direct rays of the sun.

With the onset of summer, the pots can be taken out into the street so that the plants get used little by little to the air and the sun. After some time, small seedlings can be transplanted into loose soil.

How to grow cedar in the country

When coniferous forests are far from housing, you really want to settle in yourself such a plant that will envelop the courtyard with a heady and healing coniferous aroma. Cedar is the best suited for this purpose. Due to its large size, it is often used for landscaping large parks and squares. On the suburban area a tall handsome man will also look great, especially when paired with a birch, but what if you have small cottage and the site is not distinguished by endless expanses? A way out can be found by planting a dwarf cedar in the country.

Here are some varieties of dwarf cedar:

varieties Nana;
Atlas cedar variety Aurea;
Lebanese cedar varieties Sargentii;
Himalayan cedar varieties Golden Horizon.

The benefits of cedar for humans

What benefits does the cedar bring to mankind, why, especially in recent times, has there been such an increase in interest in this evergreen plant? This is explained by the fact that the tree has extraordinary properties:

Throughout the year, the cedar looks very decorative, especially in winter, when green needles are combined with white sparkling snow.
Healthy and tasty pine nuts are widely used in cosmetology, medicine and cooking.
Resin resin due to its unique healing properties is one of the best means for wound healing.
Cedar needles are also useful, for centuries it has been successfully used to treat many diseases.
Your site will be filled with an amazing coniferous aroma inherent in cedar, as a result of which the air will be filled with useful substances and freshness.
Cedar wood is highly valued in construction and furniture making. Simply priceless in this case, the Canadian of this tree have the highest price, as they are extremely durable, easily tolerate high and low temperatures, environmentally friendly and have antiseptic properties. So Canadian cedar can be considered a leader among the trees used by builders and furniture makers.

Siberian cedar is a symbol of health and strength, a tree of life that you can try to grow at home. Growing a cedar from a nut is not as difficult as it seems. First you need to purchase planting material: it is desirable that it be a solid cone with large scales - the seeds are stored better in it. It is important that it is fresh, a new crop, without mold or foreign smell: such cones are sold in the fall, from the end of September. Roasted or dried pine nuts are not suitable for this purpose - the germ dies at high temperatures. It is better to find a reliable seller in advance. You should not buy cones in places where cedars definitely do not grow.

To extract the seeds, the cone must be scalded with boiling water - then it will open. From the remaining scales, you can prepare a healing tincture or decoction, which are used to treat many diseases.

Seed stratification

When growing cedar at home, the only difficulty may arise: the stratification of seeds, which is necessary for their germination. It happens in several stages.

First, the nuts are soaked in hot water for three days, changing it daily. Some of them may float up - these are empty seeds, they can be thrown away immediately.
The rest must be treated with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and fungicide, dropping nuts into it for several hours.
The next step is cold stratification. Nuts must be mixed with clean, moist fine-grained sand (you can pre-calcine it in the oven), sawdust or peat chips in a ratio of 1: 3.
The resulting mixture must be placed in a cloth bag and placed in a small wooden box, in which holes are made in advance so that air can enter.
A container with nuts is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (in the vegetable compartment) or placed in the cellar for at least 3 months. The temperature for seed germination should be about +4-6 °C, lowering to -4 °C is allowed for no more than 2-3 days.

Every 15 days, the bag must be ventilated, the mixture should be moistened to its original state, make sure that the nuts do not rot or become moldy (the spoiled ones should be removed and the sand replaced). After a while, they will begin to sprout. The best period for sowing is April-May. If seeds are sown at this time without treatment, they can germinate after a year.

accelerated stratification

There is more fast way germination of cedar seeds at home, but it is less reliable than stratification in the refrigerator. You will need fresh, clean nuts, which must first be washed in warm water, freed from resin, and then kept in cold (not higher than 0 ° C) for about 3 days. It should not heat up, otherwise nothing will work. To prevent this from happening, ice cubes can be periodically added to the container. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting.

You can plant them in a substrate prepared in advance (sandy, loamy soils or a mixture of peat and sand are best), the temperature of which should not exceed 15 ° C. Nuts are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm, compacting the soil from above - this will help the sprouts get rid of the hard shell. Containers are needed at least 8 cm high and about 300 ml in volume. Crops are mulched with sawdust or peat chips, placed in the most illuminated part of the house, but without access to direct sunlight, and watered regularly. Seedlings need a temperature of about 20–22 ° C.

Another variant of fast stratification can be used.

Pine nuts are soaked in warm water for about 8 days. It needs to be changed every 2 days.
After that, a sand-peat mixture is made into which the seeds are placed.
Crops are kept at home at room temperature, periodically wetting and shaking, for 30 days, until they begin to peck.
The seedlings are then refrigerated and stored at around 0°C until planted in the ground or immediately planted in a pot.

Seedling care

Growing cedar at home from seeds is somewhat more difficult than growing it outdoors, as this tree is very demanding on lighting. If there is not enough light, the seedlings are best illuminated with special lamps. It is necessary to prepare for the wintering of seedlings in the first year of life if they stay at home and are not planted in the ground: they will need a temperature of no higher than 10 ° C. Such parameters can be on a glazed balcony or in a barn. If this condition is not met, young plants will die after transplanting into open ground.

One of the main enemies of crops is fungal disease- black leg. For its prevention, regular treatment of plants with a fungicide is needed (once every 2 weeks).

It is better to start immediately accustoming young cedars to open air: as soon as the danger of frost has passed, take them out to the garden or to the balcony. This must be done gradually. Plants from seeds grown at home, and not in the ground, are very tender and can easily die from hypothermia or, conversely, overheating. The soil on top should be mulched with sawdust, needles or peat chips so that it does not dry out. Watering these plants needs moderate, no frills, otherwise the risk of rotting of the root system will increase, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Cedars respond very well to top dressing. For this purpose, you can use special fertilizers for coniferous trees. They need to be applied infrequently: 1 time in spring and 2 times in summer.

Wintering and transplanting seedlings in open ground

Young cedars grow very slowly: in the first year of life, they look like stems about 2-3 cm high with a bunch of short needles at the top. On the second one, they can grow up to 7 cm, and in four years reach 20-30 cm. As they grow, the seedlings will need to be transferred to larger containers, making sure that they are planted at the same depth. Plants can overwinter at home on the balcony or in the garden; it is not necessary to add pots if the temperature is not lower than 10 ° C.

Young cedars should be transplanted into open ground before they reach a height of 1 meter. A landing site should be chosen shaded, with a low level of groundwater. Such seedlings will bear fruit no earlier than in 20 years - for this you need to plant several trees so that they pollinate each other.

Conclusion

Growing cedar at home from seeds is only complicated by the need for stratification and creation desired temperature for wintering seedlings. The latter is necessary to prepare plants for transplanting into open ground. Care of young trees consists in regular watering and top dressing.

In many ways, getting good seedlings depends on planting material. When choosing, you need to focus on the size of the cone and its scales - the larger they are, the better. Cold stratification for several months gives the best result, as it is close to the natural conditions of seed germination. You can try several ways to grow a tree that will delight not only its owner, but also his grandchildren with beauty.