Planting, growing and caring for cedar nut trees at home

Cedars are one of the most beautiful coniferous trees, symbolizing health and strength. They are also recognized long-livers. They often live up to 500 years. These evergreen trees are often used to decorate garden and park landscapes. Many people purchase annual seedlings and plant them in their plots. But experienced gardeners know ways to plant cedars at home and properly care for them.

What varieties are recommended to grow?

Cultivated varieties of cedars have a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and needle lengths. Before choosing one or another variety for cultivation, it is worth getting acquainted with the types of tall cedars.

1. Lebanese are powerful and spreading trees with branches growing horizontally. They grow slowly, so that by the age of 10 they reach a height of 2 meters.
2. Himalayan - plants with drooping crowns, protruding tops and drooping branches. Growth is slow, no more than 3 meters in 10 years.
3. Atlas trees are powerful trees that need a large area. They require garters after planting in the ground.
4. Cyprian - plants from the island of Cyprus, reaching 40 meters in height in nature.

At home

There are types of cedar that can be grown at home. For example, they are great for creating bonsai. These include the valuable Himalayan cedar, as well as its Japanese “relatives”.

The difference between Himalayan cedar is its curved branches and light green needles. In indoor conditions they grow very slowly, have small needles, but can acquire a sophisticated appearance.

The size of the Japanese cedar in the wild is such that the diameter of its trunk reaches 2 meters.Home-grown specimens are much more modest in size, but are not inferior in attractiveness.

Outdoors

Siberian and Far Eastern cedar are suitable for growing in open ground. Breeders have developed varieties that are intended for planting in the garden.

1. Siberian cedar is common in the eastern and western regions of Siberia, as well as in China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Nowadays, varieties of Siberian cedar have been developed that differ in the size and shape of the crown, and the presence of edible fruits.
2. Far Eastern cedars are frost-resistant evergreens whose lifespan reaches 600 years. Over the course of 3-4 years, the seedlings grow quite slowly and require special care; they can be planted in the countryside.

Methods of germination and propagation

Gardeners have been growing various types of cedars for a long time. They reproduce in several ways: by seeds and cuttings.

Seeds

Growing a cedar from a nut takes time and effort. The result depends on the quality of the planting material. Pine nuts bought in a regular store are not suitable for these purposes - they are shelled and fried.

The germination rate of cedar seeds remains high for one year. Then it decreases: for two-year-olds the figure is 50%.

The reasons why gardeners prefer seed propagation to purchasing ready-made seedlings are the higher price of seedlings and the likelihood that they will not take root. To grow cedars, select cones with the largest nuts, which are soaked, disinfected and stratified before planting.

Cuttings

Propagating cedars by cuttings is a faster, but also more labor-intensive method. Green cuttings taken from fruit-bearing plants during bud swelling are used as planting material.The length of the branches is no more than 10 centimeters; they are cut from the side branches of the first or second order.

Technology for planting cedar at home

To grow cedar at home, select high-quality seeds. They can be purchased at a specialized store or collected independently from a tree. The period for collecting ripe cedar cones is from late October to November.

Landing dates

Not all gardeners know exactly when to plant cedar seeds when growing indoors. It is believed that the best time for planting is April and May. In this case, the seeds must be pre-stratified, otherwise the germination period may drag on for a whole year.

Preparation of natural material

Before sowing cedar seeds, they must be prepared. This procedure includes several steps.

1. Soak. The seeds are placed in hot water and soaked in it for 2-3 days.
2. Cold stratification - immersion in damp fine-grained sand and storage for 3 months in the cellar or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Every 15 days, it is necessary to ventilate and moisten the mixture, and remove rotten or moldy seeds.

Treatment for blackleg and pests

To protect against blackleg fungal disease and other pests, the seeds are treated with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and a fungicide. This can be done 2 times a month.

Soil composition and container volume

You can plant cedar seeds in the substrate. The most suitable are loamy and sandy loam soils, as well as mixtures of sand and peat. The volume of the pots should be approximately 300 milliliters, their height should be about 8 centimeters.

Planting and germination of a young tree

Pine nuts are deepened into the soil by 3 centimeters so that developing sprouts can more easily free themselves from the shell.It is recommended to place young crops in well-lit places, while protecting them from direct sunlight.

The soil should be mulched and watered regularly. In the room where the seedlings are located, the temperature should be maintained at 20-22 ⁰WITH.

Rules for caring for homemade pine needles

Household coniferous plants have strict requirements for light levels. If it is insufficient, it is necessary to provide the cedars with additional lighting. In the warm season, they can be taken out onto the balcony or into the garden, but this should be done gradually so that the tender young trees do not suffer from overheating or, on the contrary, from hypothermia.

Regularity of watering

Cedars should be watered sparingly. If there is an excess of moisture, there is a risk of root rotting. It is also important to ensure that the soil does not dry out.

Fertilizer

Feeding has a good effect on the condition and growth of young conifers. For this purpose, special fertilizers for coniferous trees are used - once in the spring and twice during the summer.

Crown formation

Giving the cedar crown its shape is a simple procedure. For plants no older than 10 years old, it is enough to just remove the lower branches. And from young seedlings you can simply remove the buds.

Wintering the plant

Balconies or enclosed terraces are suitable for wintering home-grown cedars. Sometimes pots with plants are taken out into the garden, and at low temperatures they are buried.

How to plant in open ground

It is quite possible to grow a beautiful cedar on a personal plot. There are varieties adapted to grow far from their natural habitat. Young seedlings require a lot of attention and careful care.

In what areas can the tree be grown?

Cedars have long been successfully grown in Central Russia, for example, in the Moscow region, Vladimir and Ivanovo regions, as well as in Siberia, the Urals and Altai.Spreading coniferous trees can be seen in garden plots, groves and parks. The climatic conditions in our country meet the requirements of the breed. Siberian cedar feels especially good in open ground.

Germinating seeds and preparing cuttings

Seeds for growing plants in open ground are prepared in the same way as those intended for breeding at home. They undergo selection, soaking, stratification, and treatment with fungicides.

The seedling for planting can be grown on your own or purchased from a specialized store. Experienced gardeners prefer to buy cedars that are at least 5-6 years old. However, two-year-old conifers can also be planted.

Selecting a location

Defining, Where is it better to plant a seedling on a personal plot, we must take into account that this plant loves warmth and light. Therefore, it is recommended to allocate well-lit places protected from winds for it.

Soil preparation

The soil where the conifer is planted must be fresh, well-drained, enriched with nutrients, and rich in organic matter. Cedars prefer clay and loamy substrates.

Planting period and pattern

The best time when it is recommended to plant a plant in open ground is spring. This should not be done in the summer, but in the fall the period comes again when you can plant conifers on the site. It is enough just to wait until the leaf fall of the deciduous representatives of the flora ends.

The planting scheme should take into account that the crown diameter of an adult tree is about 6 meters. This distance should be left free around the planting hole. The nearest buildings should be located at a distance of 3 meters, otherwise the roots may destroy the foundation over time.

Caring for a planted tree

Young trees are demanding of growing conditions. They grow slowly, so it is necessary to ensure that they are not in the shade of tall plants and do not suffer from lack of light.

Irrigation

Cedars suffer equally from drought and from excess moisture. Therefore, seedlings should be watered regularly, but moderately. In hot weather, pine needles need to be irrigated to keep them fresh.

Top dressing

It is recommended to fertilize seedlings three times during one growing season - in May, June and July. For this, a solution of potassium sulfate is used. A year after planting the tree in open ground, you can use nitrogen fertilizers as top dressing.

Treatment against insects and pests

Young seedlings are very vulnerable to diseases and pests, for example, gray grass or tar cancer, bark beetles, scale insects, and aphids. To protect green pets, it is necessary to clear the tree trunk of weeds and use special insecticides.

Is it possible to transplant an adult tree from the forest to a plot?

You can try to transplant an adult plant into a garden plot. However, to do this, a number of conditions must be met, which determine whether the tree will take root in a new place:

• its height should not exceed 3 meters, and the trunk diameter should not exceed 7 centimeters;
• the earthen ball must be large, and it must be preserved when digging and transporting;
• practice shows that it is not easy to fulfill the last condition, since the slightest shedding of the earthen clod causes damage to the feeding roots.

How to care for an adult cedar

Caring for an adult plant consists of ensuring soil breathability, sufficient light levels, seasonal feeding, moderate infrequent watering, mulching the soil and annual pruning.

These simple procedures will allow you to grow a long-lived tree on the site and plant it with healing air, saturated with phytoncides and biologically active substances.