Cedar can grow not only in the Urals or in the Trans-Baikal Territory in natural conditions, it can also be grown from seed, artificially. At the same time, the tree feels great in the regions located in the middle lane. It is not difficult to grow a cedar from a nut at home.
The cedar tree gives its first harvest only at 50-60 years of its life. Despite this, many people enjoy the very process of germinating seeds and watching how the young tree grows and develops. In addition, Siberian cedar is a very beautiful tree that creates an atmosphere of comfort, fills the air with a pleasant coniferous aroma, and protects from the scorching sun rays in the summer heat.
The choice of planting material
So, to plant a cedar, you need to get fresh seeds. Ideal if you have the opportunity to collect fresh cones from the forest. But, if this is not possible, you can buy nuts in the market or in a store. It is advisable to make 3-4 small purchases in different places - this will increase the chance of obtaining both male and female plants.
It takes a handful of seeds to grow 5 seedlings. They must be checked for germination suitability. For this you need:
- Place the nuts in a glass jar and cover with water.
- Leave them in water for 3 days, changing the water in the jar daily.
- On the first day, all seeds will float on the surface of the water. Over time, some of them will begin to sink to the bottom. It is these nuts that can be used for planting.
It is better to throw away all the seeds that remain afloat - it will not work to grow trees from them.
Growing and caring for young plants
Care for the "young" is quite simple. First, you need to adjust the irrigation rates to prevent waterlogging or drying out of the soil. You need to irrigate the land at least once a week. You can also spray the crown with a spray gun to make it brighter.
Did you know? Cedar kernel oil is used in the production of high quality optics.
Young plants should be fed twice a year. In the spring, potassium nitrate is used (60 g for each specimen), and in the fall - superphosphate (50 g for 1 cedar). You will also need to regularly loosen the topsoil and remove weeds to avoid the development of diseases and pests.
Stratification
Stratification is an imitation of the impact on the seed of natural winter conditions. For this, the seeds are kept at low temperatures for a long time. This procedure significantly increases germination and accelerates the germination of nuts.
Stratification is carried out at a temperature of +3 degrees. Most often, a refrigerator is used for this procedure, although in winter, nuts can simply be left outside, in the snow, or put in the basement. In the last two cases, to protect against rodents, it is necessary to use a tightly closing jar with small holes through which air must enter the nuts.
The duration of stratification is at least 4-5 weeks. In this case, the nuts must be kept in the cold and constantly moisturized. To maintain constant moisture, they are wrapped in a damp cloth, or mixed with wet sand.
When stored in a refrigerator or basement, they can become moldy, so the seeds should be removed periodically and checked for white bloom. If it appears, the grains are washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, wrapped in a new damp cloth, and sent back to the refrigerator or cellar.
Tip: You should start stratification no later than February so that the seeds are ready for potting by the end of March. By spring, their shells soften, and white sprouts appear on some nuts.
How to make a correct landing at home?
The final stage is the transplanting of prepared seedlings. Unfortunately, many fail at this stage. However, taking into account the following useful tips, you can avoid common mistakes, and therefore achieve the desired result.
So, seedlings need to be illuminated most of the day with special lamps at a temperature not higher than 10 degrees. Failure to comply with this condition threatens the death of recently appeared shoots.
It is also necessary to regularly take the plants out into the cold so that they form a kind of immunity.
And the last tip: the cedar is incredibly fond of feeding. It is sold in any specialized store and it will not be difficult to choose it. But you need to apply it not so often - a couple of times in the summer and once in the spring.
Soil preparation
Cedar, like most conifers, grows well in sandy soils. If there is clay soil on your garden plot, then the hole for the seedling must be covered with a mixture:
- Sand.
- Sawdust.
- Crushed pine cones.
- Nutshells or coniferous litter.
The soil for the pots in which the seeds will germinate can be prepared from river sand, gravel chips and peat, taken in equal proportions. To disinfect this mixture, you can bake it in the oven for 25 minutes. This procedure will destroy insect pests, fungi and other pathogenic microorganisms.
At the bottom of the pot, a drainage 5 cm thick must be poured. At home, drainage can be prepared from empty crushed pine cones. It can also be purchased at a specialty store.
Harvesting
Despite the fact that handsome conifers grow very quickly - on average by half a meter every year - trees begin to bear fruit only when their age reaches 40-50 years old. At the same time, cones, which contain nuts, appear infrequently - once every 7 years. But this is in the natural conditions of the wild taiga. If you grow a tree in your garden and provide it with ideal conditions for development, then the plant will reach reproductive age by about 20 years. And yet, the most productive harvest period falls on the interval from 70 to 100 years, while one tree can donate about 20 kg of nuts.
That's all there is to know about how to sprout pine nuts yourself. Be sure to try to grow this noble tree, at least so that a mighty handsome coniferous man flaunts on your site, to the envy of your neighbors.
Planting methods
Before planting seeds, they need to be dried a little and inspected for mold and other damage. You can germinate nuts both in pots and in the open field in your country house or garden plot if you live in a private house.
The main rule that must be observed when planting nuts is to direct them with the sharp end down.
In pots
Many people find it easier and more convenient to grow seedlings in a pot. This method will protect the planting material from rodents and other pests.
Tip: Do not be upset if only 30% of a large number of seeds germinate - this result is considered good. That is why it is recommended to plant as many nuts as possible.
To grow trees correctly, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- In the spring, nuts removed from the refrigerator or cellar are planted in pots or small boxes and placed on the windowsill. The depth of embedding in the ground is 1 cm.
- To speed up the germination of seedlings, it is recommended to provide it with a temperature within the range of 19 -23 degrees.
- In about a month, the first shoots will begin to break through from under the ground - green panicles from needles. The first days, their ends will be gathered in a bunch under the opened nutshell. In a few days it will disappear on its own, you should not take it off with your hands ahead of time. After the shell has fallen off, the panicle will open in the form of a green needle-like umbrella.
- In the summer, when stable warm weather is established, the pots can be taken out into the street or balcony, and in the winter they can be put back into the house.
- Seedlings that have grown noticeably during the first year can be transplanted into a larger pot. But, as a rule, young trees grow in one pot for 3-4 years. Upon reaching this age, they can be planted in open ground.
- It is necessary to transplant together with a lump of earth. This will prevent damage to the roots and accelerate the survival of seedlings.
Note: Cedars grow very slowly, while the growth rate of different trees is not the same. So, within 5 years, one tree can grow by 1.5 m, and another - barely reach the mark of 30-40 cm.
In the open field
For growing cedar in the open field, it is recommended to use the step-by-step instructions:
- The stratified seeds are planted in spring. The optimal time is the end of April, when the weather will be warm outside. If desired, the seeds can be sown in the fall, but in this case the percentage of germination is significantly reduced.
- About 300 nuts are sown on a 1 m² plot. Only a few will sprout from them. The seeds are sealed to a depth of 5 cm.
- After the bed is covered with plastic wrap, which will keep warm, protect from night cold and pests.
- Remove the film daily and control the humidity level. Plants should not dry out, but excess moisture can also have a detrimental effect on them.
- After emergence in very warm weather, the film is removed, since the sun's rays can burn the delicate shoots through the polyethylene.
- When the plants reach a height of 5-7 cm, they are transplanted to a shaded area. On hot days, it is recommended to spray them with a spray bottle.
- After 1-2 years, young trees will grow only a few centimeters. At this age, they can already be transplanted to a permanent place. The distance between cedars should not be less than 3 meters, as mature trees grow large. They can grow from 20 m in height and at least 4-5 m in width.
Mineral and organic fertilizers should be periodically applied under young seedlings. It is also necessary to ensure that the plants do not clog the weeds. To do this, they are weeded every 7-10 days.
If you want to know more about growing cedar: here is the experience of growing trees in a nursery.
What soil can be planted
Few people know, but it can be grown not only in soil, but also in sawdust.
If you want to plant a cedar in the ground, then you can choose any land that is suitable for planting conifers. You can buy it in many stores (flower shops, pet shops, some supermarkets and hypermarkets).
You can prepare the substrate yourself. This will require black sand (river and sifted) and peat. Mix these two ingredients in a one-to-one ratio.
The soil can be replaced with ordinary sawdust. You can buy sawdust at supermarkets or pet stores.
How to tell a cedar from a pine
Of course, you can buy ready-made seedlings in the nursery, but they are quite expensive.Considering that this plant is pollinated by the wind, and in order to obtain fruits it is necessary to plant several male and female trees nearby at once, a considerable amount will have to be paid for the purchase of 5-6 seedlings.
In addition, some dishonest sellers can sell ordinary pine instead of cedar to an inexperienced buyer. To distinguish a cedar from it, you should carefully consider the needles: in a cedar they grow in bunches, 5 pieces in each, and in a pine - only 2 pieces.
Pine needles, unlike cedar needles, have different lengths and a darker color. The color of the cedar trunk is gray, and the pine color is brown.
In order to avoid deception, it is better to buy planting material in large nurseries (for example, Sidorkina, Ageeva, Siberian Cedar).
Cedar nursery.
It takes a lot of time and effort to germinate a cedar seed. But a tree that has taken over and entered into force will be able to delight others for 500 years.
Planting rules
We've put together a few guidelines that can help you avoid mistakes and grow a healthy tree.
- Before you finally plant the tree in the ground, it is best to hold the pot with seedlings in the fresh air for a day.
- It is necessary to know approximately the level of groundwater - should be less than three meters.
- Dig up a young seedling carefully. It is important not to damage the still fragile cedar root system during planting and carefully separate them from the bottom of the pot.
