In the section on the question how many years does cedar live? When does it start to bear fruit? given by the author Opportunist the best answer is that cedar lives on average 350-400 years (some centenarians live almost twice as long). Therefore, in adulthood it looks majestic and forms very productive, complex forests.
In addition, cedar is the only nut-bearing tree in the Siberian taiga. Its tasty and nutritious seeds-nuts are the main food for all forest fauna, and for humans - from the Stone Age to the present day - an object of trade and a valuable food product.
Under natural conditions, Siberian pine usually begins to bear fruit only at the age of 50–70 years. The cedar bears abundant fruit every five to seven years. But the cedar bears fruit until a very old age.
Source: h ttp://kedr.forest.ru/ h ttp://bio.1september.ru/articlef.php?ID=200404404
Answer from Witty[newbie]
in favorable conditions up to 800 years
Answer from Caucasian[guru]
for more than a thousand years it bears fruit approximately 10 years after planting
Answer from Ans[guru]
grafted forms of Siberian pine (so-called cedar) begin to bear fruit at 7-10 years. Sometimes earlier. There have been cases in my practice when an ungrafted cedar tree living next to a person (this is very important) began to produce cones on
15th year
Answer from Paleev Paleev[guru]
Natural, “wild” cedar grows relatively slowly, begins to bear fruit at the age of 25-30 years, and reaches its maximum yield (10-15 kg of nut per tree) at 100-150 years, lives up to 400 years or more (sometimes up to 800 years)
A genus of gymnosperms in the Conifer family, common in the Mediterranean and Himalayas.
There are five taxa in the genus, the number of species is from two to four.
Two kinds:
* Himalayan cedar,
* Cedar of Lebanon.
The latter has four subspecies or varieties:
* Atlas cedar, Cedrus libani var. atlantica (Endl.) Hook.f. (syn. Cedrus libani subsp. atlantica (Endl.) Batt. & Trab.; Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière)
* Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani var. libani
* Cyprus cedar (short-coniferous), Cedrus libani var. brevifolia Hook.f. (syn. Cedrus libani subsp. brevifolia (Hook.f.) Meikle; Cedrus brevifolia (Hook.f.) A.Henry)
* Turkish (Ararat) cedar, Cedrus libani var. stenocoma (O.Schwarz) Frankis (syn. Cedrus libani subsp. stenocoma (O.Schwarz) Davis)
In botanical literature, Atlas cedar, Cypriot cedar and Turkish cedar are usually considered to be subspecies of Cedar of Lebanon, while in horticultural literature they are usually considered separate species.
Life form - tree.
Wood is highly valued and has been used since ancient times (mentioned in the Bible as one of the materials for the construction of royal palaces and temples; symbolizes well-being and prosperity
How to grow cedar - “Homestead farming” N6, 1988.
“Cedar is a tree for children and grandchildren”
M. Ignatenko, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Honored Forester of the RSFSR, Leningrad
Siberian cedar (the correct botanical name is Siberian cedar pine)- an evergreen coniferous tree. This truly amazing plant seems to have absorbed all imaginable useful qualities: decorativeness and healing properties, winter hardiness and durability. The main wealth of Siberian cedar is its nuts. Collected near Leningrad, they contained 61% fat, 20% proteins, 12% carbohydrates. Please note that these are nuts grown in the northwest of the country, where the weather is capricious. Nuts are very tasty, nutritious and healing. Academician P.S. Pallas wrote 200 years ago: “in Switzerland they use pine nuts in pharmacies; They make milk from them, which is prescribed for chest diseases... they claim that they were used beneficially by consumptive people.”
Pine nuts contain vitamin A (growth vitamin), B vitamins (anti-neurotic), which improve cardiac activity and are generally necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. They are especially rich in vitamin E (tocopherol, which in Greek means “bearing offspring”). It is not without reason that in years of good cedar harvests the fertility of sable and squirrels increases significantly. Doctors claim that pine nuts contain substances that help improve blood composition, prevent tuberculosis, and anemia.
Cedar resin - resin- has embalming properties. For a long time, residents of Siberia and the Urals used it to treat purulent wounds, cuts, and burns. During the Great Patriotic War, cedar resin was successfully used in hospitals to treat wounded soldiers. It protected wounds from infection and stopped gangrenous processes.
The needles are rich in vitamin C and carotene. It contains a lot of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, copper, cobalt.
Cedar wood is also valuable. Since it has bactericidal properties, cabinets made from cedar wood are not susceptible to moths. Wood is used to make about 10 thousand different products (pencil sticks, battery veneer, furniture, musical instruments).
The tree is beautiful with its green attire at any time of the year. The antimicrobial properties of cedar trees are also high. The air in its plantings is practically sterile.
Siberian cedar has been bred in our country for a long time. Cedars planted in the Moscow region, near Leningrad, Yaroslavl grow successfully; the age of some of them exceeds 100 - 200 years, they successfully bloom, bear fruit and produce mature seeds even in the Arctic. Many cedars are planted by amateur gardeners in their personal plots and in collective gardens. When breeding Siberian cedar, it is necessary to take into account that it cannot grow in dry sandy places, but prefers sandy loam or loamy, moist, fertile soils.
Cedar propagation vegetatively, by grafting cuttings onto Scots pine, but mainly by seeds. When tender, still immature shoots just emerge from the soil, birds (mostly crows) immediately peck them off. Therefore, plants have to be grown under plastic film.
Good results are obtained when sowing seeds in autumn. To do this, at the end of September - beginning of October, that is, a month before the soil freezes, the seeds are sown in prepared ridges and covered with spruce branches to protect them from mouse-like rodents. And in the spring of next year, the seeds sprout vigorously.
When sowing in spring, Siberian cedar seeds require mandatory stratification. To do this, they are soaked in warm water (25 - 300) for 4-6 days. The water is changed every 1-2 days. Then the seeds are mixed with well-washed river sand or peat chips and kept at room temperature. The mixture is periodically stirred and moistened. With this stratification, the seeds hatch in 50-60 days. The sprouted seeds are taken out into the cold and stored until sowing at a temperature close to zero. In spring, sowing is carried out in late April - early May (depending on weather conditions). For 1 sq. m. you can sow from 50 to 300 g of seeds. The depth of their planting is 3 - 4 cm. The plastic film that protects the seeds and seedlings from birds is removed only after the shells have fallen off the emerging seedlings.
When the crops are thickened, the seedlings dive. As soon as the sprouts appear in the form of a bent knee, they are dug up, sorted, the roots are trimmed and planted under a peg on the ridges at the same depth at which they were. The planting pattern is 20x20 cm or 20x10 cm. You can also plant seedlings in the second year after germination. If agricultural practices are followed, the survival rate of cedar seedlings after picking can be very high - up to 95%. 2-3 years after picking, good planting material with a developed root system is obtained, which contributes to better survival of seedlings after transplantation to a new location.
Plant Siberian cedar! He deserves to be bred both in the central regions of the European part of the RSFSR and in the north-west.
A. Klebanov.
Candidate of agricultural sciences Sciences, Ural Forestry Engineering Institute, Sverdlovsk
Many rural residents of Altai, Siberia, and the Urals plant cedar in their garden plots, on the streets and in parks. Cedar is the beauty and pride of the taiga. True, trees do not always take root, but sometimes they grow up to 25 m, their trunk diameter reaches 2 m. How similar is cedar to Scots pine. At first glance, you can't tell them apart from each other. But pay attention to the needles. In cedars it is surprisingly soft, long, triangular, collected in whorls of 5-6 pieces, and in Scots pine there are 2 and very rarely 3 needles. Cedar is famous for its longevity - it even lives up to 800 years. It is difficult, of course, to wait for the harvest. In forest plantations, it begins to bear fruit at 40-70 years, sometimes later, and in gardens, where timely care and feeding with fertilizers is carried out, at 15-20 years. But it continues to produce a harvest of seeds for about 250 years. Residents of taiga regions call cedar “breadfruit”.
Of course, the question comes up again and again: Where to buy planting material?
In areas where cedar grows in the forest, in spring or autumn you can contact the nearest forestry or forestry enterprise and buy 2-5 year old seedlings. Sometimes, only with the permission of forestry workers, you can dig up cedar seedlings at skidding roads, loading areas, logging sites, oil pipeline routes, etc. In no case should you dig up cedar from under the forest canopy, in forest plantations, or in burnt areas. This is regarded as poaching and is punishable by a fine. But if you are allowed to prepare cedar planting material, dig it out carefully, preserving the roots as much as possible. Be sure to wet the soil properly and plant it on the same day. If this is not possible, then the seedling must be buried immediately. Significant damage, fragmentation of tap roots or their “drying out” in the air are the most common mistakes when planting cedar.
Another common mistake is planting single trees. It is known that all coniferous trees are wind-pollinated; pollen from one tree is carried by the wind to another, promoting cross-pollination. If it occurs inside the crown of a tree, and there is no other plant of the same species in the neighborhood, then its seeds either do not set at all, or in the fall of next year (the seed development cycle of cedar lasts up to 18 months!) they ripen small and non-germinating. Therefore, cedar planting material must be obtained from different places to prevent inbreeding. It is advisable to plant seedlings on the site immediately in a permanent place, sufficiently lit, preferably in groups of 3-4 trees, at a distance of 5-8 meters from each other. You can plant low-growing fruit trees and berry bushes between cedar seedlings. It is very good to sow lupine - this “biological fertilizer” for several years will contribute to better growth and development of cedar seedlings and will bring the beginning of its fruiting closer. It is advisable to systematically water the soil around the perimeter of the tree crown, simultaneously introducing mineral and, in the spring, organic fertilizers.
From the very first days after planting, it is necessary to take care of the shape of the crown. The most effective formation of the so-called “garden forms” is a low-pubescent, spreading crown, it is good if it has a multi-peaked crown, since female flower buds are laid along its periphery, mainly in the upper part. You can remove lower branches up to a height of 2-2.5 meters in the first 10-15 years of the tree’s life, spreading the pruning time over the years. Use pruning shears to remove branches flush with the tree trunk. In this case, wounds heal faster. To prevent infection by spores of wood-decaying fungi, cover the cut areas with garden varnish.
You can avoid pruning if you break off the lateral buds on the axial shoot in the first 3-5 years after planting a 2-3-year-old seedling. In this case, all nutrients and growth substances enter one central bud of the axial shoot. The growth of this shoot per season increases by 2-2.5 times, and the need to trim the side shoots subsequently disappears. It is advisable to break out side buds or trim side shoots in the autumn-winter period, before the start of the growing season.
An indicator of good survival and growth of cedar seedlings is dark green needles, a spreading crown with needles 4-5 years old, the growth of the axial shoot in the first years is at least 5-10 cm per year.
And also keep in mind one feature of Siberian cedar. This tree species is very sensitive to air pollution. That's why Planting cedar is undesirable near large industrial enterprises with increased gas or dust levels in the air. In addition, large seedlings require careful care and feeding with mineral and organic fertilizers. But in gratitude you will receive delicious, high-calorie pine nuts. And your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will remember for more than 200 years the Man who planted and grew this majestic tree.
Professor of Moscow State University of Linguistics, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences. Sciences I. I. Drozdov
Any natural talent is fully revealed only in certain favorable conditions, with appropriate upbringing. Yes and Siberian cedar- only with appropriate attention and targeted care does it fully realize its rich natural capabilities.
In wild cedar forests, trees are not productive enough. Here they are formed under conditions of biogenosis - a unique plant complex with high environmental properties, opportunities for secondary use of forests and the production of valuable wood in mature forest stands. In the village cedar forests, unique cedar gardens formed and cared for by humans, trees are presented in all their splendor. Trees with lush, evergreen crowns perfectly decorate village landscapes, ennobling them with their colorful appearance. Phytoncides improve the health of the atmosphere; nut yields in the pine trees near the village are almost every year 5-6 times higher than the yield of forest plantations.
However, despite all the attractiveness of cedar, growing it is more difficult compared to other conifers (Scots pine, larch, spruce). Foresters call the culture of Siberian cedar the school of patience. Its seeds are distinguished by deep dormancy and they germinate only after a winter stay in the cold for at least 3-4 months. Cedar crops require protection from rodents and birds. The first ten years the cedar grows slowly, reaching a height of 1.5 m. However, in the future this breed is able to thank for attention to it. Cedar gets along well in individual areas, near buildings. At 30 years old, it reaches a height of 9 meters, forms a lush crown reaching 3 meters in diameter. By this time, there is little space for spruce, Scots pine and larch, they are cramped on the site, and problems arise with their felling.
Siberian cedar Propagated mainly by seed, less often - vegetatively (grafting, rooting cuttings).
It is preferable to import cedar seeds from the plains and low-mountain regions of Western Siberia. When propagating this breed in the European part of Russia, it is better to focus on the spring sowing period (late April, first half of May). To do this, the seeds are first prepared and stratified for at least 3 months in the cold, following the following procedure.
The seeds are soaked for 3 days, changing the water daily. During this period, benign seeds swell and sink to the bottom of the vessel. Empty and poor quality seeds remain on the surface and are removed. Benign seeds are pickled in an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate. Then their seeds are mixed with a damp (50%) substrate (sand, peat, sawdust, conifers, etc.) in a 1:2 ratio and placed in the cold (under the snow, in the refrigerator, etc.). If the number of seeds is small, they can be placed in bags made of several layers of loose fabric. It is important that the seeds are moist throughout the entire period in the cold. They retain moisture well under snow; they need to be moistened periodically in the refrigerator. Seeds in bags can be placed in plastic bags without closing them tightly.
Before sowing, the seeds are separated from the substrate, again pickled in a strong solution of potassium permanganate (up to 24 hours) and dried for sowing.
It is better to plant them in a greenhouse, hotbed, etc. on a loose peat-soil substrate. Here the crops are reliably protected from damage by birds. In comfortable conditions, seed germination increases, seedlings grow 1.5-2 times faster than in open ground. Before sowing, it is advisable to add 1 g of superphosphate, 0.5 g of potassium fertilizer or 2 g of wood ash mixed with 20 g of peat to the bottom of the sowing furrows before sowing, per 1 meter. The distance between sowing lines is 15-20 cm. The seeding rate is 30 g (125-150 seeds) per 1 meter. The depth of planting seeds in the soil is 3 cm. The surface of the crops is covered with a 0.5-1 cm layer of loose mulch (peat, sawdust or other covering material). During the season it is necessary to weed and loosen the soil 3-4 times. Before mass shoots appear (10 - 12 days), watering is required. Subsequently, the seedlings develop a fairly deep root system.
To protect crops from infectious damage to seedlings caused by the Fusarium fungus, in addition to preventive treatment of seeds, it will be necessary to water the seed furrows with the seeds sown in them with a 0.4% solution of potassium permanganate. When lesions appear, the stems of the seedlings turn red, a constriction forms, they fall and dry out. Control measures: during the first 2 weeks, seedlings are treated with a 0.4% solution of potassium permanganate 1 - 3 times with a solution consumption of up to 10 liters per 1 m2.
After 3 years, before their growth begins, the seedlings are dug up and transplanted into a tree school with a placement of 0.4 x 0.4 m, where they are grown for 3-5 years to obtain larger seedlings. It is allowed to store seedlings dug up before the beginning of the growing season for 2 weeks in the cold. Bunches of seedlings (50 - 100 pieces) are packed in damp burlap, then in plastic wrap and placed in a basement or in a snow pile, previously prepared under a layer of sawdust.
You can grow seedlings with closed roots, that is, in peat, plastic or other containers prepared for seedlings with a height of at least 8 cm and a volume of 200 - 300 cm. The containers are filled with a substrate from a mixture of peat and loam (1:1) added to the bucket mixture (10 l) of granulated superphosphate - 50 g, potassium salt - 25 g, dolomite lime 250 g.
The containers are filled with substrate in mid-April and placed on the ground in the greenhouse. After stratification, cedar seeds are washed, pickled for 24 hours in a 0.4% solution of potassium permanganate and germinated 7-10 days before sowing on damp sand or damp burlap.
Sprouted seeds are sown 1 in each container, covered with peat, sand or sawdust in a 1 cm layer and watered with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate (5 liters per 1 m of container surface). Care consists of timely watering, loosening the surface of the substrate two or three times, and removing weeds. If foci of seedling damage (fusarium blight) are detected, they are watered with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate. If several seedlings have died, empty spaces are supplemented with sprouted seeds or seedlings from additional crops.
Growing period is 2-3 years. In the first case, seedlings are grown for 2 years under a film covering, in the second - the first year in closed ground, the next 2 years in open ground with mandatory regular watering. The slightest overdrying of a small volume of substrate has a detrimental effect on plant growth. Grown seedlings are removed from containers or transplanted directly in peat pots into large containers (paper-plastic milk bags, ceramic flower pots, plastic bags, etc.) or planted in the soil of a tree school (0.4x0.4 m) for germinating them and obtaining 6-8 year old seedlings.
Saplings 6-8 years old are more reliable than seedlings when transplanting cedar to a permanent place. In the tree school, they are dug up with a lump of soil (0.2 x 0.2 x 0.2 m) and transferred to the planting site, having previously wrapped the lump with film or a damp cloth. Seedlings with a closed root system are freed from containers before planting.
Planting of seedlings is carried out in areas with previously loosened (dug up) not turfed loamy or sandy loam soil. The planting hole is dug 30% larger than the volume of the root systems of the seedlings. The removed soil is mixed with fertilizers (peat, humus, rotted manure, wood ash), it is advisable to add 3-4 handfuls of forest litter from under the coniferous forest. The latter contributes to better development of mycorrhiza on root systems (symbiosis of root endings and hyphae of forest fungi), which provides good mineral nutrition to forest woody plants. The prepared substrate is poured into the bottom of the hole and the root system of the seedling is placed in its center so that its root collar (the boundary between the stem and the root system) is at the ground level of the site. Next, the hole is filled with prepared loose soil, compacted by trampling and watered (0.5 buckets).
Planting places for seedlings are placed linearly or in groups with a distance between them of at least 3 m. When planting garden-type plantings, the placement of seedlings is 4x5 m or 5x5 m. This provides a fairly complete light supply to the trees, promotes the development of the crown and the formation of a good harvest of cones in the future. With sparse trees standing, cedar begins to produce crops at the age of 18.
Caring for cedar seedlings
When a white coating appears on young shoots (more often seen in humid weather), it is imperative to treat them with a solution of laundry soap. It is diluted in warm water, the foam is whipped, and then the affected shoots are thoroughly washed with a sponge or soft cloth swab 2-3 times. Otherwise, with the active development of whiteness, the shoots may die. In this case, the tree does not die, but its annual growth is lost.
Vegetative propagation of cedar, most often by grafting cedar cuttings onto cedar or cedar onto Scots pine, is carried out to clone valuable selected forms (in terms of growth intensity, decorativeness, productivity), to accelerate the appearance of the first cones. A mature plant develops from a cutting—scion—taken from an adult tree from the upper female tier of the cedar crown. After 4-5 years, cones may appear on such a grafted tree.
Cedar cuttings can be rooted in special greenhouses, like blue spruce cuttings. But the technology of this process is quite labor-intensive. In general, vegetative propagation of cedar is a rather complicated matter, and it is better to leave it to specialists.
Cedar seed production is one of the main attractive qualities of this tree. In a free state, cedar grown from seed begins to form cones at the age of 18-20.
Siberian cedar is a monoecious tree; in the upper, most illuminated part of the crown there are female ovules, below - male strobili. The cedar “blooms” in June. The female “bumps” of raspberry-violet color are hidden in the needles near the apical bud of the shoot. Male “flowers”, orange-crimson in color, are collected in large “inflorescences” at the base of the shoots. After 3-5 days they turn brown and fall off. Pollen is carried by the wind. After pollination, the female cones close, become green-brown, grow to 2-3 cm and are called “winter cones” until the spring of next year. Fertilization and seed formation occurs from the end of August and throughout September. To ensure cross-pollination, it is advisable to have a group of cedars (3 or more). To increase the reliability of pollination of female “flowers” in young cedars, you can carry out artificial post-pollination: shake off the pollen of male “flowers” onto paper, place it in a jar and store it in the refrigerator for several days. As the female “flowers” open, apply pollen to them with a soft brush or gently blow them off a sheet of paper.
Cedar grows and bears fruit for several centuries. Near Yaroslavl, in the Tolga Monastery, about 50 cedars from the monastery garden, founded four centuries ago, have been preserved. Individual centuries-old fruit-bearing cedars are often found in the Yaroslavl region. Near Suzdal, an alley of 150-year-old cedar trees is successfully bearing fruit. In the Ivanovo region, in the Ples tract near the town of Furmanov, a 120-year-old cedar grove (about 1 hectare) bears fruit and produces natural cedar regeneration. In the Moscow region, near the town of Dolgoprudny, in the Klyazminsky park forestry enterprise, there is a century-old grove of two hundred cedars. Near the town of Zaraisk in the Novinkovsky forestry of the Lukhovitsky forestry enterprise, a 25-year-old cedar plantation on an area of 3.2 hectares (about a thousand cedars) bears fruit abundantly. In the Dmitrovsky district near Yakhroma, M.V. Tvelenev conducts observations in a half-century-old grove with an area of more than 3 hectares. It is possible to establish new cedar groves not only in Siberia, but also in the European region of Russia. This is not only possible, but also necessary to do.
More detailed information about the biology of Siberian pine, methods of its propagation and cultivation can be gleaned from the books:
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Siberian cedar is a coniferous ornamental tree with healing and tasty fruits. Many people are probably interested in how to grow cedar from a nut. Some gardeners have gone through this experience. All attempts were successful. Their advice on how to properly grow Siberian cedar from a nut helped many beginners. In order to grow a coniferous tree at home, you need to know a lot: where the nut is planted, what kind of soil it needs, as well as the conditions of its maintenance. There are two methods for growing cedar at home: using cedar seedlings and nuts. Grown cedar seedlings are very expensive, so the method of growing using nuts has an advantage.
Considering that cedar is not a common gardening plant, growing it from a nut at home will be a labor-intensive and troublesome process. Caring for it involves not only regular watering and proper planting.
Preparing seeds for planting
In order to properly grow cedar from a nut at home, you need to:
- Choose high-quality planting material. Cedar seeds must be undamaged. Any mold and unpleasant odor that nuts emit indicate the unhealthy state of such planting material. Seed germination lasts for 3-4 years. Proper care of them can extend germination up to 10 years. But still, it is better to use fresher nuts for planting.
- It is very important to treat the seeds before planting. This will prevent them from becoming infected with fungus. The nuts are dipped in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate (weak pink) for a couple of hours. The process of germination and preparation of Siberian cedar seeds is quite lengthy. Don't expect a miracle - the instant growth of young seedlings. It will take 5-8 months to grow cedar from a nut at home. Only after this the first shoots will appear.
Stratification of cedar seeds
Before planting, the seeds are prepared. First, they are soaked in warm water for 3 days. The water needs to be changed every day. Next, you need to mix the planting material with moistened sand. The mixture is placed in boxes with holes to ensure the supply of oxygen. You can also wrap nuts and sand in a cloth. Seeds must be kept in a cool place. They are usually placed in the refrigerator. The temperature of the material for planting should be no higher than 4-5 degrees.
Seeds with sand must be constantly moistened to the same state in which they were placed in the refrigerator.
It often happens that mold appears on nuts. In this case, the sand is replaced and the infected nuts are removed.
Sowing in the ground
After they germinate, after 5-7 months they are thoroughly washed and sown in pots. The best time for this is mid-spring. For cedar seeds, it is recommended to use sandy loam soil. The nuts are planted to a depth of 1 cm. Pots with planted seeds should be kept at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. After 1.5 months, the seedlings should germinate. They are placed in a well-lit place so that the sun's rays do not fall on them.
If you sow unprepared seeds directly into the ground in the spring, they will sprout only after a year, and the germination rate is only 10-15%. Sowing in the beds in the fall must be done before the ground freezes, otherwise the nuts will attract rodents with their smell, and they will literally “dig up” all the plantings. When sowing in the ground, the ground should be covered with leaves up to 5 cm thick.
Important! The emerging seedlings also need to be protected, first of all, from birds. The fact is that the sprout appears with a nut on the top, and until it falls, it attracts the attention of birds, who peck it right with the sprout.
Therefore, for at least a month, the crops should be covered with netting, shields made of willow twigs, or any light-colored covering material (spunboard).
Caring for young trees
In summer, it is necessary to adapt young plants to air and sun. To do this, they are taken out into the garden. After this, they can be gradually planted in light, loose and nutritious soil. Young cedars successfully tolerate the transplantation procedure. They can be planted close to each other. The cedars will undergo the next transplantation at the age of three. This procedure is recommended to be carried out in the spring. Older plants are replanted very rarely. Such frequent procedures can lead to drying of the roots. As a result of this, cedars may not take root at all.
If, however, replanting an adult plant is necessary, then you first need to create a root ball. Before transplanting, about a year in advance, a cut with a diameter of 1 m is made around the tree. Only horizontal roots are cut. The deep root system is not affected. It is preferable to replant trees in early spring, since only half of the seedlings take root during autumn replanting.
Since an adult tree grows to almost 40 m in height, for its full growth it is necessary to allocate an area of about 7 m in diameter.
Only in this case can you wait for fruiting.
Trees that have reached one year of age require shade. The best place to plant young plants will be a shaded area in the back of the garden. Seedlings can also be shaded using covering or other material. As for watering, cedar is a moisture-loving plant, but excessive excess moisture can lead to its death. Therefore, competent care is important here. Grown seedlings also require proper care. First of all, it is necessary to mulch the soil around the plants. The tree trunk circle must be mulched. For this you can use sawdust, fallen pine needles and leaves.
That's all the secrets on how to grow cedar from a nut at home. Caring for a cedar tree near your home after planting is not much of a problem. Trees need to be watered only when the soil dries out. Cedar responds positively to fertilizing. Nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are best suited for this. Many experienced gardeners place stones around the cedar trunk. Over time, a fungal growth forms under them, which has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the tree. To learn how to grow cedar from a nut at home, you can watch the educational video material.
When can you get your first harvest of pine nuts?
Cedar grows quite quickly - annual growth is up to 0.5 m. In the natural environment, in the taiga, cedars enter reproductive age no earlier than 40-50 years (due to the lack of sufficient lighting in the first decades of life), and the cones with nuts are formed only once every 6-8 years. If cedar is grown in the garden or near the house and provided with adequate conditions, then you can get the first fruiting in about twenty years, and it will bear fruit every 3-4 years. Maximum fruiting occurs at 70-100 years, and from one tree you can get 15-20 kg of nuts, which under cultivated conditions are much larger than those of wild species.
The beginning of seed production in Siberian pine in the best environmental conditions, for example in rare crops of the southern taiga and northern forest-steppe, occurs at 20-25 years.
There are indications of earlier dates of entry: Siberian cedar at 14-15; Korean cedar at 18-20; dwarf cedar at 20-25 and European cedar at 18-20 years. In the worst environmental conditions, sexual maturity is delayed.
In closed plantations of the taiga zone, as well as in the northern and high-mountain regions, Siberian cedar begins to seed at the age of 50-70 and even 100 years, European cedar in the mountains near the upper limit of forest vegetation at 80-100 years, Korean cedar at 100-150 years.
Early seed production is first established in freely growing trees and in low-density forest stands. Thus, in rare plantations (with a density of 0.3-0.4), Siberian cedar begins to seed at 35-40 years, European cedar at 40-50, Korean cedar at 55-70, dwarf cedar at 50-60 years.
Fruiting occurs especially late in cedar forests that form from undergrowth under the canopy of deciduous stands, and in young generations of cedar in stands of different ages: they begin to bear fruit only when the tree canopy above them is destroyed and the upper parts of their crowns receive sufficient light. Often this occurs only at the age of 100-150 years.
The beginning of seed bearing is characterized by the appearance of the first cones in individual trees, and their formation is confined to the very upper part of the crown. Over time, the number of fruit-bearing trees increases, and tree cones begin to appear on the shoots below the whorls.
Much less often, the maturation of trees begins with the formation of anther spikelets. They are formed in trees entering fruiting several years later than the appearance of the first cones and are located on shoots of the third order, and even later - on the fourth and fifth orders.
Siberian pine is characterized by functional specificity of shoots. They carry only male structures (anther spikelets) or only female cones, or have neither. Very rarely there are shoots bearing the formation of both sexes. Their share increases in extreme growing conditions. This is noted for the extreme limit of cedar growth in the north of the country.
Female cones are located at the tops of the shoots under the apical and lateral buds, male cones are located at the base of the shoots. Shoots bearing female cones are conventionally called female shoots, anther spikelets - male shoots, and those lacking both - growth shoots. Female shoots are much thicker than male shoots, often more than 2 times thicker.
The location, number and ratio of male, female and growth shoots changes with age. This is to a certain extent indicative of a particular stage of the tree’s individual development and determines its nut production. If the first years of seed production are characterized, as noted above, by the formation of unisexual primordia - the cedar seems to go through a phase of dioecy, but also dioecy, then after 7-10 years the formation of a mixed generative layer of the crown begins and it moves to the phase of monoecy.
In mature trees, three generative and one growth layers should be distinguished in the crowns. In the upper generative tier, only growth and female shoots are found, and it is called the female tier. Below the crown there is a mixed generative layer; it contains shoots of all three categories, but with a predominance of males over females. Even lower is the male tier; there are no female shoots in it. The lowest tier consists only of growth shoots.
Depending on the specific characteristics of tree growth, the structure of the crown can change significantly, not only in the length of individual tiers, but also in their presence. Thus, the crowns of free-growing trees often consist of only two tiers - female and mixed. In the harsh conditions of the north, the crowns of adult free-growing trees often consist only of a mixed (top) and male layer in the middle and lower parts. In overmature (long-moss) pine forests of the southern taiga of the West Siberian Plain, tree crowns often also consist of two tiers: an upper mixed one, consisting of one to three overgrown branches, and a very extended (along the height of the tree) male or even growth tier with rare branches bearing male spikelets. An increase in the length of the crown of the male layer is a characteristic feature of old trees.
Along with age, the length of generative layers, the number and ratio of male and female shoots in Siberian pine are also determined by genetic differences. According to T.P. Nekrasova (1972), in adult Siberian pine trees, with a constant predominance of male shoots in the crown, its degree can be different. She believes that if such a predominance does not exceed 10 times, then the trees can be classified as female.
Many researchers note that the initial period of fruiting is characterized by a vigorous increase in the number of female shoots and yields, then these indicators change slightly for quite a considerable time, being at a maximum (during the period of highest seed productivity) and at the end of life they intensively decrease.
The specific timing of these stages and the quantitative values of yields are determined by the characteristics of the origin of forest stands, their composition, completeness and growing conditions. It is therefore not surprising that there are large discrepancies in such data for different geographical areas. This especially applies to determining the period of maximum productivity of tree stands and the duration of seeding.
V.A. Povarnitsyn (1944) noted that fruiting of cedar plantations begins at 70 and lasts up to 220-250 years, rarely longer. Most researchers believe that cedar fruiting lasts much longer. M.F. Petrov (1961a) gave numerous examples indicating abundant fruiting of cedar forests in 300-350 and even 400-450 years. According to him, a sharp decrease in fruiting from 200-250 years can occur only under the most unfavorable growth conditions.
F.A. Solovyov, A.I. Iroshnikov and others also pointed out very long fruiting. At the same time, A.I. Iroshnikov and other researchers identify the period of maximum yield or, as T.P. Nekrasova (1972) calls it, the apogee of seed production . Thus, the maximum seed production for the Leno-Ilim interfluve is 180-220 years, for the Eastern Sayan 250 years, Transbaikalia 220-260 years and 160-200 years (western part), for the northern regions of Western Siberia 180-230 years, for the southern pine forests near the villages Western Siberia 140 and taiga - 170 years, for the middle sub-belts of Altai 220-280 and 240-280 years.
Noteworthy is the discrepancy in data not only when comparing different geographical areas, but also for the same areas among different researchers. The latter can apparently be explained by the strong variability of yields across years and types of plantings.
The dynamics of the number of female shoots in the crown more easily reflects the relationship between nut production and age than actual yields, since the number of shoots, to a lesser extent than yields, depends on weather conditions, which fluctuate from year to year. However, as noted, with age, the nut productivity of plantations often decreases more strongly from a decrease in the number of fruit-bearing trees than from a decrease in the nut productivity of individual trees. Therefore, to correctly identify the relationship between seed production and the age of plantings, it is necessary to know the dynamics of the number of female shoots not only in trees, but also per unit area.
An increase in seed productivity with the maturation of a tree is manifested not only in connection with an increase in the total number of female shoots, but also in an increase in the generative ability of each shoot, expressed by the seed energy indicator - the number of cones (or traces) on one shoot. The relationship of this indicator with age in the green moss pine forests of the middle taiga subzone of Western Siberia is characterized by the following data: at the age of 130 years, the number of cones on one shoot (on average) is 1.32; 145 years - 1.59; 150 - 1.69; 170 - 1.89; 175 - 1.55; 230 years - 1.15. It can be seen that the seed production energy index gradually increases with age, reaches a maximum value and then decreases, and the decrease in seed production energy begins before the destruction of the crown.
The maximum age for seed production of Siberian pine, based on research materials from the 1930s, was determined to be 220-250 years. In the Urals it was recorded at 400-500 years old; in the Urals (in the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve) at 300 years; in Altai at 480 years. However, according to T.P. Nekrasova, a high yield of cones over the age of 300-350 years (and sometimes 200-250 years) is maintained due to the power of the crown (although there is a beginning decrease in seed production energy per shoot).
T. P. Nekrasova (1972) believes that optimal growing conditions help identify potential opportunities for the generative process in Siberian pine. The author defined their extreme limits as 20-25 (beginning of seed production) and 600 years (end). T.P. Nekrasova, like many other researchers, emphasizes the negative impact of swampiness on growth and seed production. Under these conditions, the fruiting period of cedar trees is shorter than on drained soils. But with the deterioration of growth conditions, a decrease in the duration of fruiting is not always observed. In some cases, pine forests that are less productive in growth are characterized by a longer period of high yields. This phenomenon was noted by A.I. Iroshnikov in the northwestern part of the Eastern Sayan when comparing the fruiting of sedge and reed-tall grass pine forests with blueberry forests. It turned out that blueberry pine trees, which were less productive in terms of growth, had a longer period with high seed yields.
According to the research of A.I. Iroshnikov (1978), it was established that with a maximum yield per 1 hectare in green moss pine forests in 200-220 years, the maximum average increase in the gross mass of the crop during the nut harvest period is 350 years of age in high-density forest stands and 330 -year-old in medium-fullness, i.e. 120-150 years later. In the range from 160 to 280 years, the average annual yield does not deviate from the maximum by more than 15%. These deviations are within the accuracy of yield determination.
Siberian cedar is a majestic, long-lived tree, a beauty of the Siberian taiga, which grows and bears fruit well in the European part of Russia. In Moscow, there are mature plantings of cedar in the Main Botanical Garden, on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNKh), in the park of the Timiryazev Academy, and even not far from the Kremlin walls. There are even entire cedar groves near Yaroslavl (Tolgsky Monastery), Suzdal, in the Ivanovo region, in the Moscow region in the vicinity of Dolgoprudny, Yakhroma (Dmitrovsky district).
As history shows, our ancestors loved and honored cedar, treated it with care, carefully protected fruit-bearing cedar trees and planted young groves. Due to its beauty and varied benefits, cedar pine is increasingly being planted in newly created parks and forests these days and, of course, it is becoming an indispensable part of the landscape of private estates.
For what merits is Siberian cedar so highly valued? Firstly, for beauty and high decorative value throughout the year, for pine nuts and oil from them, for beautiful wood, for resin, pine needles and even for nut shells, which are widely used in folk medicine.
Secondly, for those qualities that are not so obvious and well-known, but are the most important and valuable for a modern person.
Cedar air is healing, pathogenic microorganisms do not survive in it, it relieves fatigue, gives vigor and energy. It has been proven that the air in a cedar forest is much cleaner than in any operating room, 2 times cleaner than in a pine forest and 3-4 times cleaner than in a spruce forest. It is recommended to plant cedar near recreation areas, gazebos, patios, near a bathhouse, etc. It is pleasant to relax in the shade of the cedar - there will definitely be a place for a bench so that you can inhale the healing cedar aroma.
Since ancient times, in Siberia and Altai, people have noticed the special properties of cedar trees, which were assigned a special role: “In a spruce forest - to work, in a birch forest - to have fun, in a cedar forest - to pray to God.” Recently, research has been actively carried out in the field of dendrotherapy - treatment with trees and their cuts. According to the latest data, cedar accumulates positive creative energy and at certain periods, when a person feels a lack of it, gives it back to him. Thus, Siberian cedar is a universal energy donor and is suitable for most people. It is especially useful to be near trees planted by you or your ancestors, who feel the care and warmth of your hands and reward you a hundredfold. One or more cedar trees on a site harmonize its energy and create an atmosphere of love and kindness. The basic rules when planting and placing cedar are to maintain the orientation of the cedar in space (turn the northern part of the crown to the north when planting), the distance between trees is from 4 to 8 meters, between trees and buildings - at least 3 meters.
Before planting, you will probably have a question - where to get Siberian pine planting material? There are two possible ways here.
The first way is to find a nearby nursery and buy seedlings there. It is advisable to purchase seedlings with a closed root system (in a container) or with a lump of earth - then the transplantation will most likely be successful. Do not take seedlings with open bare roots, elongated ones or with sparse yellowing needles - such plants can be dug out of the forest and have difficulty taking root in a new place. In nurseries you can find cedar seedlings from 30 cm to 3 meters in height, and some landscape companies offer to plant even large, large-sized trees, from 3 to 7 meters. This transplantation is carried out using a special technology in winter, and the transplanted cedars will need intensive care over the next 2-3 years.
The second way is to grow seedlings yourself. To do this, you need to take good quality cedar nuts (in shell) or remove them from the cone. The seeds should have a pleasant smell and should not show signs of mold or spoilage. Sowing of seeds is usually carried out in April-May, so they need to be stratified 3-4 months before, i.e. expose to cold. If you sow unprepared seeds, they will sprout only next spring, and the germination rate will be low.
First, pickle the seeds for 2 hours in a half percent solution of potassium permanganate - this will protect the seedlings from fungal diseases. Then the seeds are soaked in water for 3 days, changing the water every day. Then the water is drained and the nuts are mixed with a triple volume of peat or coarse washed sand. The resulting mixture of seeds and substrate is moistened - if you squeeze it in your fist, then water should not drip. Next, the mixture is placed in a wooden box with holes in the side walls and bottom to ensure air flow. Once every 2-3 weeks, the seeds are moistened to their original state. The box with seeds itself is stored at a temperature of +4 to +6 ° C, in a cellar, basement or refrigerator.
You can sow cedar seeds directly to a permanent place or to a school. Make a regular bed, adding peat or sand as necessary. The best soil for seedling growth is light or medium loam. Sowing depth - 2-3 cm.
The seeds are covered from above with peat or sawdust (1-2 cm) until the shoots appear, and to prevent birds from damaging the seedlings, gauze or loose burlap is pulled at a height of 5-10 cm above the soil. Approximately 30-40 days after the start of germination, the bird protection is removed.
At first, the cedar grows slowly - at the age of 5 years the seedling reaches a height of 25-35 cm, at the age of 10 years - 0.8-1.5 meters. Starting from 15-20 years, cedar grows quite quickly, giving annual growth from 15 to 35 cm. Fruiting begins at the age of 15-25 years with good care and proper placement. When shaded, in the forest, in conditions of competition with other plants, cedar begins to bear fruit 40-50 years after planting.