The cedars are beautiful, tall and powerful trees, which in good conditions grow from 450 to 500 years. The tree becomes mature only from 80 to 85 years. People love pine nuts and it is a noble thing to grow a seedling at home and then plant a cedar.
Anyone who plans to grow a cedar should know that he needs a cone with pine nuts. It contains living seeds from which you can grow cedar seedlings.
It’s easiest for those who live nearby or can drive to the cedar forest. You can also ask the employee for seeds botanical garden or a forester.
Why do the right seeds have to be in the pine cone? This is due to the fact that it is unknown how long that lump was and where it lay before it came to you. Not very good changes may occur in her, she may:
- dry out;
- damaged by insects;
- frostbite;
- damage your surface due to mechanical impact;
- end up with rotten seeds.
When the nuts are in a cone, they are protected from the natural environment, some mechanical damage. The cone with seeds should be no older than 2 years.
"Important! Shelled pine nuts, which you can buy in a supermarket or market, will not sprout because they are processed for culinary purposes by placing them in hot oil. Therefore, it is useless to plant them in the ground; they will not germinate.”
Cedar seedlings grow slowly to wait until they are large enough to be planted in open ground, you need to be patient. Years will pass, the cedar will rise and become the most beautiful tree in the garden, delighting not only the owners, but also passers-by. Then the work of growing a seedling will pay off with moral pleasure.
Where do you get pine nuts for planting?
The main thing is to get seeds suitable for germination. If you buy them from someone else via the Internet, at the market, in a store, you can get a bad deal. Purchase through friends, ordering from people who live near the cedar forest - great options, but such acquaintances are not always found.
You can also order seed material through:
- gardening society;
- Botanical Garden;
- almanac with seeds;
- buy from an independent seller;
- forestry;
- Botanical Department and Horticulture at the University.
It doesn't matter what method of receiving seed material the gardener chooses, he will be able to get pine nuts that can be grown and get seedlings from them.
To be on the safe side, you need to order 2 or 3 cones. If the nuts in one do not germinate, then the other 2 will contain live pine nuts. Still need to clarify when these cones were collected?
Growing cedar at home
To grow cedar seedlings, you need to follow the rules. It is important to obtain a whole cone, the nuts of which have not been treated with hot oil. After all, after hot processing the seeds inside the shell are damaged and will not sprout.
You need buds that are no more than 2 years old. Otherwise, those nuts are suitable for food, but not for seed material.
For successful germination What you need is not ordinary soil from the garden, but suitable soil:
- loamy;
- enriched with humus;
- you can take it upper layer land in the forest is an excellent basis for growing trees.
Before planting, certain procedures are carried out with the seeds. The seed is soaked in Kornevin for 3 days. An aqueous solution is made and the nuts are soaked there for 3 days.
Then they are taken out of the solution and mixed with sand (river). Before processing nuts, you need to sew them into a burlap or cotton bag of a suitable size. Processed nuts are poured there, tied loosely so that a hole remains and 6 months. Store seed material on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Periodically, the owner must take out the bag, untie and inspect the nuts. Throw away those covered with mold, tie the rest again, leaving a hole for air to pass through, and place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
When 6 months have passed. The remaining nuts can be planted in small pots. For nuts, make a mixture of soil, a large share should occupy there river sand. Seeds are planted 1 cm deep.
"Advice! To begin with, the pots are placed somewhere on a table near the window. At room temperature The sprouts will sprout and then they need to be placed on a bright windowsill.”
Let's look at how to properly water cedar seedlings:
- It’s great if you do it with a spray bottle. You can also spray it on the seedling itself. Such gentle watering will not wash away useful material from the top layer of soil.
- How do you know whether you need to water or not? Place a match into the ground. If it is completely dry, then it is time to water it.
- You don’t have to bother, but stick to the rule that cedar seedlings are watered once every 2 days.
- It's bad when the plant lacks moisture. It is difficult for it to break through the top layer of soil, and then the roots grow slowly, which means that the seedling will not receive enough nutrients.
- If there is not enough moisture in the soil, it will be difficult for the sprout to break through to the surface, and after that the roots will develop slowly and with difficulty.
The video tells how to grow a cedar seedling at home:
When cedar seedlings grow up, they need to be hardened off in the warm season, brought out little by little Fresh air. You can start from the balcony, leaving it there first for 30 minutes, then for 1 hour, for 2 hours and bring it to the point where the seedlings can stay in the fresh air for half a day or a day. Such hardened seedlings can be planted in open ground in the area that the gardener has designated for it.
Now even a novice gardener understands how to process, germinate seeds, and then grow cedar seedlings. The first year of life they should grow in the shade. They are planted under the shade, for example, from the crown big tree or near a house that constantly casts a shadow, etc.
If the owner doesn’t have these in his garden big trees, then you need to build a canopy and create artificial shade. Cedar loves water, but it cannot be flooded, otherwise the roots will rot and the plant will die.
The soil around the tree needs to be mulched, then there is no need to frequently weed it and remove weeds. Used for mulch wood shavings or autumn leaves, you can cut it in half with tyrsa, another material. If there is already a mature cedar growing in the yard, then its fallen needles are used for mulch.
For those who have already built a house, are raising or have raised a son, now is the time to start planting a tree, especially one that will rise fifty meters into the sky and last for hundreds of years. We are talking about the ringing cedars of Russia, or more precisely about the Siberian pine pine, which you can grow with your own hands from pine nuts.
Ringing cedars of Russia
Majestic, centuries-old, evergreen pines were planted at one time by nobles on the territory of family estates, and by priests near monasteries. This tree differs from other varieties in its long, bluish-tinged dark green needles, collected in bunches, like human fingers, of five pieces. Every 5-6 years, cedars renew their outfit, and it takes a year and a half for a nut to ripen.
Pine nuts ripen in large cones, slightly elongated into an egg shape, at first purple, as they ripen, they become light brown, and then brown. It is better to collect pine nuts at the end of October or in November, carefully removing the cones from the branches, because those that have fallen to the ground are already empty. Dried cones open up and give very healing and tasty pine nuts, from which certain conditions new trees can be grown.
Growing cedars
Under natural conditions, the cones that fall out will lie all winter on the cold ground under a layer of snow in order to germinate under the spring sun. This circumstance must be taken into account and the preparation of seeds must be brought closer to natural conditions.
Not many people manage to germinate pine nuts, since there are certain subtleties in it. If you follow them, sprouts will definitely appear. We'll talk about how to germinate pine nuts.
You need to start with planting material. Naturally, the best nuts are those that are collected with your own hands, because purchased ones can remain in the warehouse for a long time, and, moreover, be stored incorrectly.
As fast as horticultural crops, cedar pine nuts cannot germinate, since the embryo in them is still underdeveloped. For full development, 5-7 months of rest are required. low temperatures And high humidity air. These are the conditions that nature creates for nuts when they overwinter in the ground.
And for successful germination at home, stratification is necessary: soaking in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours. During this time, river sand is calcined in the oven, then nuts are planted in it to a depth of 1 cm, watered and placed in the refrigerator for three months, periodically moistening the soil.
Features of care
After 3 months, the container with the seeds is transferred to a sunny window. By the way, you can and should water with melt water, because under natural conditions plants feed on this kind of water. The sprouts sprout in 2-3 weeks.
In the summer, cedar pine seedlings can be taken out into the garden, gradually accustoming them to the sun and fresh air, and subsequently planting them in loose, nutritious soil.
It is important to know that it is unacceptable to apply fresh organic fertilizer.
Young plants are easily tolerated, so you can leave a small distance between seedlings.
Further actions
At first, a young cedar grows very slowly and needs care. He needs enough solar lighting, but it is also necessary to protect it from scorching rays. Temperature is not so important, because we are dealing with a native inhabitant of Siberia, but the optimal level of humidity must be strictly observed, because a lack of moisture is just as destructive for a young cedar as its excess.
It is advisable to plant a tree on the site before the age of three, despite the fact that its height barely reaches 10-15 cm. The soil around the tree does not need to be fertilized or even loosened, but it must be mulched. To do this, it is recommended to collect fallen pine needles and cover the ground around the stem with it, or use pine nut shells for the same purpose.
Especially caring owners watering a newly planted cedar tree warm water, to which an infusion of forest litter and mature mushrooms was added, knowing about the symbiosis of trees with mycelium and their beneficial mutual influence. If you have the patience to pay attention to a small cedar for the first 10 years, then it will grow much faster and then it will delight you with its first fruits.
additional information
Considering the fact that cedars are pollinated by the wind, it makes sense, if possible, to take seed material from different trees, growing in different places.
Despite the assertions that in order to better germinate pine nuts at home, you need to free them from the shell, this should not be done for reasons of natural conformity, because no one carries out this procedure under natural conditions.
But recommendations about saturating the seed with your mental information and your own energy make sense, especially if the cedars are grown for yourself and not for sale. You need to envelop the seeds intended for sowing with the warmth of your body and soul, help them to germinate with your thoughts, picturing their wonderful future in your imagination. A tree grown in this way will preserve for many centuries the memory of the person who planted and raised it.
Siberian cedar - coniferous decorative tree, which has healing and delicious 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 bad smell, which the nuts emit, indicate the unhealthy state of such planting material. Seed germination lasts for 3-4 years. Proper care behind 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. Nuts are dipped in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate (weak Pink colour) 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. Best time for this - 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 time 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. deep root system are not affected. It is preferable to replant trees in early spring, since when autumn transplant Only half of the seedlings take root.
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 planting young plants will be a shaded area in the depths 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 lay 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. 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 tens of years of life), and 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.
Cedar is a long-lived tree that grows to gigantic sizes. Science has learned to use natural qualities tree and made its own adjustments: appeared low-growing varieties cedar for growing on personal plots. Fans of such innovations try to implement the best in themselves. Many people are interested in how to grow cedar from nuts. To do this, you need to choose the right seeds and care for the tree.
To grow cedars from seeds, you need to choose good-quality nuts. They must be ripe and fresh (for better viability). With cedar seeds from last year's harvest, germination is partial. Nuts can be dried, but not artificially, but in air, to avoid mold and preserve reproductive qualities. The quality of cedar seeds is determined by the following indicators:
- weight not less than 0.2 g;
- length more than 12 mm;
- width from 8 mm and above;
- shell color is rich brown with an eye;
- the core is pure white.
The shell of cedar seeds is hard. In the forest, a cone with nuts that falls on the ground is treated with cold, and when the snow melts, it absorbs moisture, so the germination of cedar grains occurs easily. Imitating nature, cedar is grown from seeds on private farms and in nurseries in a similar way.
In the first ten days of October, a small-height bed is prepared by adding peat and sand to the soil. The nuts are treated with a light solution of potassium manganese for a couple of hours. Sow the seeds by pressing the seeds into the ground to a depth of 2 cm. Cover the ridge with coniferous branches to prevent mice from chewing on the crops. Seeds sown in autumn period, give a germination rate exceeding 90% (according to statistical research biologists).
If the seeds are purchased at a time when the sowing time has passed, there are different methods stratification:
- Dig small hole(1.8 m), pour fine crushed stone (12 cm), line the sides with boards, mix cedar seeds with wet sand and pour (layer thickness no more than a meter) onto the stone drainage, lay a plank ceiling, cover with soil. Stratification close to natural continues throughout the winter.
- Mix cedar grains soaked in water with potassium permanganate (5%) with wet sawdust or sand, place in boxes 30 cm high, pack in a metal mesh with small mesh, place on the soil surface, cover with a thick layer of snow (more than half a person’s height), compact it, sprinkle with sawdust. Winter stratification lasts until spring.
- Pour pine nuts into a canvas bag, lower them into a river hole, securing them in a hanging position. An easy and cheap method of stratification of this species is characterized by half germination of seeds.
Many people are interested in the question of how to germinate pine nuts at home. To do this you need:
- Wash the seeds thoroughly in warm water.
- Change the water and wash again.
- Soak the nuts for a day.
- Select the full-bodied cedar grains (found at the bottom of the container) and place them in glass jars, filling two-thirds full.
- Cover with metal lids with holes made.
- Place in the cellar or refrigerator until spring sowing.
There are other options for home stratification:
- Nuts prepared by soaking with manganese are placed in moss, peat or sawdust, sprinkled with washed sand and earth, snow (6 cm). Everything is placed in a box made of dense material, covered with polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene film and placed in the lower part of the refrigerator (not to be confused with the freezer) chamber. If the soil dries out, add snow (as needed).
- The mixture of the finished nut and the wet substrate is placed in a low layer in fabric bags. Then it is wrapped in polyethylene, leaving an open part (for ventilation). Stratify in the refrigerator for 3.5 months, moistening the cedar seeds once every half month.
Accelerated stratification
If necessary (a short period before sowing in the ground, when the time comes to plant cedar seeds) apply quick way stratification: soak pine nuts in hot water(not boiling) for a week. Drain the water 3 times (during this time), adding new water. Remove the seeds and combine with peat crumbs. Place the resulting mixture in river sand and place it in a box. Withstand in warm room 1 month. Send the hatched seeds to the glacier. Store at zero temperature.
Seedling care
In the spring, after the snow melts, 7 days later, stratified cedar seeds (again kept in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate for 24 hours) are sown in a greenhouse ridge. The finished bed is placed under film. Cedar sprouts heated in this way sprout. Reproduction of seedlings under polyethylene occurs better because they are protected from birds.
Care methods include picking seedlings. It improves root growth. While the seedling has a bent appearance (cedars begin to grow this way), they carefully dig it out, trim the root and slightly deepen it into the same hole, maintaining a distance of 20 cm along the width of the ridge and 15 cm along the length. Water well, smoothing out plant stress. In the future, the picked plants will quickly take root and develop an excellent root system.
Adding soil from under an adult cedar to the seedlings provides nutrition from mycorrhiza. The same effect and assistance in the propagation of cedar in homestead conditions is achieved by watering the seedlings with an infusion of mushrooms growing under coniferous trees. The soil around the seedling is mulched with pine needles, hay, and nut shells.
Wintering and transplanting seedlings into open ground
Young seedlings that have just parted with the cone cannot be planted immediately in open ground. These are stems three centimeters tall. In the second year of life they will become seven centimeters, and only by the age of 4 will the growth be 18-23 cm.
Cedar sprouts can overwinter on a home balcony (when grown in pots). At low temperatures, they are lightly covered, but there should be plenty of light and moisture. In glazed greenhouses, seedlings do not require shelter.
Seedlings are transplanted regularly in summer or spring, each time increasing the distance between them on the ridge, or transferring them to a larger pot.
On permanent place it is possible to plant cedars that have grown up to 90 cm. Planting is carried out in big holes(diameter and depth not less than 1 m) with humus and forest needles. Place cedar trees in shady place plot, with a distance between them of 9 m for better productivity.
Let's work for Mother Nature and grow the famous Siberian tree on your own site! The task is difficult, but doable. May inspiration never leave us and may our strength never run out!
If we want to grow cedar from seeds...
Buying seedlings for growing will cost more, and they may not take root. Therefore, it is better to try to grow cedar from seeds yourself. It is necessary to seriously approach the issue of choosing planting material. The seeds should not have any foreign odor. If the material is covered in mold in places, it is also not suitable for germination. However, when proper storage the seeds may remain suitable for several years.
For breeding, select the largest nuts. They are preliminarily subjected to the following procedures:
- soak;
- disinfection;
- stratification.
To prepare the seeds, they are soaked in warm water for 3 days. Moreover, the water is replaced with fresh water every day. Nuts gain moisture. To prevent seedlings from becoming infected with fungus, cedar seeds are treated with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours.
Then the nuts must be mixed with sand. The mixture must be moistened and placed in a bag made of natural fabric. They should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of about +3ºС. This is called seed stratification, that is, treating them with cold. Prepare for storage wooden box, make holes in it on the sides to ventilate the mixture. Place a bag of seeds in the box. The preparation is kept in the cold from autumn to spring.
During this time, it must be checked and moistened when drying. If moldy seeds appear, they need to be removed and the sand around them replaced. There is a gradual softening of the shells. And some even begin to sprout white roots.
How to plant cedar
After the required period, the seeds are removed and washed well. Then the nuts, ready for germination, are planted in pots filled with soil and sand. The pointed end of each seed should point downwards. The planting depth is 1 cm. In this state, the planting is kept for 1 month in the shade. Seedlings should be grown at room temperature.
A month later, germination begins, and the pots are placed closer to the light, while avoiding direct contact with them. sun rays. Roots emerge from the nuts and go deeper. A green sprout grows above the roots, in the upper part of which there is still an open shell. After a few days it subsides. At the top of the shoot, a bunch of green needles opens up like an umbrella. Typically, about 30% of all seeds germinate. This is considered a normal result.
When summer comes, the seedlings are taken out into the fresh air. And for the winter it is better to hide it in a greenhouse. There you need to water it and feed it with fertilizer every six months.
As the shoots grow, they have to be transplanted into larger containers. Young seedlings do not need to be replanted until 3-4 years. By this time they reach a height of 25-30 cm.
Now they can be planted on open area into loose soil enriched with fertilizer. Doing so better in spring. First, the seedlings are taken out into the air in pots, and after getting used to the new conditions, they can be planted in the ground.
Before planting a cedar in the ground, you need to prepare:
- appropriate place;
- soil;
- seedlings correctly removed from pots.
Trees can be planted in an area where groundwater do not rise above 3 m. When planting shoots, it is important to maintain the integrity of all roots and capture them along with the ground.
Peat with soil and sand is used as planting soil. After the tree is planted, it must be watered so that the soil density becomes uniform. It is recommended to mulch the top with sawdust or chopped pine needles.
Growing cedar in open ground
There is another way to grow cedar from a nut. Without the greenhouse stage, the grains can be sown directly into open ground. It will be necessary to carry out systematic watering and weeding. You will also have to make sure that the crops are not attacked by mice or birds. If the seedlings are preserved, they will grow and develop in the same way as in the greenhouse.
Many gardeners use ready-made special soil for coniferous plantings. It is necessary to add minerals and organic fertilizers.
In a coniferous forest, litter is taken from under the trees and enriched with it seats. The litter protects the soil from loss of moisture, which is dangerous for coniferous plants. If even part of the roots dries out, the entire tree may die.
When planting, a distance of at least 3 m must be left between cedars. The surrounding neighboring trees should also not interfere with the growing cedars. It is known that cedar trees grown in a spacious place can begin to be enjoyed much earlier than those planted in the shade, next to others. And after 18-20 years, cones form on them. In some trees, fruiting age can be delayed up to 40 years.
For 1 year, the sprouts should be in a shaded area of the garden. The soil should be moist. In hot weather, you can periodically spray the pine needles to give them freshness.
If you have to transplant a plant that has reached a height of 1 m to a new place, this can only be done in the spring. At the same time, it is moved with a large volume of earth. There should be about 0.5 m around the tree. For adult seedlings, mulch is done from grass, weeds or fallen pine needles. We must remember that excess moisture is harmful to cedar, just like drought.
Growing requires a lot of patience. Growth is slow. So, after 1.5 years the plants are several centimeters tall. Despite the fact that cedar takes a long time to grow, it will delight others with its beauty.