How to grow a cedar from a nut - the secrets of strong and healthy home seedlings

Tell me how to grow a cedar from seeds? My daughter brought a few cones from the camp and decided to try planting them. I heard that seeds germinate very long and badly, and they also require special soil. In what land is it better to sow and when can it be planted in open ground?

If you love conifers, in particular, cedar, but there is no way to purchase a ready-made seedling, try to get it yourself. There is nothing complicated in how to grow a cedar from seeds, no. The main thing is to find high-quality planting material, prepare the seeds and provide the seedlings with suitable conditions.

Mandatory procedures for preparing seeds for planting

Like all conifers, cedar has a high content of essential oils. They delay the emergence of sprouts, so before planting the seeds need preliminary preparation. The procedure is as follows:

1. Pour hot water over the bump. Then it will open and it will be easier to get the seeds, that is, nuts.
2. Soak the nuts in water for 3 days, changing it periodically as soon as the liquid turns dark. Anything that pops up - select and discard. You can plant only seeds that have sunk to the bottom, and those that come up are empty.
3. Soak the selected nuts for a couple of hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This will help destroy possible disease-causing organisms.
4. Fill a cloth bag with wet sand and transfer the seeds to it, mixing everything well. In this form, send them for stratification in the refrigerator for 3 months (until spring).

Before planting, do not forget to periodically check if the nuts are rotten and moisten the sand.

Cones for planting are best harvested in the fall, in early October, when they are fully ripe. The largest buds will have the best seeds. Stratification can be dispensed with and the nuts can be planted immediately after harvest. But in this case, the sprouts will have to wait more than a year.

When and how to plant cedar seeds

It is better to start sowing seeds in the spring, around the month of April. They can be planted in a common container, since the cedar grows very slowly. In two years, the plant grows to a maximum of 10 cm in height. So for the first couple of years, the seedlings have enough space, and they do not tolerate frequent transplantation very well.

To grow cedar, you need a special substrate for conifers, but a mixture of river sand and peat (1: 1) is also suitable. It is not necessary to deeply deepen, the nut should be at the level of the soil and lightly covered with earth. Keep crops under plastic for the first week.

How to grow a cedar from seeds - features of care and planting

Care for cedar seedlings is minimal. Moisten the soil in time to avoid drying out. Possible twice per season feed herbal infusion or mineral complex for coniferous crops. But the temperature regime will have to be strictly observed. In the summer it will be a little easier, the main thing is not to keep the seedlings in the sun and in a hot room. With the arrival of heat, it is even better to take it out into the garden. For the winter, keep young cedars at a temperature no higher than 10 ° C. This mode is usually on a glazed balcony.

In order to grow strong and healthy cedars, it is better to postpone transplanting into open ground. Young trees are usually transplanted to a permanent place when their height approaches 1 m.

Growing cedar seedlings at home - video