Cedar from a nut at home - how to grow a forest from a cone
Seed propagation of cedars is not a procedure for everyone, and only the most patient gardeners take on this business. It is quite possible to get a cedar from a nut at home, but you have to make an effort and be patient. Perhaps the most important drawback of this method is precisely the time. You need to wait for the sprouts to appear for a very long time, more than six months. In addition, given the slow growth, it will be possible to see a tree only a couple of meters high no earlier than in 10 years.
But if you look from the financial point of view, then a nut cedar is the most affordable way to get a coniferous long-liver. Ready-made seedlings will cost a considerable amount, and it is not known how they will survive the transplant. But you can get seeds for free by collecting ripe cones in the forest. What to do with them next and how to raise this handsome man at home?
Features of the preliminary preparation of nuts for planting
When stored properly, nuts remain viable for 2 to 3 years. However, for best results, it is advisable to use freshly harvested seeds. You need to go to collect ripe cones at the end of October.
Like all conifers, cedar seeds (nuts) contain many essential oils. They hinder germination and delay the emergence of sprouts. Therefore, before planting, the seeds need preparation, which includes three stages:
- Soak. Put the selected nuts in a glass, add water and leave for a couple of days. The water needs to be changed daily. During this time, the seeds will gain moisture a little.
- Disinfection in a solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours. This will prevent the formation of mold.
- Stratification... Collect wet sand in a cloth bag, place nuts in it and send it to the lower shelf of the refrigerator. There the seeds should lie until spring, after being treated with cold.
Every 2 weeks it is necessary to check if everything is in order. Choose nuts that have begun to deteriorate and moisten the sand as it dries. Also, repeated periodic processing with potassium permanganate will not interfere.
Cedar from a nut at home - growing methods
You can get your own seedlings by planting seeds directly in open ground or growing them indoors in greenhouse conditions.
Features of planting nuts in open ground
If there is no opportunity and place in the house for pots with seedlings, you can grow seedlings right in the garden. In this case, it is better to plant them before winter. Then the preparation procedure will consist of only two stages: soaking and disinfection. Nuts will be stratified naturally, under the snow cover.
It is better to prepare special soil for the nursery by purchasing it in the store. In extreme cases, you can at least add coniferous litter to the garden bed. It will prevent rapid evaporation of moisture and drying out of the roots, which is detrimental to the seedlings. The first year, seedlings should be shaded, protecting from the sun.
How to grow cedar seedlings
With the arrival of spring, nuts from the refrigerator can be taken out, washed and planted in a mixture of sand and earth. It is not necessary to deeply deepen, a couple of centimeters is enough, while the sharp end of the seed should be at the bottom. For the first month, crops should be in a shaded place, and then the container must be rearranged to a light window. In this case, the sun's rays should not be allowed to fall on the seedlings.
Planted nuts usually sprout less than half and this is considered normal for cedar.
For the summer, seedlings can be taken out into the garden, without forgetting to water them there. She should spend the winter while in the house. When the seedlings grow up, transplant them into larger pots. In open ground, young cedars can be planted no earlier than after 3 years and preferably in spring.