How to grow nut cedar at home?

The healing properties of Siberian pine nuts are indisputable, so it is natural to want to have such a source of health and longevity in your garden or dacha. Growing an adult fruiting tree from a small nut is not a very time-consuming task, but this process is very long, it will take many years.

We will study the process of collecting and processing seeds step by step, since not every nut can grow into a mighty cedar.

For proper seed preparation, 5 main steps are required:

• a competent choice of seeds;
• cleansing seeds by soaking and multiple rinsing;
• cold treatment - stratification;
• disinfection before planting.

The first thing to do is to get planting material - seeds. This will require pine cones. You need to look for them in the fall or spring, when the ripe cones fall from the tree on their own.

The next step will have to be done at home, where we put the nuts in a container and fill it with moderately hot water, but not boiling water.

After 60-90 minutes, gently grind the seeds with our hands, washing off the resin and other substances that impede further germination. This makes the water dirty. This washing of the seeds should be repeated several times during the day until the water ceases to acquire a dark, dirty shade.

By the second day, the seeds are already sufficiently saturated with moisture, and some of them will sink to the bottom of the container. They will become the best planting material. The seed preparation process can be considered almost complete.

Next, the seeds should be provided with conditions for stratification - cold treatment. For this we place the selected nuts without drying in a glass container, where we put wet moss or river sand on the bottom... The container should be filled, leaving 1/3 free. This will provide the necessary oxygen circulation; for the same purpose, several holes must be made in the lid for free air access.

You can do this in another way, mixing nuts with wet sand, and placing them in a bag made of natural fabric - it is best to use flax for this.

The next step is to create conditions for the seeds to stay in the cold. For this, a cellar or a regular refrigerator is suitable, where prepared containers with seeds should be placed. The optimum temperature for storing seeds in the refrigerator is +3 degrees Celsius. If the harvesting of seeds is carried out in the winter, then the planted nuts can be sent directly to the street under the snow. After that, for 2-3 months, you can almost forget about the seeds, occasionally glancing at them, preventing the appearance of mold or drying out. Moldy seeds must be thrown away, and sprayed when dry.

The best time to plant nuts is April-May.

It will not be superfluous if, immediately before planting, place the seeds for an hour or two in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This will prevent fungal diseases and will help stimulate the emergence of sprouts.

Widely known 2 ways of growing cedar seeds: in the soil and in sawdust.

For the first method of planting, you can purchase special soil for conifers or prepare the substrate yourself by mixing sifted clean river sand and peat in proportions 1: 1. You can also use forest soil mixed with peat.

For the second method, in order to germinate nuts, sawdust is suitable as a soil.

Planting seeds in greenhouse conditions is ideal, but you can plant a plant just at home. The main thing is sufficient access to light and the ability to maintain the required temperature regime.

The best time to plant is early April.

In order to plant a nut cedar at home, you need an ordinary small flower pot or just a glass. The optimal pot should be about 300 milliliters in volume and about 8 centimeters high.

Seeds should not be planted deep in the ground; their top should not be below ground level. The seeds are planted with the sharp tip down. The container with the seeds planted in it should be placed in a shady place. To create greenhouse conditions and accelerated germination, abundantly watered planted seeds are covered with a glass jar or plastic wrap. Such a shelter must be removed after 10 days. It is necessary to water the soil as it dries.

The optimum temperature for the growth of seedlings is + 20 ... 22 degrees Celsius.

If the seeds were prepared and planted correctly, then very quickly, after a few days their growth will be noticeable. The sprout looks very funny: as it grows, it straightens, sheds the shell from itself and takes the form of a small palm.

You should know that seeds germinate in different ways, and the results of germination are judged not earlier than in a month. As a rule, no more than 30% of the planted seeds emerge with high quality. This is considered a good result.

To do this, sow nuts in the fall, they will winter under the snow, and as the snow melts over them, it will be necessary to build a greenhouse, under the protection of which further growth will take place. Such a planting requires special protection of nuts from rodents and birds.

To grow seeds in sawdust, you will need a wooden box or box and sawdust with needles. In height, the container should be about 25 cm, and holes are required in the bottom for excess moisture to escape. Cedar seeds are planted in such a substrate to a depth of 5-10 cm. A thin peat layer is poured on top, which maintains the necessary moisture. Such a box with seedlings can be kept on the balcony or outside.

Caring for cedar sprouts is not troublesome: water on time, preventing the soil from drying out and maintaining the temperature regime - there should be room temperature in summer, and cool in winter. The worst thing for the sprouts is drying out, so daily spraying will only benefit them. After a year, the seedlings can be supplemented with nettle infusion.

During the first year, young cedars should not be disturbed with transplants. This can be done not earlier than from the second year, and even better for 3-4 years of their life.

Before planting a seedling in open ground, it is recommended to harden it. To do this, a pot of seedlings should be kept in the fresh air for several days, and only then transplant should be undertaken.

When choosing a site for planting, it should be provided that the groundwater level is not higher than 3 meters.

Matured seedlings can be transplanted into a larger pot or transferred to open ground in a country house or garden plot. In open ground, it is preferable to plant the plant in the brightest places, but for the first time it should be shaded, protecting it from direct sunlight.

Weed control will speed up the growth of the seedling and protect against pests. To simplify maintenance, mulching of the near-stem zones can be used. Pine or spruce needles are best suited for this. You can simply cut the branches of pine or spruce and put them in the aisles of the seedlings. It should be noted that rotted needles are not suitable for this.

In order to grow a healthy tree, you first need good seeds. If it is not possible to find good cones in the natural conditions of cedar growth, then you can buy nuts in garden centers or buy a pine cone in the supermarket. Shelled and fried nuts are not suitable for planting.

When choosing a cone, you should sniff it and take a closer look. A fresh, healthy bud smells good with essential oils. Carefully study the shell of nuts, if it is split, then seedlings will not work.

Fresh bud seeds are more likely to germinate than old bud seeds. Even a two-year-old bud reduces germination by 50%.

When choosing cedar seeds, pay attention to the varieties of cedars and decide what you want to get as a result: beautiful needles or a nut harvest. The Lebanese and Himalayan cedars are very beautiful, but you cannot eat their nuts, they are not at all edible.

It is financially more profitable to grow your own seedling from a nut than to buy a ready-made plant. Of the several seedlings grown independently, some will surely take root, which cannot be said with certainty about an expensive single purchased seedling.

When caring for a plant, it should be remembered that both drought and excessive moisture are harmful to it. There should be a measure in everything.

Timely feeding also has a beneficial effect on growth. The seedlings are fed with potassium sulfate solution three times (May, June, July). After planting in open ground, nitrogen fertilizers can be applied.

To protect young seedlings from pests, it is necessary to clear the near-trunk circle of weeds and treat it with special insecticides.

Planting adult seedlings (more than four years old) is much more problematic than planting young ones. Adult seedlings are planted only in spring and with the preservation of the maximum volume of near-root soil from the previous planting site.

Experienced gardeners recommend planting cedar in a spacious place, assuring that in this case it can grow faster and begin to bear fruit earlier than trees planted tightly with others. When calculating the planting site, it should be taken into account that the diameter of the crown of an adult plant reaches 6 meters. Accordingly, the nearest plants should be planted at a distance of more than three meters. The same distance should be maintained when planting a cedar near buildings. Over the years, the powerful root system of an adult tree can damage their foundation.

The middle zone of Russia is best suited for growing cedar: Moscow region, Vladimir and Ivanovo regions, the Urals, Altai and, of course, Siberia.

Very patient people can grow a fruiting cedar out of a nut. The result will have to wait for about 30 years, and then every year the harvest will become more and more. Having planted a nut with your baby, it will be possible to please his future children with the useful fruits of a grown cedar.

Clean air saturated with phytoncides, beautiful lush cedar crown and healing nuts are a guaranteed result of the gardener's work for the next 500 years.

How to grow a cedar from seeds, see below.