Growing cedar from seeds. About how to grow cedar from a nut at home How to plant pine nuts

Plant a cedar on your summer cottage Many people want it, but the seedlings of this tree are expensive. They often die in the first months after transplantation due to significant damage to the root system. You can grow cedar in another way. It is less expensive, but labor intensive. How to germinate pine nut Not many people know from the seed. By sprouting nuts you can get a strong, healthy plant.

Growing pine nuts from seeds takes a long time

How to obtain material for germination

In many ways, the positive result of growing pine nuts depends on the chosen planting material. Nuts must be clean, without a musty smell or traces of mold. Poor quality pine nuts will not germinate.

To extract pine nuts from a cone use special device, which carefully breaks the cone without damaging the seeds.

There is another way: the cones are laid out nearby heating devices for several days. When dry, the shell opens and the nuts spill out. Before drying, you should not soak the pine cones in a salt solution, as this will destroy the buds of the nuts.

Removing nuts from pine cones should be done with caution.

Preparing nuts for germination

Before germinating pine nuts, it must be carefully prepared. In nature, nuts germinate without outside help, but their germination rate is 30%, which is normal, considering the volume of seeds that fall into the ground. When germinated at home, low germination will make it impossible to grow cedar from seed. To increase the germination percentage it is recommended:

These simple manipulations can increase the germination rate of pine nuts up to 70–80% and prevent the development of mold and other fungal diseases. After stratification and soaking in manganese, the seeds must be planted immediately, otherwise they will become blocked and will not germinate.

Potassium permanganate is suitable for disinfection and germination of pine nuts

Soil preparation

You need to pay attention to preparing the soil for germinating cedar pine seeds Special attention, because the germination of nuts directly depends on its quality. To plant pine nuts at home, take two parts sand and one part fine gravel chips.

The substrate must be calcined in the oven at a temperature of 200 °C for 20–25 minutes. This is necessary to disinfect the substrate. Afterwards, the substrate is cooled and a container for germinating seeds is filled with it.

Sprouting pine nuts

Sprouting pine nuts at home is not an easy task, but it can be done. It is important to comply with all conditions for soil preparation and germination. The nuts are placed in the substrate, but not to a great depth, otherwise they will take much longer to germinate. The seed placement depth is 0.5–1 cm.

When the seed is planted, it is watered with water at room temperature. The soil should be well moistened and water should not come to the surface. Afterwards, cover the container with cling film or plastic bag and put away on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for the second stage of stratification, which will last much longer.

After 3 months, the container with the planted pine nuts is taken out of the refrigerator and placed on the windowsill on the south side of the house. After stratification, seeds germinate in 2–3 weeks.

It is important not to forget to water the pine nuts while they are in the refrigerator, no more than once every 1.5–2 weeks, and less often if the sand remains wet. It is better to use melted snow for watering. This brings the conditions for cedar germination as close as possible to natural ones.

Growing pine nuts is quite an interesting activity, which, when the right approach will bear fruit. After all, here you get sprouts with an intact root system, and this is very important, because buying ready-made seedlings is not cheap. But the process itself must occur according to the rules, since there are certain conditions for how to germinate pine nuts, which should not be neglected - otherwise, there will be no result.

So, how to germinate pine nuts? The following points must be adhered to:

As for the choice of nuts for planting, fruits collected independently rather than purchased are best suited. That's right, you will be sure that they did not lie for a long time in the warehouse of suppliers who may neglect mandatory conditions storage Therefore, when collecting nuts for planting yourself, you will certainly be confident of success.
Pine nut seeds cannot be separated from the shell. This most important rule, otherwise then they will not “lose their temper” and will not germinate.
The seeds must be fully ripe, so collection should be done in November. If the harvesting process is carried out earlier or later, then there is unlikely to be a harvest, or rather, there will be a low probability that the plant will grow.
Pick the cones themselves from the tree, as there may be empty or rotten fruits lying on the ground. It is important to clean around the bush; cedar loves cleanliness.
In order to pine cones opened on their own, dry them well. This can be done by growing them under proper conditions. Under no circumstances should the ground freeze.

Planting processes

The initial planting process or how to grow cedar from nut involves soaking the fruit. To do this correctly, it should be in a specially prepared in advance, the so-called potassium permanganate solution, for 120 minutes, and no more. Sand for planting must be thoroughly calcined (this should be done in advance) in the oven, so that all pests located there, as they can cause rotting. After planting the pine nut, water it generously and place it in the refrigerator.

So, you're getting closer home process planting to natural conditions. These are the conditions when the nut lies under the snow for months, and in the spring the first shoots appear. And how to germinate pine nuts at home, this is, first of all, the correct artificial conditions created by yourself.

But it’s also not worth completely forgetting about our nut during this period of time. Next, it is necessary to water the planted nuts from time to time, preferably with melted snow.

How and when - what to do

After three months, we take out our pot with the fruit and move it to sunny side, on the windowsill. We are waiting for the first shoots to appear. In two weeks, you will be able to see young shoots.

In summer, the sprouts can be taken out into the garden for a while, so that they gradually get used to natural conditions. At first, young cedar needs care more than ever. Even though he needs sunlight, but it is not advisable to leave it in direct sunlight.

Concerning temperature regime, then it is sufficiently adapted to any conditions. Everyone knows where pine nuts grow and how changeable the climate is in Siberia.

But as for the humidity level, this condition must be strictly observed. Both excess and lack of moisture are equally detrimental to a young sprout.

So, among useful tips The following can be noted:

It is impossible to separate the pine nut kernel from the shell before planting for maximum proximity to natural conditions that are natural.
A young tree should be planted before it is three years old, otherwise it will not take root and will rot. Then you just have to throw it away.
If you lay pine needles and shells around a planted tree, you get mulching that is close to natural conditions. You can also plant tomatoes nearby.
The cedar pine tree does not bear fruit right away, be patient. It will take more than ten years to wait, but the wait will be worth it.

What is important to know?

To get results, you should be patient, especially since the process of caring for the tree itself is not that complicated. The main thing is to water the plant on time, clean up around it, monitor the soil, add certain useful additives to it (just note right away that such additives should not contain chemicals; pine trees do not like them).

But in a few years, a personally planted tree will delight not only you, but also your loved ones with its first fruits! And your descendants will thank you more than once for such work!

How to germinate pine nuts: Video

Siberian cedar is a symbol of health and strength, a tree of life that you can try to grow at home. Growing cedar from a nut is not as difficult as it seems. First, you need to purchase planting material: it is advisable that it be a solid cone with large scales - the seeds are stored better in it. It is important that it is fresh, from a new harvest, without mold or foreign odor: such buds are sold in the fall, from the end of September. Roasted or dried pine nuts are not suitable for this purpose - the embryo dies at high temperatures. It is better to find a reliable seller in advance. You should not buy cones in places where cedars definitely do not grow.

To extract the seeds, the cone must be boiled with boiling water - then it will open. From the remaining scales you can prepare a healing tincture or decoction, which is used to treat many diseases.

Seed stratification

When growing cedar at home, the only difficulty that may arise is the stratification of seeds, which is necessary for their germination. It happens in several stages.

First, the nuts are soaked in hot water for three days, changing it daily. Some of them may float up - these are empty seeds, they can be thrown away immediately.
The rest need to be treated with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and fungicide, immersing the nuts in it for several hours.
The next stage is cold stratification. The nuts should be mixed with clean, damp, fine-grained sand (you can calcine it in the oven in advance), sawdust or peat chips in a ratio of 1:3.
The resulting mixture should be placed in a fabric bag and placed in a small wooden box, in which holes are made in advance to allow air access.
The container with nuts is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (in the vegetable compartment) or placed in the cellar for at least 3 months. The temperature for seed germination should be about +4-6 °C, a decrease to –4 °C is allowed for no more than 2-3 days.

Every 15 days, the bag needs to be ventilated, the mixture moistened to its original state, and ensure that the nuts do not rot or become moldy (damaged ones should be removed and the sand replaced). After some time they will begin to sprout. The best period for sowing is April-May. If you sow seeds without treatment at this time, they can germinate a year later.

Accelerated stratification

There are more quick way germinating cedar seeds at home, but it is less reliable than stratification in the refrigerator. You will need fresh, clean nuts, which must first be washed in warm water, free from resin, and then keep in cold (not higher than 0 °C) for about 3 days. It should not heat up, otherwise nothing will work. To prevent this from happening, you can periodically add ice cubes to the container. The seeds that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting.

You can plant them in a substrate prepared in advance (sandy, loamy soils or a mixture of peat and sand are best), the temperature of which should not be higher than 15 °C. The nuts are sown to a depth of 2–3 cm, compacting the soil on top - this will help the sprouts get rid of the hard shell. Containers are needed with a height of at least 8 cm and a volume of about 300 ml. Crops are mulched with sawdust or peat chips, placed in the most illuminated part of the house, but without direct access sun rays, and watered regularly. Seedlings need a temperature of about 20–22 °C.

You can use another option for quick stratification.

Pine nuts are soaked in warm water for about 8 days. It needs to be changed every 2 days.
After this, a sand-peat mixture is made into which the seeds are placed.
The crops are kept at home at room temperature, periodically moistened and shaken, for 30 days, until they begin to hatch.
Then the seedlings are put into the refrigerator and stored at a temperature of about 0 ° C until planted in the ground or immediately planted in a pot.

Seedling care

Growing cedar at home from seeds is somewhat more difficult than in open ground, since this tree is very demanding on lighting. If there is not enough light, it is best to illuminate the seedlings with special lamps. It is necessary to prepare for wintering the seedlings in the first year of life, if they remain at home and are not planted in the ground: they will need a temperature no higher than 10 °C. Such parameters may be glassed balcony or in the barn. If this condition is not met, young plants will die after transplantation into open ground.

One of the main enemies of crops is the fungal disease “blackleg”. To prevent it, regular treatment of plants with a fungicide is necessary (once every 2 weeks).

It is better to start immediately accustoming young cedars to open air: As soon as the threat of frost has passed, take them out into the garden or onto the balcony. This needs to be done gradually. Plants from seeds grown at home and not in the ground are very tender and can easily die from hypothermia or, conversely, overheating. The soil on top should be mulched with sawdust, pine needles or peat chips so that it does not dry out. These plants need moderate watering, without excess, otherwise the risk of rotting of the root system will increase, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Cedars respond very well to feeding. For this purpose, you can use special fertilizers for coniferous trees. They need to be applied infrequently: once in the spring and twice in the summer.

Wintering and transplanting seedlings into open ground

Young cedars grow very slowly: in the first year of life they look like stems about 2–3 cm high with a bunch of short needles at the top. In the second they can grow up to 7 cm, and in four years they can reach 20–30 cm. As they grow, the seedlings will need to be transferred to larger containers, making sure that they are planted at the same depth. Plants can overwinter at home on the balcony or in the garden; it is not necessary to dig in pots if the temperature is not lower than 10 °C.

Young cedars need to be transplanted into open ground before they reach a height of 1 meter. The place for planting should be chosen in the shade, with a low level groundwater. Such seedlings will bear fruit no earlier than in 20 years - for this you need to plant several trees so that they pollinate each other.

Conclusion

Growing cedar at home from seeds is complicated only by the need for stratification and creation desired temperature for wintering seedlings. The latter is necessary to prepare plants for transplanting into open ground. Caring for young trees involves regular watering and fertilizing.

In many ways, obtaining good seedlings depends on planting material. When choosing, you need to focus on the size of the cone and its scales - the larger they are, the better. Cold stratification over several months gives optimal result, since it is close to the natural conditions of seed germination. You can try several ways to grow a tree that will delight not only its owner with its beauty, but also his grandchildren.

Today I want to tell you about this coniferous plant like cedar. Many amateur gardeners want to know how cedar differs from coniferous trees, how to grow it correctly and better, buy a seedling or use a nut, what kind of soil is needed, etc....

Straightaway I'll answer your first question. Cedar differs from coniferous trees in that, firstly, it is very beautiful, and secondly, it survives cold winters very well. That is, cedar is not afraid of severe frosts, in addition, it is considered a Siberian plant.

If you think what's better, grow cedar from a nut or just buy a seedling? I will answer this question this way: we can still grow a nut ourselves, investing all our love and a piece of our soul, but if you buy a seedling, it is quite expensive and not everyone can afford it, and there are still no guarantees that the seedling will will take root on your land. Therefore, it is up to you which method you use. Remember one thing, cedar is not an ordinary plant and in order to grow it from a small nut, you will have to show a little trouble, even if you simply plant the nut like lobelia seeds and water it, this will not be enough.

Growing cedar from a nut with your own hands

To grow cedar from a nut, we first need to select seeds. How it's done? Firstly, the seeds should not have unpleasant odor, secondly, they should not be covered with mold. Seeds can remain viable when proper storage up to 8 years, but fresh seeds still have the best germination rate.
To prevent the seedlings from being affected by the fungus, the seeds must be pickled for about 2 hours in a weak solution of manganese, and it is better to make it five percent.
The seeds need to be prepared and will not germinate immediately. This will take at least 5 months. We prepare the seeds: soak them in water for 3 days, and the water needs to be changed every day. Next, mix the nuts with sand, moisten them and put them in a fabric bag. Then we put it in a wooden box, make holes on the sides for air to pass through and put it in the refrigerator. Next, the seeds need to be checked and maintained wet. At the same time, if some seeds become moldy, they should be removed and the sand replaced.
After 6 months, the nuts will be ready to germinate; they will need to be washed well and sown in pots. We make sandy soil and plant the seeds to a depth of about 1 centimeter. We place the pots indoors and support them room temperature. In a month, the seeds will germinate, and we can put them in a bright place, but not in the sun.
In summer, the pots can be taken outside so that the plants get used to the sun and air. After some time, the plants can be planted in loose soil. Cedar also needs fertilizer, like any apple tree in the garden. Small seedlings tolerate transplantation very well. Know that cedars that are 3 years old need to be replanted only in the spring. When replanting, you need to form a root ball and after a year make a circular cut of about half a meter. At the same time, the deep roots should not be touched, this is how the cedar grows better. A year later we replant it again.
In the first year of life, cedar needs shade, so it is better to plant it deep in the garden or better shade it with something additional. Cedar loves moisture, so you will need to keep it moist, but too much moisture can cause the plant to die.
Adult seedlings also need care; they need mulching. It can be made from weeds or fallen pine needles.

As you can see, in order to grow cedar from a nut, you need a lot of patience, since the plant grows very slowly. But when it grows up, it will be the most beautiful in the garden and will delight you, because you raised it with your own hands.