Cedar is a representative of the Pine family. The plant in question, like other conifers, has special soil requirements and needs special top dressing. If the cedar tree has all the necessary nutrients, then its needles are thick and bright green, the cones are large, and the bark is dark gray. A healthy plant is characterized by a spreading crown, and the height of the adult specimen is at least 25 m.
What soil composition is needed for the growth of cedar
An ideal option for cedar is moistened sandy loam and loamy soil. In the wild, this plant develops well in coniferous and mixed forests. If the conifer in question is planted on the fertile gray soils of a forest area, this will significantly activate its growth. When planting cedar, you must avoid the terrain, the land of which has a high nitrogen content. Such soil inhibits the development of the root system.
Experts also recommend planting cedar on drained soils, which are distinguished by a deep occurrence of groundwater. Black earth or sandy land is not the best option for this coniferous tree. Heavy clay and boggy soils are absolutely unsuitable for planting cedar.
In the natural environment, the considered representative of the Pine family can be found on lands having the following characteristics:
- high and low marshes or dry lands;
- various levels of acidity: from neutral to slightly acid;
- medium and low levels of nutrients.
You can often find cedar growing on soils covered with gravel and rocky placers.
Important! If a plant is planted on dry calcareous slopes, the tree will be constantly exposed to chlorosis, the Himalayan, Atlas and Lebanese cedars are especially affected.
If you plant cedar in the country, it should be borne in mind that the soil was not very compacted in the upper layers and had a high degree of water permeability.
How to understand what a plant needs at the moment
If a plant suffers from a lack of nutrients, then it will signal this problem with its appearance. Cedar, like most representatives of the Pine family, speaks of its own illness by the state of the needles.
The main signs of cedar starvation can be recognized in this way:
- Lack of nitrogen. The needles of the plant show off early and have a creamy yellow hue, both the entire needle and only the tip can be painted. The tree is characterized by slow growth, late budding.
- Lack of phosphorus. There is a sharp stop in growth, and the needles are repainted in bluish color with red spots.
- Potassium deficiency. The plant is often sick and does not feel well during wintering. The needles are characterized by brown spotting, and also begins to twist very much.
- Lack of boron and calcium. Cedar slows in growth. The needles begin to lighten.
- Lack of sulfur. The color of the needles is characterized by yellowness with blue impregnation.
- Manganese and iron deficiency. The cedar needles crumble early, and the needles take on a brown hue.
How to feed cedar
In order for the plant to have a healthy appearance, it is recommended to use fertilizers. They will be especially important if the plant is not planted on very rich soils. Before feeding cedar, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the types of fertilizers and their characteristics, select the nutrition for the seedling and for the plant after transplantation. An important issue is also the selection and use of the necessary nutrition in the right time (by season).
Types of fertilizers
All plant nutrition can be classified into organic, mineral and bacterial. Each species has its own characteristics and functions.
Fertilizers can be described as follows:
- Organic The considered type of top dressing is of natural origin. This category includes: sawdust, manure, humus, bird droppings, peat and other organics. This fertilizer can saturate the culture with various useful micro and macro elements.
- Mineral This type of top dressing is an inorganic compound of chemical origin with a content of mineral salts. Such fertilizers (tuks) also stimulate the growth and development of culture. They can be single-component (for example, superphosphate or potassium sulfate) or complex (nitroammophoska or potassium nitrate).
- Bacterial The considered type of top dressing is saturated with various useful soil microorganisms. They stimulate the acceleration of biochemical processes in the soil and nutrition of the root system. Among the drugs belonging to this category, one can name azotobacterin, nitragin and other fertilizers. Such substances must be used following exact instructions.
What fertilizers are needed for a seedling
Before planting a tree, many gardeners and landscape designers think about the need for fertilizing during planting. Many experts do not recommend the use of fertilizers for seedlings; it is better to create coniferous litter in the spring.
It is not considered harmful for the plant to use granular sapropel in the process of planting cedar. This product has nutritional and water repellent functions. If the seedlings are sold with an open root system, it is recommended to use special rooting agents (Kornerost, Heteroauxin or lemon solution).
Important! Mycorrhiza is considered the best substitute for fertilizers for a seedling of the plant in question. This tool is applied to the soil under the seedlings, and also added to water for irrigation. It can be prepared both independently, by soaking overripe mushrooms, or purchased in specialized stores.
What to fertilize in different seasons
The composition of plant nutrition is different. In many respects it depends on the time of its introduction into the soil. You can use both complex and single-component feeding. Usually cedar needs to be fertilized three times: in the spring, summer and autumn periods. There are various requirements for the procedure under consideration according to a certain period of nutrient application.
In the spring
Cedar, like other conifers, it is necessary to feed in early March - when the snow has already melted, and the top layer of the earth is a little dry. If the plant is fed with compost, then there is no need to repeat this procedure. This is due to the fact that organic matter is considered a slow-acting fertilizer. If you apply mineral fertilizers and vermicompost, then top dressing is carried out twice: in March (after frost) and in the summer.
At the first signs of yellowness of needles, it is recommended to water with the addition of Zircon (1 ml of the substance per ten-liter bucket of water), and also spray “Ferovit”. The duration of the procedure is 4 times, with intervals of 10 days.
In summer
As stated above if biohumus and mineral fertilizers are preferred, then repeated “feeding” is carried out in summer. Favorable time is June-early July, as well as August.
If you use complex fertilizers for conifers, they are recommended to be used until the tenth of August. This is due to the fact that one of the constituent elements of such top dressing is nitrogen, which significantly affects the rapid growth of new shoots, which, with late formation, can freeze during wintering.
In the second summer month it is permissible to use fertilizers, which include phosphorus and potassium. In the summer, cedar loves minor liquid top dressing, as well as spraying needles. Agricola, Bona Forte and Fertika Summer are considered one of the most famous means of this purpose.
Fall
Autumn feeding of cedar is also very important. It is aimed at preparing the plant for winter, providing it with all the necessary nutrients for a given period. It is necessary to apply such fertilizers before the onset of frost (20-30 days).
Did you know? A healthy cedar tree in the wild can last more than 500 years.
In autumn, you can use only superphosphates or such preparations that are designed to feed conifers in the autumn ("Florovit"). Phosphorus in these types of fertilizer begins to act on the roots of cedar only in March.
After transplant
When a cedar seedling is transplanted into the open ground, it needs not only watering, but also nutrition. In early summer, it is recommended to use fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus.. It is also permissible to use such types of top dressings as calcined nitrate and granular superphosphate. To prepare the solution, it is necessary to dilute 90 g of the substance in 10 l of water. About 5 l of such liquid top dressing will be enough for one seedling.
The procedure is carried out three times in June, with breaks of 7 days. After transplanting in the first summer month, the coniferous plant must be provided with phosphorus fertilizers. Dilute the substance in water according to the instructions with the expectation that 1 liter of solution will need 5 liters of solution. Potassium fertilizers should be added in the same amount in August and early autumn.
How to choose the right fertilizer when buying
Before purchasing a product, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with its composition. Complex nutritional supplements for representatives of the Pine family should contain all the necessary macro- and microelements, which are necessary for the vital functions of the tree. In case of starvation, cedar can become ill with chlorosis, which is accompanied by lightening or drilling of needles.
Self-preparation of fertilizers
If it is not possible to purchase "food" for plants in the store, then you can cook it yourself. One of the simplest and most affordable varieties of fertilizers for cedar is compost.
The most popular compost is produced by:
- from nettle;
- based on wood ash;
- from the pretty grass.
The recipe for the first fertilizer is quite simple. For cooking, you need to take freshly picked nettle without seeds. Next, you must perform the following actions:
- Place 1 kg of fresh nettle in a plastic container.
- Pour grass with 7–8 l of settled water and expose to the sun.
- Maintain the mixture for 1–1.5 weeks, stirring daily several times a day.
- Use after the fermentation process. The mixture must be diluted with water (1: 9) and watered under the root.
Did you know? Scientists have proved that cedar has special biorhythms that differ from representatives of its genus and most plants as a whole: in cloudy weather, the tree activates, and in winter it does not plunge into a dormant state.
Liquid fertilizer from wood ash can be prepared in this way:
- 150 g of product mixed with 10 l of water.
- Allow the solution to infuse for about a quarter of an hour.
For an adult tree, 1 bucket of such liquid top dressing (10-15 l) will be enough.
Fertilizer from the pre-grown grass is prepared without much effort, since for this it is enough to just lay freshly cut greens under a tree, and all the necessary biological processes will take place without human intervention. This method is considered very effective in the fall, as it provides a good wintering for the cedar root system.
Thus, cedar, as a representative of the Pine family, needs special fertilizers that are suitable for coniferous plants. The tree can provide both single-component and complex nutrition. If you know the frequency of feeding, its quantity, composition, and also observe the state of the plant, signaling a possible deficiency of any substances, then you can easily grow a healthy and beautiful cedar tree.
