Himalayan cedar, or deodar, as biologists call it, amazing in lifespan, power, strength and beauty, represents the flora of East Asia, meeting in the Himalayas and decorating the mountainous landscapes of Nepal, Afghanistan and India.
This most interesting conifer lives up to 1000 years, without losing its attractive decorative effect and demonstrating the amazing possibilities of nature. This tree with the Latin name Cedrus deodara will be discussed in this article.
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Himalayan cedar is one of the species of the cedar genus in the Pine family. Like many of its brethren, it has an amazing article, growing up to 50-60 meters in height, forming a wide crown cone with a characteristic slightly blunt top and drooping shoots at a young age. As a rule, in the structure of the crown there is no layering inherent in other representatives of this genus. With age, the top of the tree becomes even more rounded, the skeletal branches straighten horizontally, and the crown loses its conical shape.
This coniferous tree belongs to the fast-growing species. Cedar is unpretentious and, uniting with other nearbyrelatives (fir, pine and spruce), forms coniferous forests.
Himalayan cedar: plant features
The trunk diameter of this giant reaches 3 meters. Strong roots allow the tree to hold on to poor mountain soils, because deodar can grow even at an altitude of 3500 m above sea level.
The Himalayas on the world map extend over the territories of several states where soil fertility is low. Probably, this circumstance influenced the development of such a root system. Himalayan cedar is also cultivated in European countries - in the south of Germany, Poland, etc. Here it grows up to 12-18 m with a crown diameter of 6-8 m. Under cultural conditions, deodar is grown in the southern regions of Russia, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea.
Wood is famous for its excellent wood - fragrant, both soft and durable, always in demand.
Bark and needles
The bark of the cedar is remarkably decorative - dark brown, smooth, even shiny at a young age and gray-brown, dissected into rectangular tiles, in more mature cedars. Young shoots are short, thin and dull, reddish and drooping at the ends.
Spiral needles on the branches can be single, thin, sharp and long (up to 50 mm) or collected in small bunches. The needles are dense, glossy, with clearly defined edges of green, silver-gray, bluish or bluish shades, completely non-spiny, blunt-pointed.
Himalayan cedar: cones and seeds
In Octoberor November ripens and spreads pollen. Cones appearing at the top of the crown are located singly, rarely two together. Turned upwards, they are oblong and plump in shape, like barrels; reach 7-13 cm in length and 5-7 cm in diameter. Firmly seated on short petioles, they mature in 1.5 years. Gradually changing color (from bluish at first to terracotta-brown tones), recurring buds crumble after ripening, releasing many seeds.
Hard flat wedge-shaped seed scales tapering towards the base with an almost rectangular upper edge. Seeds of light beige color, obovate, 6-7 mm wide, narrowed at the base, reach a length of 12-17 mm. They are equipped with a large shiny wing that allows the seeds to scatter over fairly long distances.
Unlike the nuts of the cedar pine, the seeds of the Himalayan cedar are inedible, but this in no way diminishes the excellent decorativeness of such a crop as the Himalayan cedar. The cones, pointing upwards and sitting tightly on the branches, are an interesting feature of the tree and serve as a wonderful decoration.
Deodar preferences
Growing in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan and in the north of the Himalayas, the Himalayan cedar feels great in the wild, untouched by civilization. This is probably why the gas pollution of cities affects it with a noticeable loss of decorativeness. A long-liver and ascetic, the deodar is characterized by rapid development in youth and moderate development in adulthood. It tolerates shade very well.relatively frost-resistant - withstands short-term temperature drops to -25 ° C in calm places.
Like many coniferous trees, cedar is undemanding to soil fertility, grows successfully on loam and calmly tolerates the presence of lime in the soil, but its high content can cause chlorosis - a very serious disease, which is manifested by staining needles in yellow-orange shades and significant lag in growth. Cultivated plants are almost as picky as their wild counterparts, but grow noticeably better in areas with slightly calcareous, water- and breathable soils without close access to groundwater.
High humidity, generous watering and a warm climate are the best conditions for successful tree development. These mighty giants often suffer from strong winds, so they choose a sheltered place for their landing.
Cultivation of cedar
The heat-loving deodar does not survive in the harsh conditions of temperate Russian latitudes. Its distribution does not extend beyond the Black Sea coast, the Crimea and the Caucasian foothills. It is in these places that the mother liquors of the Himalayan cedar are broken. Despite the fact that the homeland of the deodar is the Himalayas, located on the world map in the warm continental zone, gardeners in the middle latitudes today are increasingly being taken to growing the Himalayan cedar, and often such experiments end successfully. One should only be guided by the advice of experienced gardeners, since it is much more difficult for cultivars to take root in the middle climatic zones than in the southern regions. Young trees, whose height does not exceed 3 meters, are especially vulnerable. They need shelter for the winter, which is used when establishing sub-zero temperatures.
Covering material is chosen depending on your own preferences. Breathable materials are considered the most practical - spruce branches, burlap. With the predicted harsh winter, original houses made of roofing felt are arranged on top of the spruce branches.
Fertilizers
Feeding is essential for a crop like the Himalayan cedar. Its cultivation will be most successful with the use of German-made fertilizers Greenworld or the Russian brand "Green Needle". Feed the plant three times per season - in April, June and July. Top dressing with a nitrogen component is applied until August, since the growth of shoots at the end of summer will complicate wintering. Therefore, since July, nitrogen fertilizers have not been given, but cedar has been fed with phosphorus-potassium preparations.
Use in park and garden interiors
Deodar is one of the most popular decorative park crops in the Crimea and on the Black Sea coast. The experience of agricultural cultivation of crops dates back to the middle of the 20th century. Today, the Himalayan cedar is a familiar park tree in southern Russia. Individuality, charm and monumental beauty are the features of this ephedra.
The most attractive are old trees, powerful, with a wide spreading crown, shrouded in a silvery-greenish haze of soft needles.
Himalayan cedar is used in arrays, groups-ensembles, on alleys or singly in various landscape compositions. Young trees tolerate pruning well and recover quickly. Such plantings often turn into hedges of the most intricate shapes.
