Coniferous wood materials, due to their characteristics, are widely used in the construction of not only houses and baths, but also in the construction of gazebos and other objects. Such material is also highly popular in interior decoration, for example, lining is the most popular material for bath decoration. However, it is worth noting that conifers are different.

The properties of pine and cedar are very similar in many ways, but there are still differences. Pine is highly susceptible to shrinkage, which makes it less durable material, and strong, deep furrows appear after drying. If we consider cedar from the point of view of finishing, then we can note many positive aspects. The main ones can be called: the preservation, for a long time, of the original appearance and beneficial effects on the human body.

Having decided to build houses from cedar, choosing a material, in order not to be deceived by the consumer, it is necessary to know the differences between coniferous materials. After all, a wooden house, depending on the material used, will have different characteristics.

The main differences between cedar and pine are:

• Cedar (average) is several times higher than pine;
• This tree species has a longer lifespan, up to 800 years, unlike pine, which lives up to 120 years.
• Flowering in cedar also occurs later than pine;
• The cedar has a small number of furrows, unlike the pine.
• Cedar is a more porous tree (like a cork), thus its thermal conductivity is 30% less than that of pine, which means that a 30 cm cedar log will keep heat as well as a 40 cm diameter pine log.

In addition, cedar has a warm shade of pinkish tone, and over time it acquires a reddish color. Hand-cut log cabins have a pleasant, light aroma, which has a number of medicinal properties. The most popular type of cedar is Altai. Growing in the Altai Mountains. It is this type of wood that has a unique shade and aroma incomparable with any other Siberian cedar.

Often, hand-cut houses are made from Canadian wood, as it has dark tones, which can be remotely compared with a brown or red tint. This type of wood practically does not emit active, healing elements. The smell also has a weak, but many times stronger than pine, but inferior to Siberian cedar. This material will be optimal for the construction of a bath from a gun carriage.

A house made from Far Eastern cedar material will have a color somewhere between red and brown. This material is rather weak amber, but in terms of strength it is not inferior to Siberian cedar. Unlike pine, relatively shallow furrows appear on this material when it dries out.

In the flora of Russia there are coniferous trees, which are commonly called cedars. The "cedar" Siberian will be discussed below. The word "cedar" is in quotation marks for a reason - in fact, this breed belongs to the botanical genus pine - Pinus, while real cedars belong to a completely different genus - Cedrus. In our country, in the wild state, there are no true cedars at all, and in landscaping they have a very limited use - only on Black Sea coast Krasnodar Territory because they are very thermophilic.

Botanical characteristics of Siberian pine

Siberian pine or cedar or Siberian cedar- Pinus sibirica Du Tour - a large evergreen tree from the pine family (Pinoceae) 20-25 (up to 35) m high, with a dense crown. Trunk up to 1.5 m in diameter, with brownish-gray furrowed bark. In young trees, the bark is lighter and smoother. Shoots of two types: elongated and shortened. Young elongated shoots are reddish due to pubescence. The root system is well developed, consists of taproot and strong lateral roots.
The leaves are arranged on shoots in bunches of 5 needles (an important feature that distinguishes Siberian pine from ordinary pine, which has only 2 leaves in a bunch). Leaves-needles are narrowly linear, needle-shaped, triangular in cross section, from 5 to 12 cm long, dark green, with bluish stripes on the sides, formed by rows of stomata. The needle lives up to 6 years.
Plants are monoecious, that is, both male and female generative organs, collected in spikelets, develop on one individual. Pine, like all gymnosperms, does not have flowers and real fruits. Male spikelets are red, located at the base of elongated shoots, and female spikelets are purple, sitting 2-4 in their upper part. The pollen disperses in June, after which the male spikelets fall off. Fertilized ovules develop into seeds, and the entire female spikelet is transformed into a kind of organ - a cone, consisting of an axis to which woody light brown scales are attached.
In the axils of each scale, 2 seeds are placed. They mature in September of the year following fertilization. Mature cones are 5-8 (up to 13) cm long and 3-5 (up to 8) cm in diameter, do not open when ripe, but fall off entirely, along with the seeds. The seeds are dark brown, 10-12 cm long, they are called "pine nuts". The seeds are spread by the nutcracker, chipmunk, squirrel, sable and other forest animals. The yield of pine nuts in the most productive pine forests reaches 640 kg/ha. Abundant seed crops are repeated at significant intervals - 3-10 years.
Seeds during germination bring to the surface 10 large cotyledons. Cedar pine grows slowly throughout its life. Trees for the first time begin to produce seeds from 25-30 years old, if they grow in freedom, and in plantations - not earlier than from 50 years old. Siberian pine lives up to 500 (according to some sources up to 850) years.

Distribution of Siberian pine

Siberian pine range lies almost entirely within Russia, only the southern edge enters Mongolia and Kazakhstan. This forest species grows in about a third of the entire forest zone of our country. Cedar forests and forests with a noticeable participation of Siberian pine occupy 40,600,000 ha. They are distributed in the mountains and on the plains of the northeastern regions of European Russia (from the upper reaches of the Vychegda River), almost throughout Western and Eastern Siberia. These forests are called dark coniferous taiga.
Siberian pine is shade-tolerant, frost-resistant, demanding on soil and air moisture. It prefers loam and sandy loam, although it can grow on rocks and even on sphagnum bogs.

Other related species of Siberian pine

The Siberian pine is very close to the dwarf pine - Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel, which is often called the Siberian dwarf pine. Many botanists, until recently, even considered elfin cedar a kind of Siberian pine.
Cedar elfin - coniferous evergreen shrub with a curved trunk and creeping branches that rise above the soil surface only by 0.5-2 m. Less often it is a small tree 4-7 m high. Young shoots are densely pubescent with yellow-brown hairs. Needles 4-8 cm long, bluish-green, hard, triangular, with small notches along the edges, stay on the branches for 2-4 years.
Dwarf cones are formed in the same way as those of Siberian pine, they are extremely similar, but somewhat smaller - 3.5-4.5 cm long and 2.5-3 cm in diameter. They also develop two summer seasons. The cones of the first year, when the seeds have not yet grown in them, are reddish-purple, in the second year they turn brown and by the time the seeds ripen, that is, by autumn, they become dark brown. Seeds (they are also called "pine nuts") are about 8 mm long and 4-6 mm in diameter.
Siberian dwarf pine is distributed throughout Eastern Siberia and the Far East, from Tunkinsky Goltsy and Western Baikal in the south-west of the range to the river basin. Anadyr in Chukotka, as well as in Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, in the Amur Region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The total area occupied by elfin thickets in our country exceeds 24 million hectares. Outside of Russia, it is known in Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia.
Dwarf forms continuous, difficult to pass thickets on the upper border of the forest. It has a wide ecological amplitude, due to which it successfully grows in a variety of (often harsh) conditions - from sand deposits of river valleys and sea coasts to peat bogs on permafrost and stone placers in high mountains. Able to form adventitious roots on branches in contact with the soil, and to give layering.
Like the Siberian pine, the seeds of the dwarf tree are called nuts in everyday life. They are a little smaller, but in terms of taste and nutritional qualities they are also rich in protein, sugars and the most valuable oil, which is of nutritional and technical importance. The yield of nuts in dense thickets reaches 200 kg/ha. Of these, you can prepare "nut milk" - a delicious nutritious drink containing vitamin B. The value of elfin pine nuts is especially high for regions where there are no other plants that produce edible nuts.
Wood is a very high-calorie fuel, often the only one for the inhabitants of the north-east of Russia. Among the indigenous population, infusions, decoctions and extracts from pine needles and dwarf twigs have long been considered the strongest antiscorbutic agent. Elf is an excellent shelter and an important food source for many valuable fur animals: squirrels, ermine, sable, etc.
In folk medicine, the coniferous branches of the dwarf tree (“legs”) were used for therapeutic baths for rheumatism.

Economic use of Siberian pine

Siberian pine is one of the most economically valuable conifers. Its wood is soft, light, at the same time dense, strong enough. It is pinkish-yellow, beautiful in texture, with a pleasant smell, easy to process, well polished. Cedar pine wood is valued as a building and ornamental material. It is used in housing construction for the construction of house walls and roofs, as well as for interior decoration. They make pencils out of it. Due to its good acoustic properties, Siberian pine wood is used for the manufacture of musical instruments.
However, sawing cedar pine for the sake of wood is an act close to a crime. This tree is one of the most valuable wild food plants. Seeds (“pine nuts”) are used for food, which combine excellent taste and nutritional qualities. Nut kernels contain fatty oil (up to 28%), proteins (more than 8%), starch (up to 5.5%), vitamins A, B, E, phosphorus salts, trace elements (manganese, copper, zinc, iodine). Nuts are consumed fresh, used for pressing oil from them by cold pressing, which is close in quality to the best varieties of almond and Provence, which has found wide demand not only in cooking, but also in the canning industry and medicine. Nut cakes are used in the confectionery industry in the manufacture of cakes, pastries, halva and other products.
Lower quality oil, obtained from pine nuts by hot pressing or solvent extraction, is mainly used for technical purposes: it is used in soap making, in the production of varnishes and varnishes. After additional refining, this oil is also suitable for food consumption.
Found practical use and pine nut shells. Activated carbon is made from it, the adsorption capacity of which is 2 times higher than that of birch, which is considered (and quite rightly) the best. A good brown skin dye is obtained from the shell.

Medicinal value of Siberian pine and methods of therapeutic use

Medicinal use have different parts of the Siberian pine. Its needles contain valuable essential oil, vitamin C, carotene (provitamin A), so the infusion of needles or "cedar feet" (young sprigs) is used as an antiscorbutic agent. The resin from the trunks is rightly called "resin" for its ability to heal wounds. In Russia, resin was used to treat purulent wounds, ulcers, boils, burns and cuts.
Experts say that even a neglected gastric ulcer can be quickly cured with life-giving resin. The viscous amber resin is kept in the mouth, licked off with the tongue, or water infusions are made. Bleeding wounds filled with sap are healed and begin to heal already on the second day. But an ulcer is also a wound, only on the wall of the stomach.

The resin of the cedar tree is very drying.
If we anoint our face with that resin, a sign happens on the cream after smallpox,
and tacos not signs are smoothed and the face will become clean.

The resin is mixed with fresh honey and diluted with some kind of drink, and a little salt is mixed with that, and then we give drink to those who are stung by creeping reptiles, and the disease from the stomach (stomach) will come out and the splenic ulcers will heal.

Cedar nuts are of great value, and not only as a delicious product.
At present, scientists have found that pine nuts contain various substances that help maintain high performance, improve blood composition, increase human body, treatment of tuberculosis, kidney diseases, anemia.
From pine nut shells, Russian manufacturers produce alcohol solutions that are used in the treatment of arthritis, gout, articular rheumatism, diseases of the stomach, liver, as well as leukemia, hemorrhoids. In addition, it is an effective means for cleansing the body, removing radionuclides.
Pine nut oil, in addition to being highly nutritious, dietary, healing, also has cosmetic properties. It perfectly combines environmentally friendly fats, carbohydrates and a complex of vitamins, as well as microelements. All this has a positive effect on human well-being and life expectancy.

cedar nuts- a medicine known since antiquity. Back in the 18th century Academician P.S. Pallas, who visited Siberia with an expedition, noted that pine nuts restore male strength, restore youth to a person. The most popular milk is made from nucleoli: they are ground, gradually adding water. A fragrant white emulsion is formed, which significantly raises the tone, causing a surge of strength and vigor. You can drink 2-3 tea cups a day.

A decoction and tincture of pine nut shells are used for hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding and blood diseases, especially leukemia.

The shells of naturally dried nuts are poured into a dark bottle to the level of the “shoulders”, without tamping, pour vodka up to the cork and insist in a warm, dark place for 8-10 days. Take 1 teaspoon before meals 3-4 times a day.
Cedar is ruled by the Sun and is healing for those born under the sign of Leo.

How to distinguish a cedar frame from a pine frame?

Cedar pine, cedar - king of the forests

Siberian pine or cedar

Clear January day. The snow sparkling under the sun blinds the eyes, and there is such silence around, as if the whole world has plunged into a heavy sleep. And guard this dream formidable warriors- majestic Siberian cedars. With an epic cliff rising in the middle of the green ocean, at the sight of which “the hat itself falls off the head from reverence,” Leonid Maksimovich Leonov compared this amazing tree. Its scientific name- Siberian pine. real cedars- Lebanese, Himalayan, Atlas, Cypriot- grow in North Africa, the Himalayas; in the Middle East and on the island of Cyprus. These are strong trees.- with a very valuable, pleasantly smelling wood, on the shortened shoots of which the needles are located in 30-40 pieces. Why is Siberian pine often called cedar? Yes, for a special position, longevity, impressive size, fragrant wood: the pioneers of Siberia and North America called any tree with pleasantly smelling wood in the simplicity of the heart called cedar.

A contemporary of A. S. Pushkin, a connoisseur of Siberian forests, naturalist and local historian V. Dmitriev, in the article “Siberian Cedar” in 1818, enthusiastically wrote: “Glory, places beloved by the sun, be proud, Lebanese heights, of your cedars: not seeing you in my fatherland on the inveterate land belonging to Russia, I don’t even dare to magnify you, but in my eyes the shady cedar of rich Siberia will not yield to you in its beauties and will replace you for me. What majesty is in the posture of this tree, what a sacred shadow in the density of its forests! .. "

Siberian pine differs significantly from Scotch pine, although they are close relatives. One of the differences concerns seeds: in Scots pine they are small, with wings, while in Siberian cedar they are well-known nuts. Their color is brown, they are covered with a peel and a thin inner shell, under which there is a white oily core. In a large cone, there are more than a hundred seeds.

The second difference concerns the needles: the needles of the cedar are longer, lasting longer on the tree, and there are 5 needles in one bunch, while the needles of Scots pine- by two. The cedar is also distinguished by a more powerful cone-shaped dark green crown. Yes, and he lives one and a half to two times longer- up to 800-850 years.

The height of the Siberian pine is 35-43 meters. Its trunk is brown-gray, in old trees the bark is fissured. Shoots are yellow-brown, covered with long red hairs. The root system is formed depending on the nature of the soil and soil.

At the end of spring, the cedar pine is dusty and at this time looks especially elegant: crimson-colored male spikelets are clearly visible against the background of dark green needles in the middle and lower parts of the crown. And at the top are female cones, oval, purple, collected 2-7 pieces at the terminal bud of the shoot. In plantations, trees sometimes come across only with male spikelets. Pollination occurs with the help of wind. In September of the following year, cones with seeds ripen, the shape of which can be ovoid, oblong-ovoid, cylindrical or cone-shaped. Outside, the seeds are covered with strong scales strung on a thick rod.

Siberian cedar is winter-hardy, due to which it goes far to the north. Its artificial landings can be found in the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, in particular on the Solovetsky Islands, the island of Valaam.

At the same time, the Siberian giant is undemanding to the soil, successfully tolerates both excess and lack of moisture, but prefers areas with sufficient moisture, therefore it grows well at the headwaters and along river valleys.

Cedar pine plays an important role in the natural complex of Siberia.

It has been established that the runoff in cedar forests is several times greater than in other forests. It is not surprising that the waters filtered by the cedar massifs supply Baikal with water, feed the powerful rivers of Siberia.- Ob, Yenisei, Lena.

In addition, Siberian pine forests reliably protect soils, especially mountainous ones, from erosion. Cedar massifs located on mountain slopes Southern Siberia, play an important role in the formation of biological and climatic processes. So, they are rich in all living creatures. During the years of abundant seed harvests, the number of sable and squirrels sharply increases. forest dwellers- jays, nutcrackers, squirrels, chipmunks- sharpened deftly extract nuts from the cones. And the bears, holding the bump with their paw, peel off the scales with their fangs, while the nuts are exposed and go into the mouth without interference.

The existence of 70 species of mammals, 200 species of birds, and many species of insects is associated with cedars. Special mention should be made of the nutcracker bird: feeding on the seeds of the Siberian pine and making reserves for the winter, it contributes to the settlement of the cedar. According to experts, if he did not have such a reliable partner, he could hardly have survived to this day.

A person receives great benefits from this unique beautiful tree. The widely known cedar balsam used in instrument making, as well as turpentine, rosin, varnishes, and camphor are made from cedar oleoresin.

Siberian pine wood- straight-grained, light, durable, easy to process, rot-resistant,- used in the production of pencils, drawing boards, musical instruments. The Germans were the first to know about the high resonant qualities of cedar wood. German trading companies that bought cedar oil in Russia suddenly demanded that it be exported in containers made of cedar wood, and the thickness of the container boards should be almost doubled. Subsequently, it turned out that when boxes of oil arrived in Germany, they were very carefully broken and cedar boards were sent to musical instrument factories. Thanks to this, trading companies selling cedar oil had a very significant additional income.

Cedar trees, releasing an essential oil with bactericidal properties, heal the air, give it a refined aroma. In dishes made of cedar wood, milk does not sour for a long time, and moths do not start in chests made of cedar boards. Residents of the Cis-Urals have long preferred Siberian pine for home decoration, a significant thickness of the tree made it possible to obtain wide boards suitable for the manufacture of solid doors. In many cities of Siberia and the Urals- Turinsk, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Tomsk- preserved buildings, decorated with intricate wooden lace, carved from cedar boards. And in one of the temples of Tobolsk, an iconostasis was built from cedar.

There is a lot of ascorbic acid, macro- and microelements in the needles of the cedar pine. It is used to make vitamin flour and carotene paste used in animal husbandry. A persistent brown dye is obtained from the cedar bark, tannins are extracted, and thermal insulation boards are made.

But, perhaps, the most significant for humans are the seeds of the cedar pine, tasty and nutritious. They contain 60% of fine red golden-yellow oil, which is of nutritional and technical importance, up to 20% of protein, reminiscent of egg in amino acid composition, about 12% of carbohydrates, a complex of vitamins, a rich set of macro- and microelements. Cedar oil is not inferior in quality to the famous olive oil, it is used not only by culinary specialists, but also by artists.- many famous masters diluted their colors on it.

Healing pine nuts- help with hypertension and atherosclerosis. BUT ethnoscience recommends using not only kernels, but also seed shells, young shoot tips, buds, needles, resin ...

Since ancient times, since the time of Ivan the Terrible, Siberia has been the largest supplier of pine nuts to the world market. According to historians, they were sold to Persia, China, Sweden and other countries. In 1786, Academician P. S. Pallas wrote: “In Switzerland, pine nuts are used in pharmacies; milk is made from them, which is prescribed in chest diseases ... Because of their penetrating, subtle, partly balsamic oil, they are better than almonds, which is why they assure that they were used with benefit by cheesy people ... "The main suppliers of nuts were Tobolsk and Yenisei provinces.

The peoples of Siberia have long respected valuable plant, revered him as sacred, the keeper of goodness, truth and justice. In the Surgut region (Khanty-Mansiysk national district, Tyumen region), when laying a new house, residents put a small cedar pine in the front corner, saying: “Here you are, mother-neighbor, a warm house and a shaggy cedar!” The tree remained in the house- it was considered the dwelling place of the brownie.

According to Evenk legends, cedar helps to live honestly and disinterestedly, is a source of strength, beauty and nobility. At the birth of a son, the Evenks planted cedar pine near their dwellings, and when their daughter was born- birch. In the legends and tales of the Nanais of the Amur region, it is said that only good spirits, because she- most generous tree. emphasizing importance of this plant, the Siberians used to say: "The taiga is alive with cedar." They believed that if a child is given a handful of pine nuts every day, then he will grow up a good fellow, and no illness will overcome him.

There are many mysteries about the cedar pine: “It stands badly, hangs curly, shaggy around the edges, sweet in the middle!”, “Don’t beat me, don’t break me; climb on me: I have!”

Currently, cedar forests occupy about 40 million hectares, or about 5 percent of the territory covered with forests. This makes it possible to collect 1-1.5 million tons of pine nuts in Siberia, but only about 20 thousand tons are harvested. Foresters identified early, large-cone, high-yielding forms of Siberian pine. For their cultivation, plantations are created, on which cuttings taken from high-yielding plants are grafted onto young seedlings. A hectare of such plantations yields 500-600 kilograms, and in some cases 1.5-2 tons of nuts.

Cedar pine plantations are also beginning to appear in the European part of the USSR. However, its closest relative grows here - European cedar pine, listed in the Red Book of the USSR, This rare relic species found only in the Carpathians. On the Far East another relative of the Siberian pine lives - the Korean cedar, which is distinguished by larger cones and needles, a stronger and thicker seed shell. Forests with Korean pine occupy about 4 million hectares in our country. Outside the USSR, the tree grows in eastern China, Korea and Japan.

V. Artamonov , candidate of biological sciences

(Science and Life No. 11, 1989)

Cedar pine, cedar - the king of forests

Use only hardwood in landscaping and landscape design, including amateur gardening, significantly reduces the aesthetic perception of plantings. They acquire a completely different look in combination with evergreen conifers, most of which are highly decorative in all seasons. A good background for conifers are plantations of birches, silver willows or poplars, silver maple.

When selecting an assortment of conifers, one should take into account their size at the time of maturity, growth rate, and requirements for growing conditions. It is necessary to link landings with the size of the territory. Rare species and decorative forms are planted either large groups, or alone. In the case of group planting, they are planted asymmetrically, trying to ensure that three plants are not in the same straight line.

When creating an exposition from coniferous or mixed plantations, it must be taken into account that coniferous plants take root more difficult than deciduous ones. Young plants are best transplanted at 3-4 years of age, which is possible only in amateur gardening.

When transplanting conifers, it should be remembered that they react painfully to a change in orientation. Therefore, in the nursery, the south side of the seedlings should be marked in order to plant them in the same direction in a permanent place. After planting, the plants are watered abundantly, and in the early morning hours and late evening, crown sprinkling is carried out. In a new place, conifers take root for several years.

cedars- marvelous beautiful trees. They occupy a special place of honor among conifers. It is far from accidental that the people call the cedar "the king of the forests", "the boyar in a green caftan". As the legend says, at first cedars grew only in paradise. When God expelled the first people from paradise for sins, Adam hid three seeds in his palm- cedar, cypress and pine. It was from these seeds that the earth's forests allegedly grew later.

Siberian cedar (Pinus sibivica), or Siberian cedar pine,- one of the most valuable conifers. This is a rare example of a combination of decorativeness, winter hardiness, durability and healing properties in one tree. Thanks to essential oil, which is contained in the needles, the Siberian cedar has a high phytoncidal activity. It is believed that the air of the cedar forest is practically sterile. Even more sterile than allowed by operating room regulations. Staying under the cedars strengthens health, tempers the will, develops endurance, and normalizes blood pressure.

Siberian cedar grows slowly. At 20 years old, it reaches a height of only 2.5-3 m. And only adult cedars turn into majestic trees up to 40 meters high, with a blunt top. Siberian cedar, planted in the middle of a lawn, can become one of the best decorations for a garden or a park.

Prefers fertile, well-drained, fresh, light loamy soils. Cedar is photophilous, but shade-tolerant when young. It is winter-hardy, does not transfer dryness of the soil and air. transplant Siberian cedar to a permanent place is best done in early spring, when the soil thaws, or in early autumn- from mid-August, when the growing season of the plant ends. The spring planting period ends with the beginning of leaf blooming.

The diameter of the pit must be at least 0.8 m and a depth of 0.6 m. The walls of the pit are made sheer, and the bottom is loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm and a drainage of 7-10 cm is placed. A wooden stake without bark 3- 4 cm and crown height. The stake is used to tie the seedling. Then the pit is covered to ground level with fertile soil, evenly mixed with old humus, peat or compost. It is very good to mix coniferous litter from the forest into this soil. When backfilling, the soil is compacted with feet from the edges of the pit to the center, while adding water so that in the future there will be no significant subsidence. Filling the pit is finished with a mound of earth, on which a seedling is placed, orienting it to the cardinal points. The seedling is placed as tightly as possible against the clogged stake, the roots are gently straightened to the sides so that none of them is directed upwards. When backfilling with soil, the plant is slightly shaken so that the earth evenly fills the voids between the roots. The root neck of the planted tree should be covered with earth and be about 3-5 cm above the soil level, because. loose earth, which is filled with a pit, will soon settle along with a tree by about the same amount. A watering groove with raised edges is arranged around the planted tree, covering it with needles (bedding made of coniferous forest) by 10-15 cm.

Even if planting was carried out in moist soil, watering is required, because. it contributes to a better fit of the soil to the roots. The watering rate is approximately 25 liters per tree. In the last portion of water, one bag of root (root growth stimulator) should be dissolved. When linear planting trees, the distance between them should be 3-5 meters, with group placement- 2-5 meters.

Very important!

When planting and growing conifers, the following rules must be observed:

When transporting seedlings to the planting site, make sure that in no case do not dry the root system;

When planting, you can not use fresh manure;

It is impossible to allow spring and autumn flooding of the soil in the planting pit;

Do not overdry and do not fill in an earthen lump;

When planting and up to the complete engraftment of seedlings, coniferous plants are not fed with mineral fertilizers, because. this inhibits the growth of roots;

And the last. If you want to grow beautiful and healthy conifers on your site, especially cedar, constantly update your knowledge. As reference books I can recommend: " ornamental gardening for amateurs and professionals". Moscow, 2001; "Kedr. The healer is powerful and perfect. Moscow- St. Petersburg, 2005", whose advice I constantly use.

Evgeny Kobyzov

Cedar pine: experience in growing Siberian cedar

The best conditions for growing Siberian pine are found on fresh and moist sandy and loamy soils in the zone of coniferous and mixed forests. Best growth Siberian pine occurs on more fertile gray forest soils. For growing Siberian cedar, it is preferable to use seeds harvested in the low mountains of Altai, Kuznetsk Alatau and Sayan.

A feature of the mineral nutrition of the Siberian cedar is a rather strong need for potassium. Excess nitrogen in the soil has a depressing effect on the development of its root system.

Cedar grows slowly young age, significantly inferior in growth rate to local deciduous and conifers. Spruce, significantly surpassing the Siberian pine in terms of shade tolerance, is able to actively grow under its canopy. Therefore, planting Siberian cedar is undesirable near spruce plantations. In landscape plantings, Siberian cedar goes well with birch, but trees should be planted at a distance that excludes the depressing effect of birch on cedar, since birch strongly dries up the soil and whips the cedar crown, knocking down shoots.

Fully implement your biological potential Siberian cedar can only be in the open, with good illumination of the crown. When laying such plantations, the recommended distance between trees is at least 8 m. It is preferable to use well-developed seedlings grown in containers with a closed root system. Such plants have a developed intact root system, take root well and grow actively from the next year after planting.

When growing seedlings in containers, the root system is strongly twisted, so it is imperative to straighten the roots before planting. If this is not done and cedars are planted with soil clod, then they grow worse and are short-lived.

The root system of the seedling should be freely placed in the planting hole without bending the ends of the roots. Given the superficial nature of the distribution of the root system of the Siberian cedar, the roots should be located within the upper fertile soil layer. It is undesirable to make the soil in the planting hole much more fertile than the soil on the site, otherwise the roots of the cedar will not go beyond the planting hole for a long time, and the moles, attracted by the abundance of earthworms, will damage the roots of the seedling. When planting cedar in heavy clay soil, given the aerobicity of its root system, it is necessary to add sand to the planting hole.

When planting cedar, it is not necessary to introduce forest litter from coniferous plantations into the soil to form mycorrhiza on the roots. It contains larvae of insect pests and pathogens, many of which are common to spruce, pine and cedar.

Our studies of Siberian stone pine cultures have shown that the active part of the root system (small suction roots) of Siberian stone pine is located directly under the forest floor. Therefore, when planting cedar, it is imperative to mulch the soil surface to maintain high fertility and good aeration of its upper layer. The best mulch is bedding and leaf litter from hardwood stands. In such a substrate, the activity of soil animals and microorganisms is active. Contains mushroom mycelium- symbionts that improve the mineral nutrition of the Siberian cedar and protect its root system from fungus pathogens and other diseases.

A layer of mulch retains moisture in the upper soil layer, which is especially important when growing cedar on light sandy loam, and on heavy clay soil it protects its root system from squeezing into winter period. It is necessary to add a layer of mulch annually to stimulate the formation of adventitious roots in the cedar, which enhance its growth.

During dry periods, cedars are required to be watered to maintain the moisture content of the topsoil. It is also desirable to periodically spray the crown of young cedars with water in the evening to remove dust and improve gas exchange through the stomata in the needles.

Careful consideration of the biological characteristics of the species will make it possible to rapidly grow productive plantations of Siberian stone pine in middle lane Russia.

The author had a chance to visit a century-old cedar grove more than once, preserved on the site of an old noble estate. The delicate aroma of cedar resin and the quiet but powerful rumble that cedars emit when needles in lush crowns cut through the air flow are remembered for a long time. Spreading crowns start almost from the ground itself. Large cones on the lower branches can be reached with your hands. These Siberian beauties make an indelible impression against the backdrop of the landscape of central Russia. I want to visit this place again and again. But such plantings of Siberian cedar- a great rarity in central Russia.

Gardeners and land owners can contribute to the conservation of Siberian cedar and the expansion of its plantings by growing these wonderful trees on their plots.

Alexander Borisovich Ageev , Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Kaluga

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Look for seedlings of nuts in the section "Nurseries. Saplings"

Cedar and pine are two trees that belong to the same Pine family. Despite the external similarity, both plants have a number of significant differences.

Definition

Cedar- This is a genus of trees of the Pine family, which consists of only a few species.

Lebanese cedar

Pine- This is a genus of trees of the Pine family, with about 120 species.

Comparison

Cedars are common within the subtropical climate zone– Mediterranean, mountainous Crimea, Himalayas. Therefore, there are only a few species of these plants - the Lebanese, Himalayan and Atlas cedar.

Pines are distributed within the temperate and subtropical climates in Eurasia and North America. Today on Earth there are about 200 species of pines. Pines are evergreens. Depending on the living conditions, they look like large trees with a crown different shapes, and miniature shrubs.

Cedar is a monoecious plant, reaching 50 meters in height. The tree is evergreen, has a characteristic, spreading crown. The needles are arranged in a spiral, collected in bundles of 30-40 pieces each. A separate needle resembles a needle. It can be triangular or tetrahedral, painted in a special emerald-steel color.

Pine is a monoecious plant with long or short needles. From two to five long needles are collected in a bundle, the number of which underlies the taxonomy of pines. When damaged, rosettes form on the tree, from which short needles grow. The color of the green mass of pine depends on the climate and the quality of the soil, therefore it varies from light silver to intense green.

Cedar cones are located singly, "stick out" like candles, and have a special barrel-shaped shape. Such a cone matures in the second or third year of its formation. This organ of seed incubation is characterized by the presence of numerous, spirally arranged scales, to which tiny scales are attached - only 15% of the total weight of the cone! - winged seeds. The embryo of the future cedar consists of 8-10 cotyledons. When a seed enters the ground, a sprout of a new cedar is able to grow - “hatch” in just 3 weeks.

Pine cones have a characteristic oblong shape, do not "stick out", but sadly hang from the branches. While the process of seed maturation is in progress, the scales fit very tightly, but when ripe, they open, “releasing” the seeds. Each scale has a pair of winged or wingless seeds. A very small pine germ has 4 to 15 cotyledons. Germination time depends on the type and geographical location of the plant.

Due to the greater distribution and number of species, pine is more intensively used by humans.

Findings site

1. The number of pine species is ten times greater than the number of cedar species.
2. The area of ​​distribution of pine is much wider than that of cedar.
3. The morphology and size of pine is much more diverse than that of cedar.
4. There are more needles in a cedar bunch than in a pine one.
5. Pine massifs have more economic importance for humanity.