Cedar forests from time immemorial attracted the attention of researchers and dealers as rich in wildlife and fruits of the land. The first Russian settlements of Siberia were built near the cedar forests spread along the banks of the rivers, as the settlers quickly penetrated and recognized the value of these trees. The royal decree of 1683 contained clauses on the special protection of cedar forests where sable fishing was carried out. Currently, they continue to be of great importance for the country's natural economy and represent the most complex and productive ecosystems. In the framework of the article, we consider how much the cedar grows before fruiting, and also affect the features of this period.
Cedar pine
In Russia, real cedars can be found extremely rarely, since they are very thermophilic plants and are common in subtropical latitudes. The trees that most people take for cedars are in fact cedar pines, which make up one family with great relatives. In nature, they have quite a few varieties, but only three species grow on Russian territory: Korean cedar, cedar cedar and Siberian cedar. The latter is the main nut-bearing breed and has the widest distribution. Its range covers regions with diverse climatic conditions: Eastern and Western Siberia, the middle and northern Urals, and regions of the European part of Russia.
Siberian cedar pine is a majestic representative of conifers, having a wide variety of decorative forms. This tree belongs to shade-hardy species and tolerates the severity of low temperatures. It belongs to the number of centenarians (400-500 years) and at the same time it is slowly growing. How much maturation does cedar take, the first fruits, which appear under favorable conditions only at 40-70 years of age, clearly demonstrate. But the breeders managed to achieve results and reduce the time to the first fruiting.
How old is Siberian cedar?
Mature cedar pines, like trees of the first magnitude, are distinguished by a thick luxurious crown with impressive large branches. Their height can reach up to 45 meters, and the barrel thickness in diameter - up to 2 meters. Cedars in their maturity come extremely slowly. The first whorls of their branches occur only at the age of 6-7, at which the height of the tree barely reaches 30 centimeters. Since the age of 20, its growth has been activated, annual growth increases and reaches up to 35 centimeters per year.
From the lighting conditions and a number of other factors, it will depend on how much cedar grows and how long to wait for its fruits. In the forest for the first 70-100 years it is under a canopy of dominant deciduous trees (often birch and aspen), so strong shading is the reason for its late ripening. At the same time, in open spaces, the period of cedar fruiting can begin as early as 20-40 years.
Features of fruiting
Scientists have studied the fruiting of the Siberian pine. Her male inflorescences begin to form on branches in the middle of the crown, and female ones on large upper branches. Upon maturation, pollen is transferred by the wind to the female cone, which reaches the size of a hazelnut by autumn and remains unfertilized until next year. Intensive development of the lump occurs after fertilization in June of the second year. Its color begins to change from purple to dark brown, which indicates the stage of seed maturation, which ends by early September. The whole cycle at the cones of cedar (how much it grows to full maturity) takes 18 months.
It is interesting to note that female cones for the entire development period repeatedly change their color. During flowering, they look pinkish, then turn into raspberry, winter cones already with cream color. During the period of active growth, they show saturated violet tones, and at the final stage, when the seeds ripen, the color is converted into a light and dark brown shade.
Cedar Bearing Factors
How many cedars grow to the first cone depends on many conditions. The primary role in this matter will be played by internal factors: the specifics of growth and development of the tree itself, its initial years of life. Further, nutrition, the environment, climatic soil factors, the position in the canopy of trees, and the density of the stand (if the cedar is in the forest) are of no small importance. Together, these reasons make the final verdict of the time of the first fruits of the tree and its subsequent yield.
Thus, being in natural conditions, cedar pine during its maturation is in a state of continuous struggle and competition with other trees. As a result, its fertility occurs later than that of the brethren on the site.
Cones of Siberian Cedar
Being a fruit tree, cedar is ranked as a late-ripening plant, by November its ripe cones begin to fall. Their sizes are quite large and can reach a length of 15 centimeters. The ripe cone has a dry and non-resinous surface of wood flakes that can easily be separated from each other. The seeds of Siberian cedar have a round-elongated shape and a relatively small size (weighing no more than 230-250 mg).
The size of the cones is closely related to the age of the cedar and the yield of cones on it. In most trees, the first decades of fruiting are characterized by a small number of cones, but they are quite large. The number and size of fruits give an idea of how much the cedar grows, about the period of its maturity. At a venerable age, by the time of sunset, the fruitfulness of the tree decreases, its cones begin to fade.
Fruiting of Korean cedar and cedar dwarf
Korean cedar is recognized as a symbol of the vegetation of the Primorsky Territory and is of great value for the national economy of the region. Its bearing is not very different from the Siberian relative. In natural nature, it begins at 50-60 years old, with cultural cultivation much earlier. The ripened cones are quite large, on average, their length is 17 centimeters, and the size of the seeds reaches 2 centimeters.
Cedar elfin is a branchy coniferous shrub with widely spread branches, which is common in the northeastern territories of Russia. Its fruiting begins in 20-30 years and continues until its death, which occurs in 200-250 years. Cones of cedar dwarf are smaller than cones of Siberian cedar, on average, their length is only 4 centimeters. They remain ripe on the branches and partially fall in the winter. Seeds have an oval-irregular shape and can reach a length of 0.8 centimeters. Cedar elfin is very undemanding to the soil environment and grows in the most severe and difficult conditions.
Fruiting cultivated plantings
Growing cedar pine in the park or on the site significantly accelerates the onset of fruiting time. Of great importance is the place of planting and tree care. It will depend on the conditions created how many years the cedar grows to cones. As a rule, “domesticated” plantings do not keep themselves waiting long, the first fruits appear in 15-20 years.
It is worth noting that the fruiting process can be further accelerated. A stalk taken from an adult tree with good productivity is grafted onto a cedar pine. In this case, the cones will appear 5-7 years after the planting of the seedling.
