blue atlas cedar

Welcome Gerhard and we're glad you persevered with the registering proccess.

Hopefull your new snippet of info will come in handy in the future. As they say, no knowledge is ever wasted.

I cannot figure out how to place a photo in this post, so here is a link to a photo of my Blue Atlas Cedar. I have had it for about 15 years.

Keeping these trees happy is very difficult. They do like repotting in warm weather, but my preference is to do it during a spring heat wave (we get them here in California). Free draining soil is a must. They will tolerate a lot of fertilizer during the growing season, but their growth cycle is very short. In late spring they will throw out new growth -- shoots four or five nodes long if they are happy, and a replacement set of needles if they just barely like you. After that, they are done for the year.

They are not apically dominant. They like to throw growth on the lower branches and die back at the apex, so if you see one with a really full apex, the grower is some kind of bonsai magician.

In order to make repotting work properly, I recommend voodoo dolls and druid incantations -- or maybe call in your priest to sprinkle on the holy water.

Charles Mhttp://kuromatsubonsai.com/?page_id=156

Hello Charles. Clicked your link and there's nothing there. Posting tutorial at the top of the page.

I edited my post and fixed the link. I tried it from my forum post and it should work now.

Charles M

Hi

Not easy to admit, but I either had a brain-fail, or a google-fail.

I seem to remember that germination was no biggy.....
Few days ago I decided to go check how long I have to wait before I can expect some sprouts, only this time atlas+cedar+germination results told me I need to pop some seeds in the fridge for a few weeks......

For work reasons at least another week before I can get to that.......bonsai from seed really is the long road....

Hi Gerhard, growing cedar from seed is a great way to get beautiful trees. When a nurseryman raises cedars he will go to a great deal of trouble to ensure a straight trunk, consequently when you go to the nursery most cedars are only suitable for formal trees. When you seed raise them you can put a wire on the trunk when the tree is very young and get beautiful movement into your tree right at the base.
If you have the space cedar are good subjects for field growing if not you can grow them in large containers and feed them heavily which they love.
Good luck with your seedlings
Craig

Hi Craig

For better or worse seed is the only way to go for me.

I planted a few seeds each in 6 pots, my thinking being I'll see what comes up and just thin out.

Since I realized stratification is required I'm think I'll get some more pots and try again, who know what the 1st 6 will do.

Thanks, I'll wire some, leave some straight - all I know is I really want this species in my (small) collection.

Cheers
Gerhard

Charles M wrote:I cannot figure out how to place a photo in this post Charles M

Hi Charles and welcome to the forum.

Posting pictures is easy peasy.



I use the Highlight and Paste method Jim suggests in the tutorial (the link to which is RIGHT HERE ) rather than the Copy and Send one.

Never failed me yet.

Good luck.

Fiona

Hello to moyogijohn.

I seem to remember promising you a pic of my blue cedar about 6 months ago

Here it is. Please note I do not claim this to be a top bonsai or anything even like it. As I said way back in this thread, I use these trees for practising on because they are ten a penny in my local plant nursery. I have a couple thickening up in the ground currently to make bigger trees but this one was an attempt at a shohin. It seems to have survived the winter and is popping out some new buds.

Although in a bonsai pot, it is far from finished and I will let it grow on for a year at least with only minimum trimming and styling.

It was really just to show you that the material you have is by no manner or means unworkable.

Fiona


Should have said - it is approx 8" in height

FIONA,,,,Thank you for your post and picture...that little tree looks really good ,,nice trunk!!! boy it has been a long time since i posted this..there was someone,,i can,t remember who,,that is interested in cedars also ..i hope he will read this..i am still trying...thanks take care john

Watching this thread like a hawk......but my seeds aren't germinating!

Nice tree Fiona

John, the trunk probably isn't that much thicker than the one in your original post. Sometimes going to shohin size is a good option in that its relative proportions can give that impression of an older tree in a much shorter space of time.

You can't see it but the apex is one branch swivelled upwards, and that is the bit with most development needed. I will let a couple of side-shoots grow downwards to form the new side branches and continue to tidy up the top.

It'll never be a show-stopper but it's been fun.


btw the tree cost me about £7.50 (approx $12) to buy from the nursery over the hill from me. The Ian Baillie pot was about 6 times more expensive and I'll put the tree back in a training pot now that I've remembered to take the pic.

Thanks Fiona,,your tree is going to be great..back to a training pot to bulk up limbs i would guess...take care john

moyogijohn wrote:FIONA,,,,Thank you for your post and picture...that little tree looks really good ,,nice trunk!!! boy it has been a long time since i posted this..there was someone,,i can,t remember who,,that is interested in cedars also ..i hope he will read this..i am still trying...thanks take care john

...that would be me you're talking to. [BTW] my cedar shown somewhere above may have suffered from extreme frost bite...it appears that the leader/apex is dying or has died. (I didn't even root prune the bloody tree yet). However the rest of the tree seems ok... ;-) Good to know your'e hanging in on this beautiful species. Eventually we shall succeed, right

/Loke Emil

Loke Emil,,,They are nice looking trees..Fiona must have the right idea on growing them too..i like the way she chopped hers down,,it looks like a bonsai!!! i think that is the way to go...watch the roots when you prune ok?? take care john

moyogijohn wrote:Loke Emil,,,They are nice looking trees..Fiona must have the right idea on growing them too..i like the way she chopped hers down,,it looks like a bonsai!!! i think that is the way to go...watch the roots when you prune ok?? take care john

Thanks John... I'll take care when root pruning. And I have a back up plan for a chopped down version of my cedar, in case the top is truly dead.

I have a nursery Blue Atlas Cedar that I making in to a bonsai. I live in central Illinois, hardiness zone 6 and I am trying to find out the best way to winter my cedar. Would it be best to bury the pot outside in the ground inside a cold frame? I was also thinking perhaps I could keep the tree in the house but I am concerned about the dry inside air.

I know it is only June, early to be thinking of winter, but if it is best put the tree is a cold frame I need to build another cold frame. Can anyone give me some good advice?

Hi Jim. I'd suggest you drop Jay Gaydosh a PM. He is in your neck of the woods and is the winter storage king of the 'hood.

Just go into Members at the top of the screen and type in Jay in Username. There are three or four Jays but you're (obviously) looking for Jay Gaydosh. If you click on his name, you will then get his viewing profile and at the bottom left of that you will see the PM box to click on.

Good luck.

Oh and I see it's your first post, so welcome to the forum. Hope you get all the answers and inspiration you seek.