Siberian cedar, or Siberian cedar pine, is a type of evergreen coniferous plant. It can reach 44 m in height and 2 m in barrel diameter. It is known that a tree lives for a long time - up to five hundred years, and according to some reports - up to eight centuries. The article suggests familiarizing yourself with the rate of growth of the species at various stages.

Cedar Growth Periods

The fruiting of Pinus sibirica (belonging to the genus Pine) begins not earlier than after 40 years, and sometimes even after 80. Semen is sometimes plentiful, sometimes not. The growth during the first five years is small. Over time, it begins to accelerate.

Did you know? The pine cones of Armand do not fall until the cedar birds take seeds from them.

How fast the seeds germinate

Germination seeds should be prepared - stratify. Then plant them. In this case, they will germinate quickly enough - in a month or a half. If the seed is not processed, then the sprouts will appear only next spring when sowing in April or May. If seed propagation is carried out in the open field in the fall, then in the spring the cedar, of course, sprouts.

How fast does a seedling grow?

The following factors influence the growth rate of seedlings:

• plant quality;
• the presence of root damage and their size;
• the climate of the region of germination and even the natural conditions of planting time;
• soil properties and its fertility level;
• care;
• air humidity;
• development near plants that are compatible or incompatible with the tree;
• the influence of insects and rodents.

In the first annual cycle of life, the plant has a height of about 3 cm, the next - it is able to grow two or more times higher. The average growth is 3-5 cm. Thus, the sapling by the four-year period reaches two or three tens of centimeters.

Important! It is important to prepare seedlings for wintering if they have not been planted in open ground. Cedars hibernate at a temperature not exceeding + 10 ° С.

At what age does the first bump appear

The appearance of the first cone depends entirely on the place in which the tree grows. In dense forests, fruiting does not begin soon - after 60–70 years, or even more. If Pinus sibirica grows in open space, fruits can appear much earlier - about 15–20 years of age. On average, the plant bears fruit at the age of 25-30 years.

How does adult cedar grow

During the first five years, cedar growth is slow, the tree reaches a height of 25–35 cm. At ten years, it can grow up to 1.5 m. But from the age of 15 years, the growth rate increases and for 12 months it gives such an indicator - 15–35 cm. During this period, fruiting begins if the coniferous planted in free for development space and it takes care.

Does the growth rate depend on the type and variety of cedar

In the genus Pine there are Siberian and Korean species growing in Russia, as well as cedar dwarf pine (Pinus pumila). The latter is a creeping plant. Growing in valleys closed from the wind, such a tree reaches a height of 4–7 m, and at a hundred-year-old age, trunks grow to 12 m at a thickness of 25 cm. The elfin pine grows slowly. Her average life expectancy is 300 years.

The Korean species (Pinus koraiensis), listed in the Red Book, is fast-growing and reaches a height of 40 m, and at the age of ten - 1.7 m. Fruits in 20 years. However, in the first years, the young plant grows slowly, the growth is 10-15 cm.

Did you know? Ten thousand years ago, the distribution of Pinus sibirica was huge - from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia.

Often, varieties of pine cedars are characterized by early and intensive fruiting, and their growth rate is low. But there are such representatives whose growth is noticeably different.

Plants with an increase of 50 cm:

• Plantation;
• He and she.

Varieties Emerald and Subalpine add 40 cm in 12 months.

How many years does cedar grow and how much does it grow

Cedar has three age phases:

• during the first, it grows slowly;
• during the second, the speed becomes intense (from 10 to 30 years);
• and then the growth rate decreases (the tree has already reached the height of an adult plant).

Long-livers with three hundred years and even eight centuries of life are rare. This is due to the fact that in natural conditions cedars grow in dense forests, in which fruiting does not occur soon, the growth rate is slow.

If the coniferous plant is planted in an open area, then the growth rate of cedar is much higher. So, with a crown width of 5–8 m, the tree reaches 30–45 m in height and lives on average up to 550 years. After a 20-year life span, the growth rate increases to 30–40 cm.

Wherein:

• in four years, the trunk length is 15 cm;
• at 10 years old - 1.5 m;
• at 30 years old - 9 m;
• in 70 - 20–25 m;
• in a century - from 27 m.

How to determine the age of the cedar by its height

In fact, determining the age of cedar by growth is quite difficult. After all, the height of the plant is closely related to the habitat and planting method. If it is grown from seedlings, especially grafted or varietal, the indicators will be higher than that of cedar, growing in natural conditions.

By the age of twenty, slowly growing representatives will grow to only 4.5 m, and those that grow faster - to 6–7 meters. But the life of the Siberian cedar can be determined by the diameter of the trunk. The ratio of the calculation of size and age should have an indicator of 65%. For example, a centenary tree is 60–70 cm in diameter.

Growing Pinus sibirica is a lengthy process. Caring for a young plant contributes to the fact that in the future it will grow better, faster and even begin to bear fruit earlier than usual in nature.

Important! The stem productivity of cedar is the volume of wood. Height and diameter are only summarized indicators.

But, one way or another, it will take at least 15 years to see the appearance of the first fruits with seeds. And for a long time the tree will continue to grow. It can reach its maximum height when the second generation of people changes.