Deodar tree (Cedrus Deodara) serves as a perfect natural windbreak since it has a deep canopy and grows swiftly. The exquisite texture, durability, and rot resistance of the deodar’s wood make it an attractive building material. The height of this medium-growing tree can reach up to 20 to 50 feet. Due to their pointed tops, deodar trees resemble pyramids when they are young. Read on to learn all you need to know about growing and caring for these trees.
See also: How to grow and care for Chinar trees?
Deodar tree: Key facts
| Scientific name | Cedrus Deodara |
| Common names | Deodar Cedar, Himalayan Cedar |
| Type | Evergreen coniferous tree |
| Area | Western Himalayas |
| Adequate soil | Loamy, sandy, moisty, clay |
| Water | Cultivars of Cedrus Deodara require a lot of water during their first few growing seasons. But once established, they develop a resistance to drought. |
| Adequate temperature | 12 °C to 17 °C |
| Age | Up to 200 years |
| Light | Full sun |
| Humidity | High humidity |
| Growth rate | They grow 13 to 24 inches yearly at a medium rate |
Deodar tree: Physical description
Deodar Cedar is a sizable evergreen coniferous tree with a trunk up to 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter that can grow up to heights of 40 to 50 metres, sometimes even 60 metres (197 feet). It features a conical crown with straight branches and branchlets that droop.
The leaves are slender and needle-like, typically 2.5 to 5 cm long. They grow individually on long shoots and in dense clusters of 20 to 30 on short shoots. The colour of the leaves can range from bright green to glaucous blue-green.
When mature, the Deodar Cedar has a flat top, numerous swooping branches, blue-green needles, grey-scaly bark, and small cones. When these evergreen conifers reach maturity, their horizontal branches are broad, swooping, and flat on top. Extensions can extend outward from the trunk up to 10-15 feet.
Deodar tree: How to grow?
Here’s all you need to know about growing Deodar trees.
When to plant Deodar trees?
The best time to plant a Deodar sapling is when the weather is chilly and gloomy but not windy. Put it in a sunny area of well-drained soil. After inserting the tree, fill the hole with the earth and organic material mixture, lightly tamp it down, and water it thoroughly.
How to plant Deodar trees?
- Before they turn brown in the fall, gather the cones.
- Soak the deodar cones in warm water for a couple of days, then remove the seeds.
- After removing the seeds from the scales, dry the cones. Deodar Cedar seeds have wings; gently rubbing them with a dry towel, the branches will detach from the sources.
- Plant seeds in a potting compost-filled container, keep the container at room temperature and position it in indirect light. The hole must be at least three times as wide as the tree’s root ball. The hole must be 2 to 4 inches shallower than the root ball’s height if your soil is clay, and as deep as a football when it’s sandy.
Source: Pinterest
Deodar tree: Care tips
Here are some care tips for Deodar trees to keep in mind when planning to grow them.
Deodar tree: Water requirements
A newly planted Deodar tree needs regular watering. Water the soil once a week and make sure it’s not waterlogged. Once established, Deodar Cedars are moderately drought tolerant, but you should still water them occasionally in sweltering and dry conditions.
Deodar tree: Fertiliser requirements
Although Deodar Cedars do not require much fertiliser, a small quantity can promote growth. Feed your Deodar tree with a balanced fertiliser every year. The optimum time to fertilise is spring and summer when the tree is sprouting new growth.
Source: Pinterest
Deodar tree: Pruning requirements
There is no need to prune your Deodar Cedar if you have the room to let it grow. The tree can be clipped, nevertheless, in the early spring before it starts to put on new growth. You can prune it to give it shape or stop it from creeping too closely on buildings or other trees. Always clean your pruning saw between trees after pruning. This can limit the spread of bacteria and fungal diseases from tree to tree.
Source: Pinterest
Deodar tree: Pests and diseases
The leaves of the Deodar Cedar emit a naturally fragrant oil that keeps many insect pests away. You could now and then notice evidence of scale insects, borers, weevils, or bagworms. Use beneficial insects or insecticides to control them as a last resort.
However, a healthy tree ought to be able to repel minor pests. After a freezing winter, Deodar Cedars may undergo top and branch tip dieback and the occasional fungal infection near the northernmost portions of their range.
Deodar tree: Benefits
There are numerous medicinal benefits of Deodar trees. These include:
- Deodar wood is used for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, haemorrhoids, lung, urinary, and sleep issues.
- Fever, diarrhoea, and dysentery can all be treated using Deodar tree bark.
- You can find anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer activities in wood, resin, and bark of a Deodar tree.
- You can find diuretic and diaphoretic effects in the heartwood.
- The oils from the Deodar tree aid in opening sinuses, reducing ear congestion, fighting viruses, promoting deep sleep, and soothing coughs.
- While oils distilled from wood chips are used as an antiseptic to treat bronchitis, acne, TB, and catarrh arthritis and as a diuretic. One can use resins of Deodar trees to treat bruises, skin disorders, and joint discomfort.
Deodar tree: Toxicity
- Toxins such as thujone and Melia toxins A and B, which can result in tremors, muscle contractions, and even death, are found in the berries, bark, and leaves of cedar trees.
- Small amounts of tree ingestion may result in diarrhoea, colic, and vomiting.
- The symptoms in cattle get worse the more berries and bark they consume. These signs could include tremors, colic, muscle contractions, and, in severe circumstances, death or coma.
FAQs
Which soil type is ideal for a Deodar Cedar?
The tree can thrive in loamy or clay soil, or both.
What is the lifespan of Deodar trees?
A Deodar Cedar tree has a remarkable longevity of up to 1,000 years in addition to its great height and the way its branches droop.
Why do Deodar trees die?
Fungal diseases like root rot can affect deodar cedars. The disease rots the tree's roots, making it unable to absorb water and nutrition. The tree's needles will start to turn yellow and fall off the tree.