Cedrus Deodora

Submitted by: Charles E. Mashburn

Common Name(s):

Deodar Cedar or Himalayan Cedar

Background:

Native to the Himalayas. Often used as a living Christmas tree, and extensively used in landscaping. Rarely seen as bonsai, largely due to the popularity of its cousins Atlas and Blue Atlas Cedar. Deodar Cedar's natural form is as a conical formal upright, but it is suited to just about all bonsai forms except broom.

Sun:

Prefers full sun, but will tolerate shade for part of the day.

Temperature:

Does not need winter protection. Capable of handling temperature extremes in both directions.

Watering:

Good soil drainage is essential. With soil set up properly, Deodar Cedar is a thirsty plant, and will demand daily waterings in warm weather. Poor soil drainage will cause root rot, needle drop, and death. I have yet to try a Deodar in a really shallow pot, but intution says to keep them in fairly deep pots due to their water needs.

Training:

Deodar Cedars have flexible branches that respond readily to wiring. The downside of this is that wires may have to be left in place until they cut in a little in order to get the branches to set. They throw out long shoots in mid spring, that can be cut back to about one third of their length to produce a second budding. A happy Deodar may even throw out a third budding in mid summer if the soil mix is good and it is fed and watered properly.

Fertilizing:

Schultz evergreen mix at full strength, spiked with liquid fish emulsion works really well, and produces luxuriant blue shoots all growing season long.

Repotting:

No more than half of the root mass should be removed during a root pruning, and then only if the top growth can be reduced commensurately. In California Deodars can be repotted anytime between December and April, but in areas with colder winters, repotting should probably be done once the danger of frost is mostly over and before the hot weather hits.

Propagation:

Cuttings do not work, and I have not tried air layering. Seeds are probably the best method, and given the tree's native habitat, stratification is probably essential. As an interesting aside, the foliage of Blue Atlas Cedar can be grafted onto Deodar rootstock.

Pests/Diseases:

Needle cast (a fungal disease) and root rot from poor drainage. Do not water the foliage of a Deodar Cedar, and make sure that your soil has good drainage (if you do not see water trickling from the drain holes ten seconds after starting to water, think about changing the soil mix).

Additional Comments:

Due to their fast growth, and fairly long shoots, Deodar Cedars are better suited to the larger bonsai sizes.

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