The seeds are moisturised with warm water for three days changing the water every day (snow water or rain water). The qualitative seeds expand in that time and sink down to the bottom of the vessel. The seeds, which are below the standard, remain on the surface and they are removed. The qualitative seeds could be processed with 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate in order to protect them from moulding and decomposing.

Thereafter the seeds are mixed with an additive (silver sand, peat, and antiseptic moss as the seeds don’t mould in moss). One glassful of additive is sufficient for 30-50 seeds. The mixture is moisturized just enough and is sprinkled in a kapron stocking or can be placed in a tenuous palimpsest bag made of cloth and kept at 0 - 5 C° in a damp cellar for 3-4 months. The mixture in a stocking could be dug in soil in the depth of 50 cm for summer (in order to protect them from mice). The seeds can also be prepared in a deep groove of ice, in boxes under snow, or in refrigerator (not in freezer).

The humidity of seeds has to be 20-40% and the humidity of additive has to be small, as it’s common for soils, during the preparation. It’s important that the seeds could be damp all the time (3-4 months) they are in cold conditions. The seeds, which are in a bag made of cloth, could be placed in an additional plastic bag, which shouldn’t be shut completely. The humidity is preserved well under snow but if in refrigerator, they should be moisturised periodically. The seeds have to be protected from the rodents. Slightly glued seeds should be used in order to quicken the sprouting. The seeds are mixed and moisturized once in a week if necessary.

The seeds are separated from the mixture before seeding and once more flushed in the solution of potassium permanganate (up to 24 hours); they are dried before the seeding. It’s better to plant them in a soil mixed with peat in a greenhouse as they would be protected from birds there. The seeds of protected conditions grow 1.5-2 times quicker than these of open areas. It’s recommended to put 1 g of super phosphate fertilizer, 0.5 g of potassium fertilizer or 2 g of wood ash mixed with 20 g peat per 1 m of furrow. The distance between the planting lines should be 15-20 cm. The standard of seeding is 30 g (125-150 seeds) in the depth of 3 cm per 1 meter. The arable land is covered with a 0.5-1 cm layer (peat, chips etc covering material). It has to be loosened and weeded 3-4 times during the session. It has to be watered carefully until the young plants appear. Afterwards the young plants would have enough deep roots.

If you want to plant a cedar the following advices should be followed:

1. The cedar should be planted in the right place at once – it’s better to find a shadowy place as it could dry under a hot sun.
2. You should find out the type of soil and if it isn’t sandy, you should put some 20-25 cm of sand at the bottom of the plant hole.
3. As coniferous trees like acid soils, so some peat would be good to add.

Cedar seeds can be seeded in soil in spring-autumn period or in special boxes in an apartment through the year round. It’s advisable to seed during a new moon in the constellation of Taurus or Cancer. The young plants need more light while growing but there shouldn’t be too much of sunlight. The soil has to be very permeable in reference to water, sandy-stony, not clayey: The seeds are very sensitive in reference to immobile water. The seeds bud at the end of May or in the beginning of June of the next year. There’s no necessity to fertilize them in the first year but they have to be proceeded with copper vitriol and slaked lime in the second year.

A special soil mixture has to be prepared in order to plant cedar. It should contain softwood (pine, cedar) timber crumbs, peat, mould (humus), and coarse-grained sand in special proportion (5, 5, 1, 1). 1-2 glasses of wood ash are added to a bucket of mixture. Some 5-7 cm of wood material has always to be added under and over it if it’s planted in a box or pot. The soil prepared for the seeding is moisturised for some days before it in order to get it sink down, some soil is added if necessary. The seeds are seeded in the depth of 3-4 cm.

The sprouts from seeds should be protected from birds, which are eager to peck them. The budded young plants should be spattered with water regularly. The watering should be done moderately, over drying should be avoided. It should be fertilized 1-2 times with a mineral fertilizer (10 g ammonium sulphate and 15 g potassium salt per 10 l of water) during the summer. Hereinafter the planted cedars can be grown in special boxes on eastern, east-southern, western or north-western window boards or balconies. Cedars can be grown as bonsai if you wish.

The young plants can be replanted in their right place by adding a small amount of pine or cedar timber crumbs in the pot or hole after 3-4 years as there is a special fungus mucorisa in it; cedar can’t obtain nutrients from soil without it.

If seeds are seeded directly into soil in autumn they don’t have to be proceeded beforehand as they mature naturally under snow since spring. But the seeds can be damaged by mice during winter, so they have to be protected respectively.

Infectious diseases can be found among cedar seeds frequently; they are the reason for needles becoming yellow or late. Then the young plants are spattered with 2% collodion gum solution (20 g of 98% collodion gum per 1 l of water, it should be mixed in a small amount of water and filtrated beforehand). It should be observed that the solution could cover the needles homogeneously; also, the fallen needles should be observed.

Good luck!