California incense cedar (calocedrus decurrens syn. libocedrus decurrens
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£1.15
£1.15 - £13.50
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Seed Prices
1 gram (approx 35 seeds) £1.15
2 grams(approx 70 seeds) £1.75
5 grams (approx 175 seeds) £3.25
10 grams (approx 350 seeds) £5.75
25 grams (approx 875 seeds) £13.50
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Native to western North America from Oregon and down through most of California to northwest Mexico the Incense cedar is known for its slim elegant look and is ideally suited for growing as a large specimen tree, tall screen, windbreak or hedge.It is also a popular ornamental tree, valued for its drought tolerance. This is one of nature's more aromatic trees, the foliage is a rich, glossy green with the tiny, scale-like leaves growing out in short fern like flattened sprays. A highly aromatic incense-like aroma is released when the leaves are crushed or cut.
Grows best in full sun in a moist well-drained soil that is neutral to acid, in a position that is sheltered from strong, drying winter winds, It will also survive on dry alkaline soils. Young trees are shade tolerant and are well adapted for growing as a clipped hedge. Although native to western North America, thie Incense Cedar grows very well in the East of North America and is surprisingly tolerant of summer heat and humidity.
Trees are generally slow growing but long-lived in the wild, with specimens up to 1000 years old having been recorded. They tend to grow quite slowly in Britain, but they are perfectly hardy. Young trees can grow 60cm in a year but they seldom average more than 30cm over a longer time span.
It is a large tree, typically reaching heights of 40–60m (130-200ft) and although the crown is narrow and columnar when the tree is young it will eventually develop a broad conic crown of spreading branches. In cultivation, it typically grows shorter -between 10-15m (30-50ft) tall.
The bark is orange-brown weathering to a greyish colour, it is smooth at first, becoming fissured and exfoliating in long strips on the lower trunk of old trees. Small very distinctive cones appear each summer on the ends of the branch-lets and are commonly described as resembling duckbills when they open to release their seed
For germination the seeds require a period of moist pre-chilling also known as stratification before the seeds should be sown, this takes around 6 weeks in the fridge and is not difficult to do!
Germination and after care information sent free with every order.
Grows best in full sun in a moist well-drained soil that is neutral to acid, in a position that is sheltered from strong, drying winter winds, It will also survive on dry alkaline soils. Young trees are shade tolerant and are well adapted for growing as a clipped hedge. Although native to western North America, thie Incense Cedar grows very well in the East of North America and is surprisingly tolerant of summer heat and humidity.
Trees are generally slow growing but long-lived in the wild, with specimens up to 1000 years old having been recorded. They tend to grow quite slowly in Britain, but they are perfectly hardy. Young trees can grow 60cm in a year but they seldom average more than 30cm over a longer time span.
It is a large tree, typically reaching heights of 40–60m (130-200ft) and although the crown is narrow and columnar when the tree is young it will eventually develop a broad conic crown of spreading branches. In cultivation, it typically grows shorter -between 10-15m (30-50ft) tall.
The bark is orange-brown weathering to a greyish colour, it is smooth at first, becoming fissured and exfoliating in long strips on the lower trunk of old trees. Small very distinctive cones appear each summer on the ends of the branch-lets and are commonly described as resembling duckbills when they open to release their seed
For germination the seeds require a period of moist pre-chilling also known as stratification before the seeds should be sown, this takes around 6 weeks in the fridge and is not difficult to do!
Germination and after care information sent free with every order.
Germination, Sowing and After Care Information for
California Incense Cedar (libocedrus decurrens)
The seeds of the California Incense Cedar have a relatively short natural dormancy compared to many species that need to be broken down for germination to occur. If you do not pre-treat the seeds and simply sow them in the condition, germination rates will be disappointing.
You can do this by first soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours. Fully drain away all of the water and place the seeds in a zip-lock freezer bag. Place the seeds in the fridge, it is important that during this period that the seeds do not dry out or are waterlogged otherwise the pretreatment will be ineffective.
This pretreatment should last between 4 and 8 weeks to ensure a well synchronised germination of the highest percentage. It is essential that the seeds are not waterlogged in the plastic bag or they may rot. After 4 weeks, check the seed every few days for signs of germination. Gently remove germinated seeds from the bag and plant them in a fairly deep pot containing a good quality compost. At the end of the pretreatment period you may sow all of the seed, even those that have not begun to germinate. Keep them at room temperature – around 20 Celsius. Once the seedlings appear above the compost give them plenty of light, but not full sun.
Seedlings are prone to fungal diseases (damping off) just after germination. You can use fungicide to prevent this. Keeping the compost surface only slightly damp and low frequency watering combined with good air circulation and low humidity will also help greatly. Mice are also very keen on the pretreated seeds and the newly germinated seedlings so please take this into consideration!
Initial growth is quite slow for the first year or so but the rate of growth will accelerate in the second and subsequent years. Although these trees are tolerant of cold temperatures, whilst they are growing in containers protect the roots from severe winter frost. Once they have developed to a large enough size, perhaps after 2 or 3 years plant them in their permanent position and maintain weed free conditions until they are established.
You can do this by first soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours. Fully drain away all of the water and place the seeds in a zip-lock freezer bag. Place the seeds in the fridge, it is important that during this period that the seeds do not dry out or are waterlogged otherwise the pretreatment will be ineffective.
This pretreatment should last between 4 and 8 weeks to ensure a well synchronised germination of the highest percentage. It is essential that the seeds are not waterlogged in the plastic bag or they may rot. After 4 weeks, check the seed every few days for signs of germination. Gently remove germinated seeds from the bag and plant them in a fairly deep pot containing a good quality compost. At the end of the pretreatment period you may sow all of the seed, even those that have not begun to germinate. Keep them at room temperature – around 20 Celsius. Once the seedlings appear above the compost give them plenty of light, but not full sun.
Seedlings are prone to fungal diseases (damping off) just after germination. You can use fungicide to prevent this. Keeping the compost surface only slightly damp and low frequency watering combined with good air circulation and low humidity will also help greatly. Mice are also very keen on the pretreated seeds and the newly germinated seedlings so please take this into consideration!
Initial growth is quite slow for the first year or so but the rate of growth will accelerate in the second and subsequent years. Although these trees are tolerant of cold temperatures, whilst they are growing in containers protect the roots from severe winter frost. Once they have developed to a large enough size, perhaps after 2 or 3 years plant them in their permanent position and maintain weed free conditions until they are established.
