Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

How to Make a Blue Atlas Cedar Look Like a Giant Bonsai Tree

The blue atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica, Glauca group) has blue-green foliage, and, as opposed to numerous trees that bear the widespread name “cedar,” is really a accurate cedar. Notable blue atlas cedar cultivars contain “Glauca,” an upright kind, and “Glauca Pendula,” a weeping type. Blue atlas cedar is hardy in U.S. Division of Agriculture plant hardiness zones six via 9, even though a number of its cultivars have diverse USDA zone ranges. Creating a blue atlas cedar appear like a giant bonsai tree calls for taking numerous elements into account.
blue atlas cedar bonsai

Species Traits


“Glauca” and “Glauca Pendula” are equivalent in their foliage and hardiness, with each hardy in USDA zones six by way of eight. They may be really distinct, nevertheless, when it comes to their development habits. “Glauca” grows to an upright pyramidal type of 40 to 60 feet with reduced branches reaching 25 to 40 feet, and “Glauca Pendula” grows within a somewhat trailing, weeping style to only ten to 15 feet as well as a spread of six to ten feet. If staked, “Glauca Pendula” could develop to 30 to 40 feet in height.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Care


Weeping blue Atlas cedar prefers well-drained, acidic loamy soil, although it can adapt to many other soil types. Plant this tree in full sun for best results, although it can tolerate some shade if needed. This tree must be stacked and trained while young to create the desired form. If you skip this step, it will start growing near the ground. You can expect about 1 to 1 1/2 feet of new growth each year.

Tree Shaping


The way to prune your blue atlas cedar as a giant bonsai depends upon its sort. “Glauca,” as a tall, upright tree, will probably appear very best pruned to a formal upright kind, that will highlight its single trunk. A principal function from the upright style is a single bottom branch that extends farther than the opposite bottom branch. Other branches need to extend up the trunk sporadically, leaving open spaces amongst them. “Glauca Pendula,” alternatively, features a naturally weeping type. So it needs to be grown as a giant bonsai inside a cascade or semi-cascade style, enabling 1 central leader and removing most branches except these you leave around the tree for interest.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Pruning


When pruning a blue atlas cedar to appear like a giant bonsai, remember that brown wood is not going to regrow, so guarantee you truly need to get rid of a branch prior to you take it off. Though bonsai pruning strategies advocate cutting a branch previous its branch collar, Virginia Cooperative Extension states to not take away the branch collar when pruning a big evergreen. As an alternative, prune just just before the branch collar to help in healing. The branch collar may be the slightly wider location exactly where a branch emerges from a bigger branch or the tree's trunk. Wait till the tree is dormant in late winter, just ahead of the flush of spring development, to prune it. In case your tree is big, then hiring specialist aid to prune it might be required.

Correct Surroundings


The bonsai method hails from formal Japanese garden arrangements, and appropriate show is quite essential to attain the complete bonsai impact. Aim for an uncomplicated backdrop against which to show your bonsai blue atlas cedar. The backdrop could consist of plain gravel beds or possibly a easy container in the event you educated the tree from a younger age. Orient the bonsai tree when pruning in order that its front faces the vantage point from which it will likely be viewed.

Related:
blue atlas cedar bonsai for sale, cedar bonsai care, blue atlas cedar bonsai pruning, cedrus deodara bonsai pruning, cedar bonsai tree for sale, topping a blue atlas cedar, can you prune a blue atlas cedar,