Atlas Cedar Glauca

Synonyms: Blue Atlas Cedar

Atlas Cedar Glauca – a cultivar of the Atlas cedar species. It grows in North Africa. It forms forests in the Algerian and Moroccan Atlas Mountains. Occurs at an altitude of 1500-2000 m above sea level. One of the most beautiful cedars. In 1972 it was awarded a First Class Certificate (First Class Certificate). In 2002 the Royal Horticultural Society awarded it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (Award of Garden Merit).

It is a tree 15-20 (40) m in height and 8-20 m in width. Annual growth reaches 30-50 cm in height and 25 cm in width. The form is the same as the species but more branched. Crown broadly conical with asymmetric branches, raised in youth. With age the crown becomes flatter, umbrella-shaped. Bark is dark gray, with peeling scales or plates. The root system is taproot-type; roots are poorly developed.

Needles needle-like, 2-2.5 cm long, gray-blue, especially intense on young shoots. On short shoots gathered in clusters; on long shoots arranged spirally, one needle per node.

Cones barrel-shaped, brownish, 5-7 cm long. Mature in 2-3 years.

Hardiness zone: 6-9 (-20 °C)

Location/exposure: sun-loving. Not demanding to soil, but prefers moderately dry, fertile, moist or fresh, well-drained, calcareous soils. Also grows on slightly acidic sandy soils. Winter precipitation is necessary. Resistant to heat and summer drought, as well as to air pollution. Not wind-resistant.

Planting: Recommended spacing between plants – 4-8 m. When planting in clay soil it is recommended to add sand to the planting hole. Size of the planting hole – 50-70x70 cm. Fill the hole with a mixture of topsoil and humus in a 3:1 ratio, and also a cup of wood ash or a complex mineral fertilizer 200-250 g. After planting it is recommended to stake the plant for several years, as the root system is poorly developed.

Care: In the first year after planting it is recommended to cover the seedling with a thin layer of gauze or covering material from March to April. If a white coating appears on shoots, it is recommended to use a weak solution of onion skins or household soap; special fungicides can also be used. If cobwebbing appears on the tips of shoots, treat with insecticides (Actellic, Decis).

Pruning: It is recommended to thin the crown of young plants growing in open locations.

Diseases: mottled-red trunk rot, seed mold, rust fungus, pishukha, brown central and prismatic rot, Schweinitz polypore, white root rot.

Pests: adelgid (chermes), flower-eating beetles, small black chafer, cone gall midge, conifer looper, spruce seed moth, moth (tortrix), Siberian silk moth, gypsy moth, monk moth, conifer wave moth, cedar leafroller, conifer looper, black-and-yellow and red pine sawflies, six-toothed bark beetle, large black spruce longhorn beetle, Siberian engraver, Siberian spruce longhorn beetle, cedar bark borer.

Reproduction: by seeds, cuttings, grafting. Seeds require stratification

Conservation status: not under protection.

Use: used for creating groups, mass plantings, solitary, loose-group and avenue plantings. Widely used in park landscaping.