Deodar Cedar, #2424

Collected from salvage yard, Sept 2024. $5. Nice young trunk and many branches.

Google: “This looks like a young conifer tree, possibly a White Fir (Abies concolor) or Bigcone Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa), both native to California.”

Key features to differentiate:

Needles:

White Fir: Flat, bluish-green needles with a rounded tip, arranged in two rows on the branch.
Big-cone Douglas-fir: Bluish-green needles, slightly pointed, radiating around the branch.

Cones:

White Fir: Upright cones that disintegrate on the tree, leaving a central stalk.
Bigcone Douglas-fir: Large cones with distinctive three-pronged bracts extending beyond the scales.

Bark

White fir: The bark of a white fir tree starts out smooth and light gray, but darkens and thickens with age, developing furrows and ridges. Mature white fir bark can be very thick, measuring 4 inches (10 cm) or more.

Douglas fir: The bark of a Douglas fir tree is grayish-brown in color, with a reddish-brown hue at the bottom of the furrows. On larger trees, the bark can grow to be very thick, with deep crevices. The bark of young Douglas fir trees is gray and smooth, but becomes dark and scaly with age.

Image of Deodar Cedar

As collected

Mostly pumice layer under rootball. Lava on the bottom layer for drainage and prevent wood rot. Screwed through the base to help stabilize the acute angle of the trunk.

Proposed future styling may be a severe trunk bend towards the center, and laterally spread or lower branch pads.

When repotted in a year (spring 2026) may change the trunk angle less acute—or spring of 2025 may use guy wires to gradually redirect the trunk apex.

Misted, bagged, on a heat mat, in the shade. Fingers crossed.

Removed the bag mid-Jan 2025.

Ed Clark of Round Valley grafts Blue Atlas Cedar onto Deodar Cedar as starters. Will try to scion face graft to a sacrificial root.

Nov 2024 Ants 🐜🐜🐜

During collection with native soil undisturbed, an ants nest must have been collected as well. Observed earlier and sprayed with a pet-safe pesticide (soap based). But continued to return and migrate into other potted plants. Heated mat may have made them comfortable.

While ants are reported to survive up to 24 hrs underwater, the tree may not. Submerged and hose washed out, many ants floated away. Many did not, rinse and repeated… Eventually, waterlogged and resting in the sun—a few ants continued to emerge. A queen ant must exist under the roots—possibly in spring I can risk bare rooting and returning the soil again. Or just let them co-exist.

Bonsai Empire (Care)

The cedar needs a position in full sun for healthy growth.
During the growing season water daily if necessary, but let the soil get dry before watering. Be careful not to overwater the cedar, as it grows in quite dry conditions in its native regions and can suffer from root rot if it is watered too much.
During the growth season use a liquid fertilizer every two weeks or apply organic fertilizer four to six weeks.
Twigs can be shortened in early spring. Later keep pinching new shoots which appear throughout the growing season. Do not cut the needles.
Larger branches can be pruned in autumn. The Cedrus is known for its slowly healing wounds, so consider to create deadwood features like jins or little shari to prevent producing ugly cut wounds.
Younger twigs can easily be wired when they are still flexible. Take care not to damage the sensitive bark. Older branches are better shaped with guy wires.
Repot younger trees every two years, older specimen every three or four years in spring before the new buds open or in autumn. Do not disturb the root system too much and prune the roots only lightly.
Aphids and the fungi Sirococcus and Pestalotia, which cause shoot blight and defoliation, can attack cedars.

While a Deodar cedar can technically back bud to a certain extent, it is not considered a good choice for bonsai due to its poor back budding ability; most bonsai enthusiasts recommend against using it for this reason, as it can be difficult to control its shape and foliage with heavy pruning required to encourage back budding.
Others say: cedars, like many conifers, do not grow back from old wood. When pruning a cedar, it's important to stay within the green growth of the shrub and avoid pruning into the brown inner branches.
Young Deodar Cedars are impressionable; early pruning sets them up for success. Establish a strong, central leader by removing competing branches. Encourage a balanced, sturdy structure by selectively thinning crowded areas. Remember, what you do now lays the groundwork for the tree's future.