Tree · Pinaceae
Deodar Cedar
Cedrus deodara
Set it in full sun with soil that drains, and this Himalayan cedar will reward you with a soft, sweeping evergreen that lasts for decades.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–9
30–50 ft · 9.1–15.2 m
Overview
The deodar cedar comes from the western Himalayas, and it counts among the few real cedars in the genus Cedrus. Soft blue-green to gray-green needles gather in little tufts along branches that arch out and down, and the top leader nods over to give the tree its graceful, weeping shape. With room to grow, it climbs to 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters) and spreads almost as far.
Think of this as a tree for open ground rather than a pot, and you will be off to a good start. It loves full sun and soil that lets water move through, and once it has settled it takes dry spells in stride. The needle tips are sharp, so give a young one a little room, but you will find it asks very little of you once it is rooted in.
Many gardeners plant it as a standout specimen or a leafy screen, and a few cultivars carry it into colder gardens than the wild tree can handle. The one slip to avoid is a soggy spot, because wet feet are the single thing this forgiving tree truly cannot get past.
Care
The short version: full sun and soil that drains are what matter most. Keep it watered while it is young, then let it look after itself, leave it plenty of room to stretch out, and steer it away from any low ground that stays wet.
Light
Give a deodar cedar full sun and you will get the fullest, best-shaped tree. It will manage in partial sun or light shade too, so do not fret if your spot is not perfect, though the canopy thins a little and the form opens up where light is short.
Water
Water it well through that first year or two while the roots spread, soaking deeply every 7 to 14 days, and you will set it up for life. After that it becomes truly drought tolerant and asks for little extra, so the thing to watch for instead is overwatering, which is what brings on root rot.
Soil
You do not need perfect soil here, since it grows in anything from sandy to clay loam and handles a wide pH of 5.5 to 7.5. The one point that really counts is drainage, because ground that stays soggy will rot the roots in time.
Temperature
This is a tough, forgiving tree across a wide range, holding up from about 0°F to 100°F (-18°C to 38°C). Hardy cultivars reach a bit further into the cold, and the only soft spot is the tender new growth, which a late spring frost can nip.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air is all it wants, so there is no humidity number to fuss over. What helps far more is good air movement around the branches, since still, damp air is what gives tip blight its chance to settle in.
Feeding
Feed it lightly in spring with a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer, once a season is plenty. A settled tree that is growing well needs little or no feeding and gets along just fine on what the soil already offers.
Pruning
This tree barely needs pruning to look its best, which is one less thing for you to worry about. In late winter, simply take out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches and anything cold or tip blight has killed, then let its natural sweeping shape be.
Repotting
As a landscape tree it rarely belongs in a container, and a settled one is happiest left alone. If you are nursing a young one in a pot, only move it up when roots circle the inside, growth stalls, or water runs straight through without soaking in.
Size & spacing
360–600 in (914–1524 cm) tall
When to plant
The kindest time to plant a deodar cedar is during the gentle stretches of the year. Set it out in spring or fall, while the soil works easily and the worst heat or hard cold has passed, and the roots will have a whole season to settle in before the weather shifts.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–9
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
A happy deodar cedar gives you very little to worry about, and nearly every problem comes down to wet soil or a tree that is stressed. Glance over the branches and the canopy for the earliest hints. Spot them soon and you can almost always set things right before you lose a limb or the tree.
A thinning, wilting canopy on a tree in wet ground
When the soil stays soggy, the likely culprit is Phytophthora root and crown rot, which smothers and rots the roots from below. Dig in gently near the base and you may turn up dark, mushy roots where firm white ones should be. Once the rot has taken hold there is no saving the tree, so fix the drainage, ease back on watering, and replant somewhere the ground never stays wet.
Fix:
- Improve drainage or relocate to a well-drained site
- Reduce irrigation
- Remove severely affected trees
Flagging branches, weeping resin, and bare cases hanging in the limbs
A tree under stress tends to draw the deodar weevil, a bark beetle that bores in and leaves resin bleeding from the wounds, with bagworms and borers piling on. Keep an eye out for small holes, sawdust, and the hanging spindle-shaped bags that mark bagworms. Since most attacks land on trees already worn down by drought, your best protection is steady water, a layer of mulch, and pruning out and burning anything infested.
Fix:
- Keep trees vigorous with proper watering and mulch
- Remove and destroy infested branches and bagworm bags
- Consult local extension for targeted insect management
Browning branch tips and dying-back twigs
Most of the time this is tip blight, caused by the Sphaeropsis or Diplodia fungus that moves in after wet weather and works from the very ends of the branches inward. A late frost can fool you by killing the tender new growth in the same way. Trim the affected tips well below the dead wood, wipe your pruners clean between cuts, and try to keep water off the foliage, and the tree should come back around.
Fix:
- Prune out and dispose of affected tips well below the dead tissue
- Disinfect tools between cuts
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
Toxicity
You can plant a deodar cedar around your household with an easy mind. Nothing in it harms pets, livestock, or people, and it stays off the ASPCA poison lists entirely. The only thing to keep in view is the sharp needle tips, which can prick small hands reaching close to a young tree.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can keep this tree around cats without a second thought, since nothing in the needles or wood will poison them. A cat that chews a branch might cough up a little plant matter, but that comes from the sharp tips, not from any toxin.
Dogs None
There are no toxic compounds here, so your dog can sniff and brush past the tree freely. Chewing on a fallen twig does no harm, though a mouthful of needles might bring on a bit of drool.
Horses Safe
Nothing about a deodar cedar poses a threat to a horse grazing nearby. The tree holds no poison, so you can plant it around paddocks and pasture edges with confidence.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits face no danger from this tree at all. The needles are not toxic, and a curious little nibble will do no harm.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can share their ground with a deodar cedar safely. It carries no toxin to upset the stomach or the nerves.
Birds Safe
Birds can nest and perch in the dense branches without any risk to them. The tree is non-toxic, and its cones and cover make a welcome corner of the garden for them.
People Safe
There is nothing poisonous in a deodar cedar where people are concerned. The needles do end in sharp points, so the one real caution is handling young plants with care.
No special handling needed; needles are sharp-pointed so handle young plants with care.
Varieties
Past the wild tree, a few named selections are worth knowing for their hardier cold tolerance or their own color and shape. These are the ones you are likeliest to come across when you go shopping at a nursery.
Karl Fuchs
This is one of the most cold-hardy choices you can make, standing up to zone 6 with steely blue-green needles draped along soft, drooping branches.
Shalimar
Raised from seed gathered at the Shalimar Gardens, this blue-green form shrugs off cold a good deal better than the everyday species.
Kashmir
A touch hardier than the species to around zone 6, it sits among the finest true cedars you can grow in a southern garden.
Pendula
A weeping form whose branches spill strongly toward the ground, giving you a soft, draped silhouette.
Aurea
A golden form that opens bright yellow new growth each spring before easing toward green as the season goes on.
How to propagate
You can grow a deodar cedar from seed, or follow the path nurseries take for the fancier forms. Each one fits a different goal, and you will find that one calls for far more patience and skill than the other.
SeedModerate
Fall to spring after cold stratification · Several years
The species comes up readily from seed once it has had a spell of cold stratification, which you can start anytime from fall to spring. Be patient, since it takes several years to grow into a real tree, and remember that seedlings vary in form and color, so no two turn out quite alike.
GraftingDemanding
Late winter · 1 to 2 years
The named cultivars, the weeping and golden forms among them, are grafted in late winter because seed will not reliably pass their traits along. It is demanding work that takes 1 to 2 years to settle, and that extra care is why grafted plants cost a little more at the nursery.
Myths
Any tree we call a cedar must be a true cedar like the deodar.
Only the trees in the genus Cedrus, and the deodar is one of them, are true cedars. A good many North American trees wear the name without earning it, including eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), which belong to completely separate genera and are not cedars at all.