Mid-Summer nursery stock / Damage (Cedrus atlantica 'Horstmann')

[Cherubina]

So, I have been released from bondage and am able to get out and peruse my local nursery offerings in Central Pennsylvania. (I was taking care of my elderly father for years.)

At Mid-Summer, nothing's marked down yet, everything's picked over at the well-known places, and much of what's available has damage.

I have a bad hankering for a Cedrus atlantica 'Horstmann' -- of the six places I visited, only one nursery has this variety... 5 trees, and the best shaped one has terrible fractures / cracks / fissures all around the base of the trunk, and even a small chunk missing or gouged out by trauma. The wounds are not oozing, but the damage circles all around. It must be recent damage, as this tree is also the healthiest looking in the branches and foliage, but it is leaning in it's pot, and certainly has been toppled or handled roughly numerous times. Pix below. Again, it has the best shape, and healthiest foliage... but the damage.

I could write so much more but I'm thinking I'd better keep it simple. The price on it is a reasonable average price, no discounts. Any advice? Should I?
I am aware of the touchy nature of Atlas Cedars with re-potting.... guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Ruby

 

[caffeinated]

adds character? I can't really see the damage from these pics, but if you found a Horstmann with a good looking graft and without the inverse taper, that's gold! Our nurseries around here carry a bunch of these but the grafts are all terrible. I'd love one eventually. I'd do the 1/2 or maybe even 1/3 soil exchange repotting done by Boon and others.

 

[pandacular]

This tree looks beautiful. The clusters of needles, especially when budding, reminds of Larix.

It seems like it's very rare for nursery stock to have good roots/bases generally. I wonder if it looks bad from all angles. I also can't really see what you're pointing out, but having to rebuild roots isn't uncommon on nursery stock anyway.

 

[James W.]

I think what you are seeing is the graft, which can be pretty ugly on some of these "Horstmann". That area might always look like that.
Of more concern would be how far below the graft are the roots? If it is too high it will always be distracting.
Still, this looks to be a nice candidate for your first Blue Atlas cedar. You can keep a watch out for another later, maybe better. Decent material are far and few between and horribly expensive, typically.

 

[Cherubina]

Thank you all for your comments. Helpful, and pointing out some issues. My main fear is that the crack/injury will manifest later in a very sick tree. Meaning it's living on borrowed time. This one had a lot of nice budding and growth close to the trunk. None of the others did. One or two others had a few "cracks" but not as much as this one, and the others were completely smooth. I couldn't see anything that seemed like a graft.....? And with the fact that this is an intermediate size tree, it could be from 3-4 to as much as 7 years old at 3 feet tall...... if planted in the yard (I wouldn't) max height would be 18 feet. The fine roots were visible in the surface soil. But bottom line, it's a pricier craving. I have plans for a bunch more species, the right way, much cheaper.

 

[Cherubina]

I went back to look at it at the retail nursery. All 5 trees are still there, my favorite pictured above, and a second choice with no cracking.... but not as interesting shape-wise. It's been over a month, and I don't see any decline in the health of the cracked one. Maybe it needs longer to show up? But I'm leaning towards getting one of them, probably the one pictured. I'd like to prune it and wire it this fall and transplant into another large pot in the spring....

 

[R0b]

My Cedrus has very similar cracks but it is just the bark starting to flake. Poor picture because it is dark outside.

 

[Cherubina]

My Cedrus has very similar cracks but it is just the bark starting to flake. Poor picture because it is dark outside.

That is indeed very similar! I found a YouTube video where someone in the South Eastern USA had a Cedrus atlantica planted in a backyard garden with serious cracking AND it was oozing white sap. The tree specialist in the video said it was most likely caused by "pressure on the trunk" by an unanticipated snowfall, and that there was "nothing you can do about it" -- supposedly the tree survived, but it makes cracking with NO sap leaking look a lot better. And... I spent some time looking at mature tree bark on these cedars and the pattern fits.......

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Point out your concern to the nursery manager and talk them down on the price. I got a huge hemlock several years ago at a 50% discount because it had a large crack at the joint between the trunk and main branch. The one in your phot has good movement, lots of branches, and appears healthy enough, go for it! Be ready forma lomg wait when styling these. They have very supple trunks and branches that can take several years to hold a curve when bent and wired. There is a very good care and styling guide on the Mirai website for free.

Blue Atlas Cedar Bonsai

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