# Eastern red cedar



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

This question is about the trees rather than sawing lumber. Years ago I planted a row of cedar trees across the front of my property as a privacy fence. I planted the young trees about 10' apart for over 200' and they are now 15' to 20' tall. It just isn't working, the trees around here are so thin you can see right through them. I see other trees in the area that are very thick and bushy like the first picture but mine are more like the second picture. Is there anything I can do to make them grow bushier. I thought about maybe putting a chemical fertilizer on them but I usually kill plants with fertilizer and also the soil here is sugar sand which fertilizer will just wash away.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

The upper tree pic is a bush not ERC. The lower pic IS ERC in the young stage at about 3-5 yr growth for around my area. SORRY ERC is not a privacy type bush/hedge....it is a tree that can grow very tall. If in the open as yours by a road/open on both sides it will grow low limbs and fill to ground.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Well shoot, the picture at the top I found on the net and was suppose to be eastern red cedar. I was hoping the cedar I had growing on my place was thin because it was newly cleared land. I though planted out on the road it would do better. I guess I will have to plant bushes in front of it or bamboo behind it. 

These pictures are my trees and I know how big they can get. The last picture is a tree with the trunk 19" in diameter.


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## bschiltz (Dec 30, 2013)

The second picture in your first post looks like a healthy young ERC. How many rows deep is the tree line? To be effective as a wind break... and privacy screen... there needs to be 2-4 rows of trees. What state are you located in? If you're in a fairly dry area I'd consider watering the trees before fertilizing.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

bschiltz said:


> The second picture in your first post looks like a healthy young ERC. How many rows deep is the tree line? To be effective as a wind break... and privacy screen... there needs to be 2-4 rows of trees. What state are you located in? If you're in a fairly dry area I'd consider watering the trees before fertilizing.


Some places I have two rows but most of it is a single row. It took me a long time to transplant those trees and half of them didn't survive so all in all I transplanted around 40 trees to make that row. I would never be able to make 2 or 3 more rows.

I am located near Dallas, Tx so it does get very dry every summer.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

That upper pic, the trees on the right, looks just like young ERC that grows around here. The trees on the left edge of the pic look more like Pine.

I've seen ERC grow in a perfect cone shape like the top pic (most of the ones I see) and also in a more open manner like the lower pic. I have no idea what causes the difference. Usually ERC that is grown in the open has very dense foliage since it doesn't have to compete for light like understory trees. It could just be soil type. I have ERC on my place (near Tyler) and it is sugar sand also for the top 3 feet of soil, red clay underneath the sand. We do get more annual rainfall than around Dallas.

I've also seen many property lines that are planted with ERC for privacy. Like you wanted, the trees are very bushy and will effectively block the view beyond them.

You would probably get better advice by contacting your county agent. They will be familiar with your area and can give a recommendation based on the conditions there.


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## bschiltz (Dec 30, 2013)

If you are interested in planting more trees, try contacting your state forestry department or DNR. Here in Nebraska the Natural Resource Districts sell bare root stock trees for less than a dollar a piece. They take a year or so to establish but can save you quite a bit of money if time is less of a concern.


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