How and when you can plant a pine tree: planting and caring for seedlings on the site

Pine is considered a symbol of health and longevity: in the pine forest the air is saturated with phytoncides - biologically active substances that have a beneficial effect on the human body. For this reason, many try to plant a pine seedling near their home in order to constantly use a natural inhaler and create a unique, healthy microclimate in their place of residence. It is necessary to clearly understand where and how to plant a pine tree on a summer cottage, what care should be taken in the future so that the plant develops correctly and serves as a good addition to the landscape.

Is it possible to plant a pine tree near the house?

Scots pine is an evergreen tree with a spreading, dense crown.It grows quickly in poor sandy soils and reaches a height of 30 meters. This is worth considering if you decide to plant a pine tree in your yard. The peculiarity of the tree is that it dries out the soil. If there is a lack of moisture, its roots can go deep, but much depends on the quality and nature of the soil. A tall pine tree serves as a target for lightning in a thunderstorm, so it can become a source of fire and danger to others.

Experts do not recommend planting a tree close to home. When mature, it has a strong root system that can damage or even destroy the foundation. The distance from a pine tree planted in the garden to the house should be at least 5 meters.

Coniferous crops are attacked by pests (bark beetles, scale insects) or suffer from specific species diseases. The fight comes down to the use of insecticides. If the drugs do not help, the infected tree is removed entirely.

It is necessary to carefully determine the planting sites, select varieties that satisfy the needs, and regularly carry out the necessary agrotechnical measures with the trees.

Which pine tree to plant on the site

You should not give up the idea of planting a pine tree in your country house or near your house because of the height it reaches in adulthood. There are low-growing varieties that have the same cleansing, bactericidal, medicinal properties as their tall relatives:

Scots pine variety Fastigiata It has a pyramidal shape and reaches a maximum height of 15 meters. It is very compact and will easily fit into any garden, so it is ideal for planting in small areas;
Variety Watereri has an ovoid-shaped crown, its height is on average 4 meters.The tree grows slowly, loves sunny areas, and tolerates wintering well;
Mountain pine - a small branched bush, harmoniously combined in design with larches and birches. The plant is undemanding to soil, resistant to diseases and pests, and winters well after planting;
Compact variety small, up to 5 meters, with a variety of ground cover dwarf forms creeping along the ground. The annual growth after planting is only 10 cm;
Cedar elfin wood - has widely spread branches. The maximum height of the plant is 4 m. The needles are very beautiful, collected in bunches of five pieces. Trees look more impressive in group plantings;

The listed varieties can successfully grow throughout the Russian Federation, easily tolerating heat, frost, snowfall, and drought. Pines in the Moscow region, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar look great and feel good.

Where to plant a pine tree on the site

Pines are unpretentious trees that can grow on poor soils. The best soils for planting are sandy and sandy loam. On organically rich soil, peat bogs, and limestone, conifers, surprisingly, grow poorly. Mediterranean and American varieties thrive in rich soils, but their shoots do not have time to ripen, so there is a high probability of freezing without shelter. Alpine species prefer planting on alkaline soils with a high lime content.

Pine is a light-loving plant, for which any place is suitable, as long as it is located in a illuminated area. Then the tree grows spreading, with a dense crown. In the shade, the plant stretches upward, its lower branches dry out and die.

The best planting location is the south side of the house or garage.

Pine planting dates

The ideal time for planting pine in the fall would be late September-early October, and in the spring - late April-early May. There is a technology for replanting in winter, but this requires special equipment.

In summer, during the period of active growth, such manipulations are not recommended due to the need for a large amount of water for the roots of the plant, as well as its still ongoing formation and lignification of shoots.

Planting a pine tree in the spring would be the best option, since in this case the plant will have time to take root and prepare for winter before the fall.

In autumn, all processes in trees slow down, and establishment is painless.

In winter, planting a pine tree is possible only if the seedling is further covered with spruce branches or special material.

How to plant a pine tree on a plot

The process of planting pine from a nursery includes a number of activities:

choice of location;
determination of soil type and acidity;
mixing substrate components;
preparing a hole for planting a tree;
selection of seedlings;
landing;
feeding;
watering;
mulching;
shading;
garter - if necessary.

Preparing the soil for planting pine

The substrate must be prepared in accordance with the preferences of coniferous plants. They like breathable, moisture-absorbing, acidic soil. During planting, it is worth mixing high-moor peat and fallen pine needles with the soil (in a ratio of 1:2:1). Next, add 100 g of fresh sawdust and 8 g of garden sulfur to the substrate.

In the future, it is necessary to monitor the acidity and keep it at a level of 4 units. For this purpose, every spring it is recommended to mulch the soil with sawdust, feed with acidic fertilizers, and water with acidified water (1 teaspoon of citric acid per 3 liters of water).These measures, after planting the pine tree in the ground, create optimal conditions for its growth.

Planting pine seedlings

When planting, you need to make a hole in the shape of a cone or an inverted pyramid. For a seedling no more than 70 cm tall, a hole of 60 by 60 cm is sufficient. If the soil on the site is dense and clayey, the hole needs to be deepened by 30 cm to create drainage at the bottom from expanded clay, sand, broken bricks, and pebbles. It is necessary to add universal fertilizer to the hole - 100 g per seedling, and pour water over the planting site (6 liters per hole). The root collar of the seedling must be above ground level, otherwise the plant may die. It is easier to achieve the correct location of the neck if the seedling has a lump of earth on its roots. The tree must be positioned strictly vertically. If necessary, add soil. Watering pine trees after planting is mandatory. Thanks to the water supply, the roots and soil are in better contact, and the seedling recovers faster. To retain moisture, the soil must be mulched with any available material. A frame or support will be useful for the plant during strong winds and bad weather.

At what distance to plant pine trees

Maintaining the distance between pine trees when planting is a prerequisite for proper agricultural technology. If tall varieties are planted, then the minimum distance between trees should be 4 - 5 meters; for low-growing varieties, a gap of 1.5 meters is sufficient.

It is worth considering that planting tall trees is allowed no closer than 4 meters to the border with neighbors, no closer than 1 m to the carriageway of public roads, and 5 m from residential buildings on the site. Pine trees cannot be located under power lines if their crowns interfere with the energy supply .The minimum distance from gas and water pipes must be maintained at a distance of at least 2 m.

What can be planted under a pine tree in the country

Coniferous litter increases the acidity of the soil under trees, so it is possible to plant plants that love this type of soil next to them.

Shade-tolerant rhododendrons fit harmoniously into the design. Petiolate hydrangea and maiden grapes feel good under pine trees: for these vines the tree is a support. Groundcover wintergreen grows well in acidic soil. At the base of the pines, various hosta species look good and develop. Planting under coniferous species of snowberry, bergenia, fern, lily of the valley looks original.

Is it possible to plant a felled pine tree?

Recently, during the New Year holidays, many people use pine trees instead of traditional Christmas trees. It is possible to give a felled tree a chance for further life, but the process of rooting and planting will be quite complex, painstaking, and in most cases the result is not guaranteed. To carry out such an event it is necessary:

Choose a short tree (1.5 m) with green needles and flexible branches.
Saw off a couple of centimeters from the trunk at the base.
Soak the saw cut in a root growth stimulator solution.
Wrap it with a damp cloth and leave the pine tree on the balcony until the New Year.
Place the tree in a container with damp river sand.
Spray the branches with a growth stimulator.
Place the tree away from heating appliances.
In two weeks, roots and new shoots should appear.
Water with growth stimulants.
If in April the tree is green and produces growth, it can be planted.

Features of planting pine from the forest

In order for a pine tree selected from the forest to take root after planting, its height should be from 60 to 120 cm, its age should be about 4 years, the trunk should be even, the branches should be alternate. After choosing a tree, you should dig around the trunk at a distance of 50 cm to such a depth that the largest possible lump of earth is removed with the roots.

It is best to plant in early spring, but the survival rate of the plant will depend on the climate and care. It is necessary to add fertilizer to a hole corresponding to the size of the coma, then place the plant there, add the prepared soil and water it generously. In this case, it is necessary to maintain soil moisture.

How to care for pine

Thanks to the developed root system of pine, as well as its unpretentiousness to soil, it can grow in any conditions, including rocky and mountainous areas. Planting a pine tree and caring for it is not particularly difficult and consists of the following:

fertilizing - during planting and in the next 3 years;
watering - the first 2 years until complete rooting;
loosening - during weeding;
mulching - after planting;
pruning - to slow growth and crown formation;
control of diseases and pests - carried out by timely treatment with appropriate insecticides;
Preparation for winter - protecting young seedlings from frost.

How to water a pine tree correctly

In an adult state, pine trees easily tolerate a lack of watering, especially since fallen needles mulch the soil and retain moisture in it. An exception is the Rumelian pine, which is a moisture-loving plant and requires repeated watering per season (20 liters per plant).

Watering pine trees in the fall is necessary for seedlings that have been planted recently.If the soil is moist, the plant freezes less, its needles do not burn in the spring, since the roots feed the entire tree with moisture.

How often to water a pine tree

The need for watering depends on the age of the tree. Immediately after planting, young seedlings require weekly watering. The roots will not suffocate in water if the drainage is done well.

It is enough to moisten a rooted tree three times a season. In summer, it will be useful to water pine trees by sprinkling at sunset, when there is no active evaporation. This procedure allows them to more easily endure the hot, dry air.

How to water a pine tree

After planting, up to three buckets of warm, settled water are poured under young trees at a time. Adult plants require 5 - 10 buckets per watering.

When the acidity of the soil decreases, it is worth periodically watering with a solution of citric acid or vinegar.

Do not neglect periodic liquid fertilizing of plants, which promotes their rapid development.

Top dressing

Feeding an adult pine tree is not necessary. But if it has been carried out, then the tree looks more well-groomed and grows more actively. The ideal fertilizer is compost - decomposed organic waste. It is similar in composition to soil. To apply it, it is necessary to loosen the tree trunk circle, add the composition, and mix it with the soil.

Attention! It must be remembered that the roots of the plant are close to the surface, so loosening must be done with caution.

Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out once a year, according to the instructions. They are scattered all over the tree trunk, then watered abundantly with water. Fertilizing in the fall is not recommended, so as not to provoke the growth of new shoots that do not have time to ripen before the winter cold.

Loosening and mulching

While the pine tree is in the stage of a young, weak plant, its tree trunk circle must be kept clean. To do this, it is necessary to carry out regular inspections and weeding. On weeds pests that carry diseases can live. Weeding is accompanied by shallow loosening so as not to touch the roots of the young tree. Loosening should be combined with mulching with peat, bark, and leaves. With this care, the soil does not dry out for a long time, and the number of weeds is significantly reduced.

Formation of pine trees

The shape of the pine tree can be adjusted. If the tree branches are asymmetrical or not entirely harmonious, you can perform aesthetic pruning.

To thicken the crown in May-June, it is worth pinching the tips of young shoots. Thanks to this, the plant’s juices are redirected to the formation of lateral shoots, and the growth of the central shoots will stop.

In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out, dry or damaged branches are removed.

Garden shears used in such an operation must be sharp and disinfected. Sections must be treated with copper sulfate or garden pitch. One pruning should not remove more than a third of the green mass of the crown.

Protection from diseases and pests

The onset of the disease or the presence of pests is indicated by damage to the bark, needles, and a change in their color. With the onset of spring, it is worth inspecting the tree to detect these signs. Among the most common pests observed:

hermes – its colonies resemble cotton wool, the needles turn yellow;
sawfly – shoots turn red, branches lose their needles;
bark beetle – a beetle that eats holes in wood can destroy a tree in a month.

Pest control is carried out with insecticides. If the drugs are ineffective, the trees are destroyed.

Pine diseases include:

Schutte – when brown spots appear, the needles fall off;
rust – characterized by orange spots and swellings on the needles.

To prevent diseases, coniferous plants can be treated with Bordeaux mixture in the fall for preventive purposes.

Preparing for winter

A young plant with a weak root system requires its protection after planting. For this purpose, before frost, the tree trunk circle must be covered with a thick (up to 10 cm) layer of peat. This maintains a comfortable temperature and moisture.

You can protect seedlings from frost in the northern regions of the country by covering them with spruce branches. In spring, conifers often suffer from the bright sun, in which they get burned. A special non-woven covering material or mesh is also used for protection. This creates shade and prevents damage to the pine tree.

How to save pine seedlings until spring

Unlike seedlings of deciduous plants, coniferous species are not stored in the cellar until spring planting. It is enough to dig them in the garden directly in containers. The place should be protected from the sun, wind, the roots of the seedlings should be in moist soil, which must be covered with peat or soil on top. Next, they should be covered with polyethylene to avoid getting wet, and the crown with a non-woven covering material.

If the soil is frozen and it is impossible to bury the seedlings, they can be placed in a box, covered with sawdust or peat, and placed in a cold room. In this case, the crowns do not need to be covered, and the box itself should be insulated at the top and bottom with fabric, felt or rags. The soil in containers must be moist.

Reproduction

The most commonly used method of propagating pine trees is by seeds.It provides two methods - with an open (sowing directly into the ground) and closed (in a personal container) root system. The second method is more reliable, since the plant is not injured during planting.

The vegetative method of propagation consists of rooting pine shoots. But the process is very unreliable: cuttings do not take root well.

The division method is suitable for pine varieties with several trunks.

Reproduction is possible through grafting. Four-year-old seedlings are used as a rootstock. In this case, the plant retains the properties of the pine from which the scion was taken.

Growing pine trees as a business

Growing pine trees for sale is considered a profitable business, characterized by minimal financial and labor costs. The first profit is possible within two years after planting. This business is suitable for both gardeners and businessmen. The work is simple, profitable, but seasonal. To begin with, you will need a plot of at least 2 hectares, fertile land and a greenhouse. The choice of varieties for planting is of great importance. They must meet the criteria:

adaptation to local climate;
disease resistance;
unpretentiousness of content;
rapid growth.

Both planting purchased seedlings and growing pine trees from seeds, with proper business organization, is a profitable business.

Conclusion

Before planting a pine seedling on the site, it is worth deciding on the variety, location and further development of the design, taking into account the new plant on it. Planting a pine tree in the summer will be a risky endeavor, since there is no guarantee of its further establishment. It is better to do this in a more comfortable time - in the fall or spring, while observing the agricultural techniques for growing coniferous plants.

How to plant a pine seedling