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Japanese pine is a tree or shrub that belongs to the pine family, the coniferous class. The plant is capable of maintaining vital activity from 1 to 6 centuries.
Description of Japanese pine
The tree is characterized by rapid growth. The height of the Japanese Negishi pine is 35-75 m, the diameter of the trunk reaches 4 m. In wetlands, the growth of the tree does not exceed 100 cm. There are single-trunked and multi-trunked pine species. The bark of the tree is smooth, becoming scaly over time.
Japanese pine is a light-loving representative of conifers. The first flowers appear in the last month of spring, but they are hardly noticeable.
At the end of the process, cones of various shapes and colors are formed, depending on the variety. They are divided into male and female. The color range of shoots is varied; there are trees with yellow, purple or brick-red, brown cones.
Male modified shoots are distinguished by a cylindrical-ellipsoidal shape, up to 15 cm long.Female cones are more rounded, slightly flattened, 4-8 cm long.
There are two types of Japanese pine seeds: winged and wingless.
Instead of the usual foliage, the tree develops long coniferous shoots in the form of needles. They are soft, thin, slightly curved at the ends, capable of maintaining vital activity for up to 3 years. Young needles have a greenish tint, which over time turns into gray-blue.
Varieties of Japanese pine
There are more than 30 species of Japanese pine; they differ not only in appearance, but also in life expectancy, planting and care features.
Common varieties of Japanese pine:
- Blauer Engel: a representative of conifers with a loose, spreading crown, which can be pressed into the desired shape. The tree grows up to 10 cm per year, forming decorative blue needles. The variety responds favorably to fertilizing, delighting the gardener with an abundant amount of light brown cones. The Blauer Engel species is undemanding to the composition of the soil, frost-resistant, but does not grow well in wetlands, so when planting the plant, preference should be given to sunny areas.
- Glauca: an adult plant, has a height of 10-12 m, the crown reaches 3-3.5 m in diameter. The tree grows quickly, adding 18-20 cm in height every year. The variety’s shape is cone-shaped and slightly asymmetrical. The tree's needles are very thick, rich silver-blue in color, and are presented in paired bunches. The growth and vital activity of Glauca pine is favorably influenced by fertile soils, well-drained and loose.With proper care, planting in sand is possible. It is recommended to grow pine in lighted areas.
- Negishi: The tree is highly decorative, common in Japan. According to the description, Negishi pine has fluffy, green-blue needles that form a beautiful dense crown. The variety grows slowly, often not exceeding 2-3 m. Pine prefers sunny places, is undemanding to the soil, but does not tolerate alkaline soils. The frost resistance of the Negishi variety is average; it grows successfully in urban polluted conditions.
- Tempelhof: a dwarf tree, characterized by shoots twisted at the ends in the form of brushes with blue needles. The variety grows 15-20 cm per year, young branches have a bluish tint. The shape of the crown is close to round, loose. In 10 years, the plant reaches 2-3 m in height, tolerates frosts well down to -30 ° C, and is not suitable for growing in arid southern regions.
- Hagoromo: miniature Japanese pine, reaching a height of no more than 30-40 cm (crown diameter 0.5 m). The variety is characterized by very slow growth, no more than 2-3 cm per year. The branches are short and thin, directed upward at an angle from the center of the plant, forming an asymmetrical wide crown. The Hagoromo variety has bright green needles. The plant tolerates low temperatures well, grows successfully in both sunny and shaded areas, and prefers moist and fertile soils.
Japanese pine in landscape design
Due to its frost resistance and unpretentiousness, the tree is often used to decorate the garden.Landscape design using Japanese pine is laconic; many varieties can form a crown, which is successfully used to implement the creative ideas of designers.
Japanese pine is used to decorate alpine hills, slopes, forest edges, and placed as a single composition on lawns.
Varieties Glauca and Hagoromo are used to decorate the coastal zone of a reservoir, rocky garden or walking path.
How to grow Japanese pine from seeds
Seed material is purchased in stores or produced independently. The ripening process of the cones takes 2-3 years; after a pyramidal thickening appears on them, the seeds are collected and moved to a container.
Seed preparation
For each variety, the seed may differ not only in appearance, but also in the planting method, so it is recommended to study the characteristics of the variety. It must be stored in a cool place, wrapped in cloth or placed in a container.
Before planting Japanese pine seeds, it is important to carry out proper processing. To do this, they are placed in water for several days to germinate. Viable seeds swell, and floating samples are unsuitable for cultivation, so they are removed.
At the end of the procedure, the seed is packaged in a bag and placed on a shelf in the refrigerator, where the temperature is up to + 4 °C. Over the course of 14 days, the container with the seeds is gradually moved upward, and then moved in the reverse order for another 2 weeks.
Preparing the soil and planting container
Japanese pine from seeds is grown at home in containers. They are prepared independently or purchased in stores.It is necessary to ensure that the container is intact and has holes, then rinse thoroughly and dry.
For soil, it is recommended to purchase a specialized substrate or use soil from a mixture of clay granules and humus (in a ratio of 3:1). The soil must be disinfected by spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate or calcining it in an oven at 100 °C.
How to plant Japanese pine seeds
The optimal time for growing Japanese pine is the last winter month or the beginning of March.
Soil is poured into the prepared container, furrows are made in it and seeds are placed at intervals of 2-3 cm. On top of them you need to pour a thin layer of sand and spill water. At the end of the procedure, the container is covered with glass.
Seedling care
It is important to ventilate the container with Japanese pine seeds daily. If mold forms, it is removed and the soil is treated with fungicidal agents.
After the sprouts appear, the glass is removed and the box is moved to a sunny place, controlling the soil moisture. No fertilizing is required at this stage of cultivation.
Planting and caring for Japanese pine in open ground
The tree is resistant to bad weather conditions, but it is recommended to take into account varietal characteristics. To grow Japanese white pine, moist but well-drained soil is preferred. To do this, expanded clay or crushed bricks are added to the soil.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Before transplanting, carefully dig up the soil, form a planting hole 1 m deep, and add nitrogen fertilizer to it.It is recommended to use a mixture of soil, turf, clay and fine sand (2:2:1) as backfill. Stones or broken bricks are placed at the bottom of the pit.
Semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties are placed at a distance of 1.5 m from each other, the gap between tall species is at least 4 m.
The seedling is watered abundantly to make it easier to remove it from the container along with the soil, then it is transferred to a hole and covered with earth.
Watering and fertilizing
Moistening the soil must be done immediately after planting Japanese pine. Next, watering is carried out taking into account weather conditions: on hot days the plant needs more moisture. On average, soil irrigation is carried out once every 7 days.
In spring and summer, if there is no precipitation, it is recommended to wash the needles in the morning or evening, washing away dust and dirt. To do this, sprinkle with warm water.
Be sure to include the application of fertilizers to the soil in the care of Japanese white pine. Mature trees independently provide themselves with all the necessary substances, and young seedlings are fed with the necessary substances for 2 years from the moment they are transferred to the soil.
To do this, complex fertilizing is applied to the tree trunk circle twice a year, calculating according to the scheme: 40 g per 1 sq. m.
Mulching and loosening
Thanks to the drainage system, soil and unpretentiousness of the plant, loosening the soil may not be necessary. This is especially true when growing Japanese pine on rocky soil.
When planting a seedling in fertile soil, loosening is carried out after watering. Fallen needles are used as mulch for the plant.
Trimming
Damaged or dry shoots are removed from Japanese pine all year round. Preventative pruning is carried out in the spring, after the formation of young branches (pine buds).
To form a crown, the buds of the seedling are pinched. This procedure provokes branching of the tree, slowing down its growth. If it is necessary to grow a miniature plant, the buds are shortened by 2/3.
Preparing for winter
Young Japanese pine seedlings need shelter to prevent death from frost. To do this, the crown and roots are covered with spruce branches, which are removed only in April. The use of covers or burlap is allowed. It is not recommended to cover young trees with film: there is a high risk of creating condensation, which will lead to premature death of the plant.
Reproduction
You can grow Japanese pine not only from seeds, but also by cuttings and grafting.
To take cuttings in the fall on a cloudy day, they are not cut, but torn off with a piece of wood and bark, processed and placed in a container for rooting.
Vaccination as a breeding procedure is rarely used. It is important to use a 4-5 year old plant as a rootstock. The scion should be 1-3 years old. The needles are removed from the cuttings, leaving only the buds on the upper part. Long shoots are pruned from the rootstock.
The grafting is carried out in the spring on last year's shoots, after the start of sap flow. In summer it is possible to graft a pine tree onto a branch of the current season.
Diseases and pests
Japanese pine, despite its ease of care and longevity, is susceptible to attack by pests, so timely preventive maintenance is important.
The appearance of a plant on the needles is a sign of pine Hermes. As a therapeutic measure, Japanese pine is treated with the drug "Actellik".
Aphids can destroy green plants within a short period of time.Small pests release toxic substances that lead to needles falling off and the death of the tree. To kill aphids, use a Karbofos solution, spraying the plant three times a month.
In the spring, Japanese pine is attacked by the scale insect. Its larvae suck the juice from the needles, so they turn yellow and fall off. To destroy the pest, irrigate the tree with Akarina solution.
A symptom of cancer in Japanese pine is a change in the color of the needles to dark red. Gradually the plant dies: the branches fall off, the tree dries out. To prevent the disease, pine is periodically treated with Zineb.
Conclusion
Japanese pine is a very decorative tree that can be grown in regions with rocky or clay soil, in cities with frosty winters. The plant is unpretentious; care consists of watering and taking preventive measures against parasites and diseases. The ability to form a crown allows the use of Japanese pine in landscape design
