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Regardless of fashion, dwarf trees are very popular when decorating private gardens. Even on large plots there is a front area where the owners try to plant the best and most beautiful things. Mountain pine Pumilio is a low-growing coniferous plant that invariably attracts glances. If we add that the tree is easy to care for, and it lives for a long time, since it is not a variety, but a subspecies, then the crop becomes desirable in every area.
Description of mugo pine Pumilio
Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) is a species belonging to the genus Pine (Pinus), in turn, part of the Pine family (Pinaceae). It has a wide range, with two geographical races and several natural forms. One of the subspecies is the Mountain Pumilio Pine (Pinus mugo var. Pumilio), which in America is called Swiss.
The culture grows in the mountains of Eastern and Central Europe, most often in the Alps, Carpathians and Balkans, climbing up to 2600 m above sea level. There she lives up to 1500-200 years.
The plant is a slow-growing shrub that forms a flat-round crown with densely spaced branches of different lengths.The shoots are directed horizontally, young ones are greenish, old ones are grayish-brown. The bark cracks with age and becomes covered with dark brown, almost black scales.
The old mountain pine Pumilio, which has passed the 30-year mark, reaches a height of 1.5 m with a crown diameter of 3 m. After a certain age, it practically does not grow in height, gradually increasing in volume.
The culture is slow-growing. The average size of an adult plant of mountain pine Pumilio up to 30 years is more than modest - the crown diameter is about 1.2-1.5. The height at this age almost never exceeds 0.9-1 m. Unless you overfeed the bush with nitrogen, but this will weaken the conifer, sharply reduce frost resistance, and can cause its death.
The needles of Pumilio are green, sharp, collected in bunches of 2 pieces, very short for a pine tree - only 3-8 cm. The needles vary greatly in length, but more often their size is closer to the lower border, the smallest are located at the ends of the shoots. The buds are large and clearly visible.
Pumilio begins to bloom and bear fruit at the age of 6 to 10 years. The opening of the anthers occurs at a time when the leaves of other trees have not yet fully blossomed. So the exact flowering time depends on the region and weather.
The cones are located on very short petioles, almost sessile, 2-5 cm long. The shape is ovoid-rounded, the upper shield on the scales is noticeably protruding, the lower one is concave. Young cones are bluish to purple in color. They ripen around November of the year following pollination, and the color varies from yellowish to dark brown.
Mountain pine Pumilio in landscape design
Before planting Pumilio mountain pine on your property, you need to consider several points.Although this is a dwarf, slow-growing crop, over time the bush will reach 1 m, and after 30 years - 1.5 m. It is difficult to replant an adult mountain pine, and an old one may not survive the operation.
We are not talking about a container culture, grown in a special container precisely for the purpose of allowing conifers of any age to be placed on the site. There the root is minimally injured.
Of course, you can also transplant an adult mountain pine. But this is done with a specially prepared root system, or a frozen earthen lump, that is, in winter. Doing it yourself is not only difficult, but amateurs will also make a lot of mistakes and could destroy the pine tree. So you will have to invite a highly qualified specialist, but he will charge a lot for the work.
So the flowerbed, rock garden or rock garden should “dance” around the mountain pine, and not vice versa. That is, as the bush grows, it will remain in place, and the area will be redeveloped, and some crops will be replaced by others. Perhaps the design will change radically. If the owners love change, they will be happy about it. The rest should think everything through in advance.
It might be worth planting a mountain pine in the background and surrounding it with creeping rose conifers, beautiful ground covers. When Pumilio grows, it will not have to be moved, and the crops can be replaced with larger ones.
This mountain pine is perfect for planting in the parterre (front area), rocky gardens, terraces, and exquisite flower beds. But it is rarely and carefully placed as part of landscape groups. And Pumilio is absolutely not suitable for the role of tapeworm - its beauty should be emphasized by other plants.But planted singly or in a group on the lawn, it will simply get lost - the pine needles are green, and the bush will merge with the grass.
Planting and caring for mountain pine Pumilio
If the site is selected correctly, planting and caring for the Pumilio mountain mugo pine will not cause much trouble. First of all, it should be remembered that the crop grows in the mountains, therefore, it prefers moderately fertile, well-drained soils and a sunny position. Pumilio will respond favorably to rocky inclusions, but will not tolerate soil that becomes soggy or dense, and will die if groundwater is close or is constantly soaked in the root area.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
The best time to plant mountain pine is spring in regions with cold or temperate climates, autumn and all winter in the south. Pumilio grown in a container can be placed on the site at any time. But in the south it is better to postpone the operation in the summer until the onset of steadily cool weather.
If the site has black soil or imported soil, the substrate for planting mountain pine will have to be prepared independently. To do this, mix turf soil, sand, and clay. If necessary, add 200-300 g of lime to the planting hole. Under the Pumilio pine, add 100-150 g of nitroammophoska or a bucket of leaf humus.
The planting hole is dug such that a drainage layer of gravel or stones of at least 20 cm and a pine root can fit there. The width should be 1.5-2 times the volume of the earthen clod. The standard pit size for planting Pumilio can be considered to be about 70 cm deep and 1.5 m in diameter.
When choosing seedlings, you should be guided by the following rules:
- Preference is given to pine trees grown in local nurseries.
- The crown projection of the excavated mountain pine should be smaller than the earthen clod.
- Plants grown in containers should not have roots sticking out through the drainage hole.
- Never buy a bare root seedling.
Naturally, the branches should be flexible, the needles should be fresh and fragrant, without signs of disease. Over-drying of the earthen coma is unacceptable, despite the fact that pine is a drought-resistant crop. While Pumilio is in the container, it should be watered regularly!
Pine trees are often sold with dry, yellow or brown needle tips. This is a sign of trouble - Pumilio was sick, was too dry, or had already died altogether. If the buyer is not sure that he can independently determine the quality of a plant with red needle tips, it is better to refuse the seedling.
Preparing mountain pine Pumilio for planting involves maintaining the root system in a moderately moist state.
Landing rules
The process of planting mountain pine Pumilio differs little from other coniferous crops. The pit is prepared at least 2 weeks in advance, drainage is laid, 70% filled with substrate and filled with water. Planting is done in the following sequence:
- Take out part of the substrate from the pit.
- Place the seedling in the center. The root collar of a mountain pine should be at ground level.
- They fall asleep with an earthen ball, constantly compacting the soil.
- Watering the Pumilio seedling.
- The soil under the pine tree is mulched with conifer bark, peat or completely rotted wood waste.
Watering and fertilizing
Mountain pine Pumilio is a very drought-resistant crop. It needs to be watered regularly only for the first month after planting, if it was carried out in the fall, and until the end of the season, when excavation work was carried out in the spring.
An important element of care is autumn moisture recharging. In order for the crop to safely overwinter and to prevent frost damage from forming on the bark, in the dry autumn the mountain pine is watered abundantly several times - the soil must be saturated with moisture to a great depth.
In nature, pine grows on very poor soils, while mountain pine generally grows on rocks. Pumilio is not a variety, but a subspecies, that is, taken from nature without significant cultivation. It does not need regular feeding, except perhaps in the first years, until it has completely taken root.
If everything is in order with the mountain pine, it does not get sick and is rarely affected by pests, fertilizing is done until the age of 10, and then it is stopped. It should be borne in mind that seedlings younger than 4-5 years old are not allowed for sale by bona fide producers.
If starter fertilizer has been added to the planting hole, the owners can rest easy. Mountain pine does not need to be fed for an additional 2-3 years.
Foliar feeding is a completely different matter. Experienced gardeners never refuse them, but simply set aside a day every 2 weeks to spray all crops. Conifers respond well to the chelate complex. Mountain pine Pumilio has green needles, so it benefits from an additional dose of magnesium sulfate.
Foliar feeding supplies the plant with microelements that are poorly absorbed through the root.They increase the pine’s own immunity, increase its decorative value, and reduce the negative impact of urban ecology.
Mulching and loosening
You only need to loosen the soil for the first time after planting. After 1-2 years, the operation is replaced with mulching - this is more beneficial for mountain pine. This way, the roots of Pumilio are not injured, a favorable microclimate is created, and the top layer of soil is protected from drying out.
Trimming
Formative pruning of mountain Pumilio pine is not necessary. Sanitation is carried out before the buds begin to open, removing all dry and broken branches. In this case, special attention should be paid to the inside of the crown so that there are no dead shoots left there.
Preparing for winter
If the species mountain pine trees winter well in the third zone, then Pumilio is more frost-resistant and can tolerate 46 ° C without shelter. But we are talking about an adult, well-rooted plant.
In the first year after planting, mountain pine is covered with spruce branches or white agrofibre, and the soil is mulched with a layer of at least 7-10 cm, in all regions. The exception is those where the temperature remains positive all winter.
In cold regions, shelter is also built for the second season. In zone 2, it is advisable to insulate the Pumilio mountain pine until it is 10 years old, taking into account the years that it spent in the nursery, that is, no more than 5 winters after planting.
Reproduction of mountain pine Pumilio
Despite the fact that the Internet is replete with articles describing pine cuttings, this method of propagation usually ends in failure even in nurseries. For amateurs, a twig can take root only by accident.
Particularly rare varieties, to which Pumilio does not belong, are propagated by grafting. But this is such a complex operation that not every nursery has a specialist of the appropriate level.Amateurs should not undertake this operation.
Pumilio is a subspecies (form) of mountain pine. It can be propagated by seeds, but the maternal characteristics cannot be lost for the simple reason that this is not a variety. In addition, planting material can be collected independently.
The seeds ripen in the second year after pollination, around November. After stratification for 4-5 months, about 35% of the seeds germinate. In order not to create problems for yourself, if possible, the cones are simply left on the tree until spring.
First, the seeds are sown in a light substrate and kept moist until germination. Then the seedlings are dropped into a separate container. They are planted in a permanent place at 5 years of age.
Diseases and pests
Pumilio pine is a healthy plant, with which, if properly cared for and without overwatering, problems rarely arise. Possible pests include:
- pine Hermes;
- pine aphids;
- common pine scale insect;
- mealybug;
- pine cutworm.
Insecticides are used to kill insects.
The mountain pine Pumilio most often suffers from resin cancer. Overwatering and soaking soil cause many problems to the crop - the resulting rot is difficult to treat, especially root rot. At the first signs of the disease, mountain pine Pumilio should be treated with a fungicide.
To avoid problems, it is necessary to do preventive treatments and regularly inspect the bush.
Conclusion
Mountain pine Pumilio is a beautiful, healthy crop. Its small size and slow growth make it attractive for use in landscape design. This pine is undemanding and resilient and can be planted in low-maintenance gardens.
