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The design of any site, park, estate looks much more advantageous if black pine is used. The evergreen plant serves as an excellent backdrop for other trees and shrubs, purifies the air, creating a unique microclimate around itself. There are a large number of pine varieties that differ in appearance, growth, and characteristics. This diversity allows you to choose a species that satisfies any requests of the owners, the features of their site.
Description of black pine
Black pine, or Austrian pine, is an evergreen coniferous, wild-growing tree up to 55 meters high. Its life expectancy is 800 years. At a young age, culture has a pyramidal shape. Later it changes, taking the form of an irregularly shaped umbrella. The trunk of the plant is straight, black-gray in color, with pronounced grooves.
Young shoots are gray in color, but later darken, acquiring brown hues.
The needles of the tree are dense, bright green, shiny or matte, growing vertically. Needles – sharp, long, up to 15 cm, collected in bunches of two.
Black pine has yellow male flowers in the form of spikelets and female – brownish cones.
Cones are ovoid, brown, shiny, up to 7 cm long, arranged horizontally on short cuttings. Elongated seeds up to 6 mm in size, gray in color, ripen in them. Disclosure of cones occurs in the third year.
The roots of the tree are pivotal, powerful, go to great depths.
Pine bears its name because of the dark bark and thick needles.
Where the black pine grows
Due to its wide distribution in the mountains of Europe, black pine is also called mountain. The growth area captures the Mediterranean region, Morocco, Algeria. The plant prefers calcareous soils, found on open sunny slopes. The tree rises to a height of 1500 m. It does not like the decomposition products of mountain magma and grows poorly on them. Easily tolerates winds and drought. In lighted areas it shows good growth, forms forests.
Varieties of black pine
The variety of black pine species is so great that for any purpose you can choose a variety that successfully performs the functions of a windbreak, decoration or hedge. Pines differ in crown shape, height, diameter, color, quality of needles, and other indicators.
Pine black Nana
Represents a low – up to 3 m – decorative view with a crown in the form of a ball. The culture gives a slow growth, about 5 cm per year. The bark of this conifer is brown, with scales. The needles are hard, long, almost black. The shoots of the plant are located vertically, its roots are deep, strong.
Pine black Nana loves the light, and in the shade it can die. It also does not tolerate drought well. In adulthood, the culture is frost-resistant, but at a young age, in harsh winters with little snow, it can freeze slightly.
Pyramidalis
The black pine of this species has a narrow crown in the shape of a pyramid. It grows quickly – about 20 cm annually. The maximum height of representatives of the Pyramidalis variety is 8 m, the diameter of the crown is up to 3 m. The needles are dark green, stiff, collected in bunches of two needles. Against the background of dark bark, yellowish cones stand out noticeably. The plant is undemanding to soils, can grow on almost any soil, but gives more preference to its calcareous composition. The tree tolerates polluted, gassed air well, severe frosts, therefore it is recommended for planting in an urban environment.
Fastigiata
An ornamental variety of black pine is grafted. The crown of the tree is narrow, conical, with powerful shoots. It grows slowly, at the age of 15 it reaches 2 m in height, 0,5 m in width. At 30 years old, the plant grows 20 m.
The needles of the plant are straight, shiny in the form of panicles on short shoots, its cones are brown, in the shape of a cone. Ephedra is not picky about soil and lighting. Looks great both in group and in single plantings. Gardeners call the variety “blue candles”. In Eastern Europe, Fastigiata black pine has been in demand for more than a century and a half.
Japanese
Pine of medium height – about 25 m, common in Japanese gardens. On good soils, the tree grows up to 40 m. Its shape changes with age from conical to pyramidal. The bark of the conifer with scales and cracks, blackens at an older age.
Dark green, long needles, collected in bunches, are located at the ends of the branches of the plant. Japanese black pine loves sunny places, is tolerant of drought, and has a high seed germination.
The tree is tolerant of salty sea spray and wind, which is why it is often used to strengthen dunes.
Helga
This variety belongs to the dwarf species of black pine, with a dense crown of a conical shape. Its shoots with long bright green needles may also have white, elegant needles.
Pine grows slowly. At 10 years old, it reaches a height of 1 m and a diameter of 1,5 m. The plant is resistant to wind, but the sun’s rays can cause burns to the needles. The culture withstands rocky soil, prefers loamy soil.
Use in landscape design
More than 40 varieties of black pine provide ample opportunities to use them in creating the design of a park, alley, manor, house territory.
Compositions, in which deciduous and coniferous trees, shrubs, flowers are combined with black pines of different sizes, give any space coziness and originality.
Dwarf forms of black pine, having spherical and conical shapes, are used to decorate alpine hills, flower beds, alleys. Undersized varieties look advantageous against the background of stones, cereal and heather plantations.
For a small garden, pine trees with a height of no more than 4 m are suitable.
Tall plants are used both in individual and group plantings. It should be noted that the first years they grow slowly, and reach their maximum height at 30 years.
On a large plot, stand-alone “blue candles”, a Japanese black pine with a bizarre crown shape, look majestically. Trees can be used to delimit plots and their zones.
The use of black pines in landscape design has several advantages:
- a large selection of varieties;
- the presence of trees with different shades of needles;
- undemanding to soil and care;
- unique decoration.
Black pines are well combined with deciduous shrubs, perennial ground cover plants, primroses. The close location of conifers of this species with lilac, bird cherry birch is not welcome.
Planting and caring for black pine
Black pine is an unpretentious plant, however, to achieve a presentable appearance, knowledge of the features of its planting is necessary:
- the territory of the pine tree can be both illuminated and shaded;
- the plant is able to develop on rocky, sandy, saline soils;
- black pine does not grow well on compacted soils;
- easily tolerates air pollution;
- an adult plant has frost and drought resistance;
- in winter, branches under the weight of snow can easily break;
- the pit for the seedling must be at least 80 cm deep;
- mandatory use of drainage;
- watering a young plant should be carried out regularly;
- young seedlings need winter shelter from frost;
- feeding is carried out in the third year after planting;
- to create a beautiful dense crown, periodic pruning of shoots is necessary;
- for preventive purposes, it is worth treating black pine from diseases and pests with the help of folk remedies and chemicals.
Seedling and planting preparation
For painless engraftment of black pine after planting, it is necessary to carefully prepare the place and the seedling.
Sunny place, sandy and sandy soils are quite suitable for growing coniferous trees. In the case of heavy clay soil, good drainage will be required. It is important to determine the acidity: it should be neutral or alkaline. At high pH values, lime should be used. The site intended for pine seedlings must be carefully dug up. You should consider options for protecting pine trees from direct sunlight. Shading can be created from shields, non-woven material.
The best planting time is early spring. Black pine can be purchased at a specialty store, nursery, or grown on your own. The second method will be more laborious and time consuming. When purchasing a finished plant, you need to pay attention to several points:
- He must be at least five years old;
- needles – uniform, bright green, elastic, shiny;
- the root system should be placed in a container and covered with moist soil;
- all parts of the plant should be examined in order to detect diseases and pests.
By purchasing a black pine seedling in a nursery, the buyer receives a guarantee of the purity of the variety and detailed advice on planting methods, the subtleties of care.
Rules of landing
The seedling will need a planting hole, which is prepared before the plant is delivered. Its size should be one and a half times the clod of earth with which the tree is transplanted. If the pine has a height of up to 70 cm, then a pit size of 60 by 60 cm and a depth of about 70 cm will suffice. For taller plants, the pit increases by another 10 cm in all respects.
If the site has heavy soil, sand mixed with earth is poured into the bottom of the pit, drainage is laid on top, which can be used as expanded clay, broken brick, pebbles. If drainage is laid, then the landing pit is pre-deepened by another 20-30 cm.
In advance, it is worth preparing a soil mixture consisting of sand and fertile soil, pour it into a slide at the bottom of the planting pit, and then pour at least two buckets of water there.
A black pine seedling in a container must be soaked abundantly and carefully freed from it. Put the plant together with an earthen clod in the center of the hole, fill all the remaining voids with soil mixture. Next, tamp the soil around the trunk so that the root neck (the place where the trunk passes into the roots) is at ground level. If it is too deep, rotting and death of the plant is possible. After planting, water the plant from a watering can so as not to erode the soil and mulch the trunk circle. If necessary, it is worth shading the black pine, making a support to avoid damage during the wind.
Watering and top dressing
When growing black pine, special attention should be paid to watering. Despite the drought tolerance of the plant, there are periods when it needs additional moisture. These include the time after planting or transplanting, when the seedling needs to take root, fix the roots and begin development in new conditions. Excessive dampness of the soil also harms the young plant, so watering the black pine at this time should be regular, but metered, based on the condition of the soil.
To prepare for wintering, abundant watering of pines in the autumn is recommended. Wet soil will give moisture to the roots, and those, in turn, to the needles, which will avoid burning it in early spring.
The rest of the time, adult plants do not need additional watering: they have enough precipitation. The exception is cases of extremely high temperatures and lack of precipitation.
Greater than drought, the danger for black pine is excessive moisture, stagnant water in the ground, which should be avoided even when planting.
Mulching and loosening
Black pine is an unpretentious tree that does not require constant care. For the first time after planting, the plant is regularly weeded and the soil is moistened. Subsequent shallow loosening opens the access of oxygen to the root system.
Mulching the soil around the plant helps to keep moisture and protect the near-stem circle from weeds. Pine needles, crushed bark, coniferous humus are used as mulch. You should not use fresh sawdust as this, as they acidify the soil and can contribute to the introduction of harmful bacteria. Mulch gradually rots and turns into fertilizer. Periodically, it is replenished to a layer of 10 – 15 cm. In preparation for winter, it is worth increasing it further so that the roots of the young seedling do not freeze out and the plant overwinter successfully.
Trimming
The formation of the black pine crown can be started one year after planting. In order for a tree to be healthy, it needs sanitary pruning, during which old, dry branches are removed.
Pruning allows you to shape the tree, make it more beautiful, give the desired shape to the hedge. The procedure is recommended when the plant height is not more than 170 cm. After the crown grows, pruning is complicated due to large branches, as well as the possibility of stress on the plant, up to its death – with a large loss of green mass.
When pruning black pine, the following rules should be observed:
- carry out the procedure at the time the shoots appear, when there are “candles”, but the needles on them have not yet blossomed;
- use garden shears with long sharp disinfected blades;
- start processing from the top of the pine, separately cutting off the skeletal branches;
- you can not cut the shoots on the needles: in this case, the needles will turn yellow;
- pruning sites must be treated with copper sulphate, and large sections with garden pitch;
- in one operation it is not recommended to remove more than a third of the green mass.
Pruning can be done for decorative purposes to create hedges. In this case, the crown retains a pyramidal or other shape, giving it greater clarity, and the plant itself – density and fluffiness.
Pruning black pine allows you to rejuvenate an old tree. For this you need:
- In order to awaken dormant buds in the autumn, cut off the ends of bare branches.
- Delete the oldest branches.
- After pruning, leave needles on the shoots.
Such pruning of black pine is carried out no more than once every three years.
Preparation for winter
Preparing the plant for winter should begin with top dressing. Already in August, nitrogen fertilizers should not be used, it is better to focus on phosphorus-potassium fertilizers so that a new growth of black pines has time to ripen, and their roots have strengthened.
During the end of the autumn leaf fall, it is necessary to moisten the near-stem circle of the plant well to the width of the crown. This will enable the tree to successfully overwinter in any conditions.
Additional mulching with a layer of about 15 cm is another factor in successful wintering.
During snowfalls, freezing rains, damage to branches, tops of black pine is possible. To avoid this, tying the pyramidal crowns of low pines is recommended in a spiral, without tightening the twine tightly.
Stones can be placed under undersized forms to prevent deformation.
Support in the form of stakes will help fix small plants.
At the end of autumn, a complex treatment of plants from pests and diseases is carried out using fungicides, insecticides, and acaricides.
Winter shelter of black pines is built to avoid burns. Screens or shields are installed on the south side of the trees, so that with a temporary increase in temperature, the pines do not come out of dormancy. You can use gauze or burlap covers that can let in part of the sunlight and air. The use of polyethylene as a covering material is contraindicated, since the crown can rot under such conditions. They remove shelters from conifers after thawing the soil.
Reproduction
Black pine can be grown on your site by sowing seeds. It is believed that this is the most reliable method, since propagation by cuttings does not give a positive result. With the help of grafting, it is possible to breed some types of black pine, but there is no 100% guarantee.
To grow a seedling yourself, you must:
- In autumn, collect black pine cones, dry them, remove the seeds.
- Sowing should be carried out in autumn in open ground or in spring – in boxes.
- Before sowing, the seeds should be stratified – kept at a low refrigerator temperature for two months.
- Prepare boxes, pots, containers with drainage holes in the bottom.
- Fill the containers with fertile soil, sprinkled with peat on top.
- Spread the seeds of black pine on the surface at a distance of 5 mm from each other, without deepening them, sprinkle a little with soil.
- Water moderately.
- Maintain temperature around 20 oC.
- Transplanting into open ground should be carried out only next spring.
Pests and diseases of black pine
Diseases affect black pines due to environmental pollution, the appearance of a source of infection, and pests. Viruses and fungi most often accumulate in the litter. The litter of needles contains a lot of bacteria that cause plant diseases:
- rust – when fungi infect needles, bark, and easily move from conifers to other trees;
- rust cancer, which infects young pine shoots, and after a few years orange bubbles form on them, filled with a large number of spores;
- pine spinner, in which the shoots bend and the top dies off;
- scleroderriosis, making the needles brown, sagging, falling asleep and crumbling;
- bark necrosis – when the tops of the shoots die off, starting from the top, while the needles turn red, dry out, may not fall off for a long time;
- schütte – a fungal disease in which the color changes and the needles die off; the affected plant usually dies.
For the prevention and treatment of black pine diseases, planting material should be carefully selected, plants should be thinned in time, sprayed with fungicidal solutions, and sanitary pruned in a timely manner.
Black pine has many pests:
- hermes;
- bed bug;
- aphid;
- shield;
- spider mite;
- pine owl.
For pest control, special preparations are used: Decis, Aktara, Engio, Confidor, Mospilan and others.
Conclusion
Black pine not only has an attractive appearance, but is also an inexhaustible natural source of bioactive substances. She has so many varieties that it is not difficult to find a plant with certain parameters. Dwarf forms and large trees of this species will definitely take their place in home gardens, parks and squares. With proper care, the pine does not get sick, develops well and will delight more than one generation with its appearance.
