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Regardless of fashion, dwarf trees are very popular for decorating private gardens. Even on large plots there is a front area where the owners try to plant all the best and most beautiful. The Pumilio mountain pine is a low-growing coniferous plant that invariably draws attention to itself. 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 culture becomes desirable in every area.
Description of pine mugo Pumilio
Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) is a species belonging to the genus Pine (Pinus), which in turn is part of the Pine family (Pinaceae). It has a vast range, there are two geographical races and several natural forms. One of the subspecies is 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 the Balkans, climbing up to 2600 m above sea level. There she lives up to 1500-200 years.
The plant is a slow-growing shrub, forming a flat-round crown with densely spaced branches of different lengths. 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 exceeded the mark of 30 years, 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 adding in volume.
The culture is slow growing. The average size of an adult Pumilio mountain pine plant up to 30 years old is more than modest – the crown diameter is about 1,2-1,5. The height at this age is almost never more than 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.
Pumilio’s needles are green, sharp, collected in bunches of 2 pieces, very short for pine – 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 kidneys are large, well 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 the weather.
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.
Pumilio mountain pine in landscape design
Before planting Pumilio mountain pine on the site, you need to consider a few points. Although this is a dwarf, slow-growing culture, over time the bush will reach 1 m, and after 30 years – 1,5 m. It is difficult to transplant an adult mountain pine, and the old one may not survive the operation at all.
We are not talking about a container culture grown in a special container for the very purpose that a conifer of any age can be placed on the site. There the root is injured minimally.
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. To do it yourself, not only is it difficult, but amateurs will still make a lot of mistakes, and can destroy the pine tree. So you will have to invite a highly qualified specialist, but he will take an expensive job.
So a flower bed, rockery or rock garden should “dance” around a mountain pine, and not vice versa. That is, as the bush grows, it will remain in place, and the site will be re-planned, and some crops will be replaced by others. Perhaps the design will change dramatically. If the owners love change, it will be a joy for them. The rest should think everything over in advance.
Perhaps you should plant a mountain pine in the background and surround it with creeping roses of conifers, beautiful ground covers. When Pumilio grows up, she will not have to be moved, and the crops can be changed to larger ones.
This mountain pine is perfect for planting in the stalls (front area), rocky gardens, terraces, exquisite flower beds. But it is rarely and neatly placed as part of landscape groups. And Pumilio is absolutely not suitable for the role of a tapeworm – other plants should emphasize its beauty. And planted singly or in a group on the lawn, it will simply be lost – the pine needles are green, and the bush will merge with the grass.
Planting and caring for Pumilio mountain pine
If the site is chosen correctly, planting and caring for the Pumilio mountain pine mugo will not cause much trouble. First of all, it should be remembered that the culture grows in the mountains, therefore, it prefers moderately fertile, well-drained soils and a sunny position. Pumilio will favorably treat stony inclusions, but will not tolerate soil that is blocking or dense, and will die if groundwater is close to standing or permanently blocked in the root area.
Seedling and planting preparation
The best time to plant mountain pine is spring in regions with a cold or temperate climate, autumn and all winter in the south. Container grown Pumilio can be placed on the lot 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 there is black soil or imported soil on the site, the substrate for planting mountain pine will have to be prepared independently. To do this, mix turfy soil, sand, clay. If necessary, add 200-300 g of lime to the planting hole. Under the Pumilio pine, 100-150 g of nitroammophoska or a bucket of leaf humus are added.
A landing hole is dug such that a drainage layer of gravel or stones of at least 20 cm can fit there, and a pine root. The width should be 1,5-2 times the volume of the earthen coma. The standard size of the pit for planting Pumilio can be considered a depth of about 70 cm, a diameter of 1,5 m.
When choosing seedlings, you need to be guided by the following rules:
- Preference is given to pines grown in local nurseries.
- The projection of the crown of a dug out mountain pine should be less than an earthen clod.
- A container-grown plant should not have roots sticking out through the drainage hole.
- Never buy a seedling with a bare root.
Naturally, the branches should be flexible, the needles should be fresh and fragrant, without signs of disease. Overdrying an 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 overdried, or had already died altogether. If the buyer is not sure that he can independently determine the quality of a plant with red tips of needles, it is better to refuse a seedling.
Preparing Pumilio mountain pine for planting is to keep the root system moderately moist.
Rules of landing
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. Landing is done in the following sequence:
- They take out part of the substrate from the pit.
- Set the seedling in the center. The root neck of the mountain pine should be at ground level.
- They fall asleep with an earthen clod, constantly crushing the soil.
- Pumilio seedlings are watered.
- The soil under the pine is mulched with the bark of conifers, peat or completely rotted wood waste.
Watering and top dressing
Mountain pine Pumilio is a highly drought tolerant crop. It needs to be watered regularly only the first month after planting, if it was carried out in the fall, and until the end of the season, when earthworks were carried out in the spring.
An important element of care is autumn moisture charging. In order for the culture to overwinter safely, and a frost hole does not form on the bark, in the dry autumn the mountain pine is abundantly watered several times – the soil must be saturated with moisture to a great depth.
In nature, pine grows on very poor soils, and mountain pine grows on stones in general. Pumilio is not a variety, but a subspecies, that is, taken from nature without significant cultivation. She does not need regular feeding, except for the first years, until she fully takes root.
If everything is in order with the mountain pine, it does not get sick and is rarely affected by pests, top dressing 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 conscientious producers.
If starter fertilizer has been added to the planting hole, the owners can be calm. Mountain pine does not need to be fed an additional 2-3 years.
A completely different matter is foliar top dressing. Experienced gardeners never refuse them, but simply set aside a day every 2 weeks to spray all crops. Ephedra respond well to the chelate complex. Pumilio mountain pine has green needles, so an additional dose of magnesium sulfate is useful for it.
Foliar top dressing supplies the plant with trace elements that are poorly absorbed through the root. They increase the pine’s own immunity, increase decorativeness, and reduce the negative impact of urban ecology.
Mulching and loosening
It is necessary to loosen the soil only the first time after landing. After 1-2 years, the operation is replaced by mulching – this is more useful for mountain pine. So 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 Pumilio mountain pine is not necessary. Sanitary is carried out before the opening of the kidneys, 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.
Preparation for winter
If species trees of mountain pine winter well in the third zone, then Pumilio is more frost-resistant, and endures 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, shelters are also being built for the second season. In zone 2, it is desirable to insulate Pumilio mountain pine until the age of 10, taking into account the years that she 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 propagation method usually ends in failure even in nurseries. For lovers, a twig can take root only by accident.
Particularly rare varieties, to which Pumilio does not belong, are propagated by vaccination. But this is such a complicated operation that not every cattery has a specialist of the proper level. Fans of this operation is better not to take.
Pumilio is a subspecies (form) of mountain pine. It can be propagated by seeds, while maternal traits cannot be lost for the simple reason that this is not a variety. In addition, planting material can be collected independently.
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 themselves, if possible, the cones are simply left on the tree until spring.
First, the seeds are sown in a light substrate, keep it moist until germination. Then the seedlings dive into a separate container. Planted in a permanent place at the age of 5.
Diseases and pests
Pumilio pine is a healthy plant that, with proper care and the absence of overflows, rarely causes problems. Possible pests include:
- pine hermes;
- aphid pine;
- common pine shield;
- mealybug;
- pine owl.
Insecticides are used to kill insects.
Most often, the Pumilio mountain pine suffers from resin cancer. Many problems are brought to the culture by overflows and locking soil – the resulting rot is difficult to treat, especially root ones. At the first sign of the disease, Pumilio mountain pine should be treated with a fungicide.
To avoid problems, it is necessary to do preventive treatments, and regularly inspect the bush.
Conclusion
Pumilio mountain pine is a beautiful, healthy crop. Its small size and slow growth make it attractive for use in landscape design. This pine is undemanding and hardy and can be planted in low maintenance gardens.