How to grow pine trees from seeds

Coniferous trees in their natural environment reproduce generatively. It is possible to transfer a young tree from the forest to the site, but there is a serious problem. Even with all the planting rules, evergreen trees from the wild practically do not take root in a new place. The best option is to grow a pine cone at home or purchase a seedling from a nursery.

Is it possible to grow a pine cone

Pine is an evergreen perennial plant. More than 16 varieties of culture grow in Our Country. The main distribution is in Siberia, the Far East, the Crimea and the North Caucasus. They differ from each other in growth and structure of the crown. High-growing species reach up to 40 m in height, medium species with a spreading crown – up to 10-15 m. And dwarf elfins, which are found mostly on rocky terrain – up to 1 m. Selection species are used for landscape design. It is unlikely that it will be possible to grow a tree from a hybrid pine cone with the appearance of a mother plant; plants rarely produce full-fledged material with the preservation of varietal characteristics.

To grow a coniferous culture from a cone, you need to know the variety of the plant that you want to plant on the site. There are varieties in which the seeds ripen for 2 years, in others the material for planting is ready by the end of autumn. To collect cones, it is not necessary to go to the forest, they can also be collected in the park. For landscaping megacities, varieties of wild plants adapted to the urban microclimate are used.

To plant a pine from a forest cone, seedlings are taken from an adult tree only after the scales open – this is a sign of the maturity of the planting material.

What do pine seeds look like

Coniferous culture does not bloom, immediately forms male and female strobili. During the formation of young shoots, two brown spherical formations are noted at their ends. This is the first stage of the cone, during the summer the cone grows, changes color to green, by autumn it becomes the size of a pea. Next spring, the growth of the cone continues, it is quite intense, by the end of the seasonal growing season the cone grows up to 8 cm. In the 2nd year of growth, the cone matures completely by winter. What does pine seedling look like:

• round shape, length – 10 cm, volume – 4 cm;
• the surface is bumpy, large scales are tightly pressed;
• color – dark brown.

On the third spring after formation, when the weather is fully restored, the cones begin to dry and open, pine seeds lie on scales of 2 pcs. External characteristic:

• shape ovoid, elongated, length – 3 mm;
• the surface is unprotected (bare);
• equipped with a wing 3 times larger;
• color – light brown or black, beige wing.

Pine propagation by seeds is possible after the material has matured. If the cone has fallen to the ground, the scales are pressed tightly and there are no signs of opening – it is not fully ripe, the seed will not sprout.

How long do pine seeds ripen

The ripening period of pine seeds depends on the type of crop. Strobili are formed with an embryo in early May. The planting material ripens along with the growth of the cone. In some species, the material ripens by the end of August, and remains in the cone for the winter. In the spring, at the beginning of the growing season, when the snow has completely melted and the soil is moist enough for germination, the cones open or fall off and the seeds scatter.

For other species, before the material is ready, it takes 18 months to grow a coniferous tree. If pollination took place in the spring, the seeds ripen only by the next autumn, remain in the cone for the winter, and scatter in the spring. In any case, the guideline is the opening of the scales.

How and when to collect pine cones for seeds

In order to grow pine from seeds at home, in advance in a forest or park, you need to choose an adult tree, under the crown of which there are old cones. This is a sign that the plant has entered reproductive age and is intensively forming planting material. For some time it will be necessary to observe the vegetation of seedlings, a mature cone is dark brown, with stiff scales.

The collection of pine seeds is carried out in late autumn, before the onset of frost. Mature cones are removed from the intended tree. If they are fully opened, there is no guarantee that the seeds have not crumbled. They take voluminous seedlings, where the scales have slightly moved, it does not fit snugly. You can collect from the ground or remove from the branches a few cones in varying degrees of openness, carefully put them in a bag and bring them home.

How to grow a pine cone

To grow a tree, it is necessary to extract the seeds from the brought seedlings. It is recommended to spread the fabric and shake the bumps over it. Seeds should easily separate from the scales, if this does not happen, the cones are not fully ripe.

For artificial ripening of planting material, seedlings are placed in a paper bag and placed next to the heater. The temperature should not exceed +40⁰ C. If the material is from different pines, it will be put into different bags. Periodically, the cones are shaken, the ripened seeds crumble.

Not all seeds will be able to grow pine, planting material is selected. Water is poured into the container and the seeds are placed in it, a part sinks to the bottom, it is not difficult to grow a pine tree out of them, the hollow ones remain on the surface, they will not sprout.

seed Processing

It is possible to grow a coniferous tree on the site only from pre-treated seeds. Sequencing:

1. After selecting the seeds, they are dried.
2. Remove wings.
3. Rinse in running water to remove residual ester compounds from the surface.
4. Spread a thin layer on a napkin, dry.
5. Soak for 40 minutes in a 5% manganese solution.

Then take it out and lay it out to dry.

Stratification of seeds at home

Planting pine from seeds will become more effective if the material is stratified. This is an artificially created environment in which planting material is in the soil in winter. Growing a tree from hardened material will be much easier, germination after stratification is 100%. Several methods are offered. First way:

• sterilize a glass jar in the oven;
• let it cool down;
• pour out the material;
• close the lid;
• placed in the freezer until planting, approximately 2,5 months.

The second way:

• a small indentation is made on the site;
• put a layer of dry straw on the bottom;
• the material is placed in a canvas or paper bag, placed on a straw;
• top covered with a layer of sawdust;
• covered with a wooden board and covered with snow.

The third way:

• seeds are mixed with wet sand and sawdust;
• the mixture is poured into a container, covered;
• lowered into the basement;
• left until landing.

The latter method is convenient in that there is no need to germinate pine seeds at home; by spring, they will sprout in the basement on their own.

Soil preparation and planting capacity

You can grow pine at home by planting seeds in containers, in mini-greenhouses, or directly into the ground in a designated place. Direct fit is suitable for Southern regions. In temperate climates, a pine seedling is pre-grown from seed, then transferred to the site.

Tanks are taken in large sizes if you need to grow a lot of seedlings for mass planting. Side holes are made in containers to aerate the root system. The soil for a coniferous tree is light, it is difficult to grow a culture on a loamy tree. If the composition is not sandy on the site, it is facilitated by the introduction of river sand.

It is not recommended to fill the soil in containers with the addition of organic matter. It will not work to grow planting material, the seedling will die from excess nitrogen. Mineral fertilizers are added to the containers.

Pine seed sowing rate

You can grow seedlings in several ways:

1. Using the narrow belt method, where the width of the tape is 15 cm, seedlings with a well-developed root system will be obtained.
2. Multi-line – planting in several parallel lines with a minimum approximation of plants. The planting method is used in small areas to obtain a significant number of seedlings.
3. In one row (ordinary), the result should be 100 sprouts per 1 m. After germination, the shoots are thinned out. It is more productive to grow seedlings by this method, they use row planting in nurseries to sell seedlings.

In any case, the sowing rate of pine seeds will be the same per 1 ha – 60 kg. To decorate a personal plot, they calculate 2 g per 1 m. To grow seedlings in a container, the minimum calculation for one seed is 200 g of soil, the optimal one is 500 g.

How to plant pine seeds

You can grow seedlings in a greenhouse or container, the layout is the same. Planting pine seeds at home begins at the end of winter. Direct planting in the ground is carried out in the spring. Before sowing, the material is germinated:

• placed on one side of the wet cloth;
• cover with the second part;
• determined to a bright place;
• constantly moisturize.

After 5 days, sprouts will appear.

How to grow seedlings in containers:

1. They fill up the soil, leaving 15 cm of free space to the top.
2. Make longitudinal furrows 2,5 cm deep.
3. Carefully, so as not to damage the sprouts, lay out the seeds, with an interval of 1 cm.
4. Cover with glass, clean in heat.

After 14 days, shoots will appear, the glass is removed.

If the goal is to grow seedlings in a greenhouse:

1. They dig a trench 20 cm wide, deep – on a shovel bayonet.
2. The earth is mixed with sand and soddy soil.
3. Fill the trench.
4. Furrows are made 3 cm deep.
5. Fall asleep, moisturize.

Work is carried out after thawing of the soil. Shoots will appear in 3 weeks.

If the goal is to grow a coniferous perennial by direct planting, the seed placement pattern is the same as in a greenhouse. Work is carried out in the spring, in the southern regions you can bookmark it in the summer or before winter.

As a decorative option, you can grow a pine tree by planting a cone in a flower pot. Place it sideways or vertically. The cone is half covered with soil and covered with moss. Sprouts are formed from the scales of the cone. In summer, the pot is taken out to the veranda in the shade, and returned to the room for the winter.

Seed care

You can grow pine from seeds subject to the conditions of agricultural technology:

• after laying, watering is carried out every day until shoots appear;
• young shoots are watered every day for a week;
• then watering is replaced by spray irrigation;
• apply fertilizers with a special composition for coniferous crops;
• treated with a fungicide.

When the seedlings grow up to 10 cm, they are thinned out, the weak ones with a twisted trunk and with bare shoots without needles are harvested.

Optimal conditions for growing pine from seeds at home

Seedlings can be grown only if the temperature regime is observed, it should not be higher than +23⁰ C and only in natural light. Special lamps to grow a young pine are not used. The greenhouse is ventilated, as is the room where the containers are located.

It is possible to grow seedlings only if the air is not overdried. In winter, central heating reduces humidity to a minimum. It is recommended, along with spraying, to place the containers in a tray of water or to place a wide cup of water next to it. When the weather settles at a positive mark, the containers are taken out to the area in partial shade. The film cover is removed from the greenhouse.

Transplanting a seedling in open ground

It is possible to grow a coniferous tree only from a 4-year-old seedling. The seedling is transferred to the place of subsequent growth in March, when the soil has warmed up to +12⁰ C, and the culture obtained from the cone is dormant. Work sequence:

1. The soil is moistened, with the help of a shovel the plant is removed from the soil.
2. If you dug up several pieces, they are carefully separated so as not to damage the root.
3. A landing recess is made along the height of the root to the neck, with a width of 25 cm.
4. Drainage is placed at the bottom, fine gravel is suitable.
5. The plant is placed in the center, covered with soil.

After 3 years, the pine is transplanted. If the trees are located in one line, 1 m is left between them.

Conclusion

It is not so difficult to grow a pine from a cone, but it is quite time-consuming. It is necessary to choose the right buds, get the material from them and follow the recommendations for planting and care. Seedlings are placed on the site to grow coniferous crops only after 4-5 years. After 3 years, they will have to re-transplant, weak plants will die, strong seedlings will remain from which it will not be difficult to grow an adult tree.