Scots pine, or medicine tree, producing amber. Where do pine trees grow? What kind of pines grow
Siberian pine (Siberian cedar)
, or Siberian cedar- a tall evergreen slender tree up to 40 m tall and up to 2 m in trunk diameter. Much more commonly known as cedar pine or Siberian cedar. The crown is ovoid, dense, the bark at a young age is gray, smooth, in older trees it is fissured. The needles are collected in bunches of 5 pieces, 6-13 cm long, dense, prickly, dark green, with light stomatal stripes, stored on the tree for 3-5 years. The cones are large, up to 13 cm long, and ripen in the second year after flowering. Seeds are 10-14 mm long and 6-10 mm wide, with a woody skin.
Distributed from the northern regions of Mongolia to the Arctic Circle. For the most part, the pine range covers the territory of Siberia and only slightly extends beyond Ural Mountains, to the European part of Russia. Prefers rich loamy and well-drained rocky and gravelly soils on mountain slopes, and is quite tolerant of swampy soils. In a significant part of its range it grows on soils with permafrost, but despite this, it does not tolerate frozen horizons and groundwater close to the surface. In Altai and the Sayan Mountains, Siberian pine grows high in the mountains, reaching 2400 m above vp. seas. It achieves its greatest productivity on well-drained alluvial soils of river valleys and on deep soils on gentle slopes. Winter hardiness 1. Non-drought resistant. Moderately gas resistant. In the first 10-15 years it is shade-tolerant, then the need for light increases. During the first 60-80 years it grows slowly, later the growth increases noticeably. Durability up to 500 years. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 20-70 years.
It blooms in Novosibirsk at the end of May. The seeds ripen in September. It bears fruit once every 3-4 years. The seed yield is 48-50% of the total mass of cones. There are about 2 thousand seeds in one kilogram. In good years, you can get up to 100 cones from one tree; more often there are 25-30 of them and they are concentrated mainly at the top of the crown.
Propagated by seeds. It is preferable to sow in spring after preliminary cold stratification for 4-6 months. Shoots appear 5-6 weeks after sowing. To speed up the onset of fruiting, grafting of fruiting branches onto young plants is used.
The economic importance of Siberian pine is enormous due to its valuable wood and pine nuts. Lately, cedar has been frequently used in green building. Beautiful slender trees look great both in single and group plantings. They are of particular interest when creating gardens and parks.
“Pine nuts” contain up to 60-70% oil and 20% proteins, which are well absorbed by the human body and give it strength and vigor, improve metabolism, and nourish a body exhausted by disease. Nuts contain many microelements and B vitamins, which makes their daily consumption necessary in long winter conditions. Oil and milk obtained from the kernels of cedar fruits are used as a basis for medicines and cosmetics for the care of skin, hair, and teeth. The shells of the fruits of this tree are brewed with boiling water at a ratio of 1:2 and drunk for hemorrhoids and kidney diseases. Turpentine and rosin are extracted from cedar resin by distillation, which are widely used for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes: turpentine, for example, is part of ready-made ointments and plasters used for irritating purposes in the treatment of joint diseases, radiculitis, myositis, etc. Inhalation of turpentine vapor or pine needle extract is used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract. This extract is also used for baths as a relaxing agent.
- Pinus halepensis
A tree up to 40 m high, with a beautiful, light green, dense, but soft, wide and pyramidal crown, then taking on the shape of an irregular umbrella, often very spreading. The trunk is oblique and sometimes curved. The upper part and branches are covered with thin silvery bark, which in old trees becomes wrinkled, cracked and grayish from the base. Needles - 7-12 cm long and 0.7 mm thick - are arranged in pairs, wrapped at the base in a shiny, thin and durable shell; soft and delicate needles sometimes curl. Male spikelets are yellow, small and oblong, there are many of them at the base of this year's shoots; female cones are at first round, then become conical and after maturation, which lasts three years, acquire a beautiful, shiny red-brown color. They have a short, downwardly curved peduncle; there are usually so many of them that old cracked cones can darken the crown of the tree. The scales have a barely protruding, rounded tubercle; the blackish seeds have an elongated wing.
Aleppo pine prefers calcareous soils and a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and hot and dry summers. Indeed, eye-catching pine forests are spread out on rocky slopes, sometimes steeply overhanging the sea, and they contain many Mediterranean plants (mastic tree, filirea, cistus and others).
SPREADING. The entire Mediterranean coastline, from the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco, Lebanon and Syria. In Italy, along the Italian coast you can see many wild pine trees: for example, in Liguria (Chiavari, Lerici, Montemarcello), Conero, Mapche, San Domino (Tremit), Gargano.
APPLICATION. Aleppo pine is grown not only for afforestation and for decorative purposes, but on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean it produces an excellent quality resin, which is also used for food preservation. For example, in Greece, “retsina,” or resinous wine, has a strong odor due to the presence of Aleppo pine resin in it.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Calabrian pine, or Brutal (Pinus brutia), which many consider as a subspecies of Aleppo pine, although its name is not at all from Calabria, but from east coast Mediterranean. It is distinguished by gray and wrinkled bark, darker, tougher, up to 1.5 mm thick and up to 16 cm long needles; The female cones have almost no peduncle, they sit in whorls of 2-4 on the branches, and are never drooping. In Italy, it was called Calabrian by Michele Tenore (1780-1861), a Neapolitan botanist who first described it after finding a small pine forest in the mountains of Calabria. This pine is considered endemic to this region.
The range of this North American species extends from the Mackenzie River and Bear Lake (Canada) in the northwest to northern Vermont and Maine (USA) in the southwest. Banks pine grows in sandy soils of the plains and hills.
The wood of this species is hard and heavy. It is used in construction, goes into sawlogs, and is used to prepare sulfate pulp.
Banks pine has been cultivated since 1785. The aromatic resin that often appears on the shoots makes it especially desirable in plantings near sanatoriums and holiday homes, where it looks impressive in group plantings. Even relatively large plants tolerate replanting well.
White pine (Japanese) 2
In Japan, this type of pine is a symbol of longevity and a symbol of the beginning of the year. It is believed that on New Year the spirits of ancestors stop in the crowns of these trees.
Due to its decorative value, white pine is quite often found in parks Black Sea coast Caucasus, where it has taken root well due to the mild and humid climate.
Eastern white pine (Weymouth) 1
The “endless forest” so vividly described by Fenimore Cooper in his novel “The Last of the Mohicans” consisted primarily of eastern white pines. But the action of this novel takes place in the middle of the 18th century, when the Appalachian Mountains in eastern North America were indeed covered with endless impenetrable pine forests. Already at that time, people were cutting down these trees with all their might to build ship masts and houses, so that by the middle of the 19th century, the old pine forests were greatly thinned out. Fortunately, fairly extensive tracts of eastern white pine forests have survived to this day. These trees are characterized by soft whitish wood, bluish-green soft needles collected in bunches of five, and narrow pointed cones with thin covering scales. Eastern white pine is cold-tolerant but does not do well in dry, windy climates. In some regions of the United States, these trees are severely affected by rust (a disease caused by a microscopic fungus) and environmental pollution.
Weymouth pine is one of the North American species that is found in the northeastern part of North America. Having a wide range, this plant almost never forms pure stands, growing together with oaks, maples and hemlocks.
Its homogeneous, soft wood, which is well processed, became the main reason for the merciless extermination of Weymouth pine during the 18th century. Mostly valuable raw materials were used to manufacture sailing ships commissioned by the English Royal Navy. Today, high-quality building material is obtained from this type of wood; it is used in furniture production and interior decoration.
As an ornamental species, Weymouth pine is cultivated in the European part of Russia.
FEATURES OF THE SPECIES
Attractive, slender, decorative tree. Its crown in youth is dense and narrowly pyramidal, with age it becomes widely branched, with horizontally spaced branches. Foliage and branching are rare. The trunk of young trees is smooth, shiny, gray-green, while that of old trees is lamellar. Young shoots are thin and pubescent. Wind-resistant, withstands snow well. A negative quality of this type is its low resistance to blister rust.
It grows quickly, second only to larch among conifers.
Area East End North America.
Dimensions of an adult plant Tree 40-50 m high (up to 61 m).
Decorativeness The “fluffy” crown is very beautiful.
Needle shape Bluish-green needles in bunches of 5 pieces, soft, thin, up to 10 cm long.
Time and form of flowering Blooms in April - early May.
Cones The cones are narrow-cylindrical (16x4 cm), 1-3 on petioles up to 1.5 cm long.
Soil requirements It grows well on different types of soil, except saline ones. It develops better on leached black soil.
Attitude to light Shade-tolerant (less demanding of light than other types of pine).
Resistance to urban conditions The species is resistant to smoke and gases.
Frost resistance Frost-resistant.
Shelter for the winter Young plants in the first year of planting.
Lifespan Lives 400 years.
Similar types Various varieties of pines with five-needle needles are very similar to this pine, but most often these are trees that are rarely grown outside their homeland. However, it must be mentioned Balkan Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce), distinguished by the dark green color of its needles, its crown is denser, and the length of the cones is up to 15 cm, they have a short stalk, and, when ripe, they bend almost like a banana.
Whitebark pine (chain mail)
This species is native to the mountains of southeastern Europe. It has been cultivated since 1851, but has only become more popular recently. Whitebark pine is decorative due to its beautiful crown shape, is not demanding on growing conditions, and is resistant to smoke and dust, which is why it is widely cultivated in many countries, including Russia.
The tree looks impressive in single and group plantings and is better suited for a small garden plot due to its slow growth. This is a fairly rare tree, growing in certain places, it was discovered in the Calabrian-Lucan Apennines only in 1828 by Michele Tenore, a Neapolitan botanist. On the Balkan slopes, this pine forms extensive forests. In Italy, the most beautiful specimens of chain pine are found in the Pollino massif; in the town of Serra delle Chavole - next to young trees - there are majestic pines that are a thousand years old, and white skeletons that have lost their bark - the lifeless remains of ancient giants.
(Pinus bungeana)
Height: up to 30 m.
Area: Northern China.
Places of growth: mixed forests on rocky hills and mountains (at an altitude of up to 1830 m above sea level).
Thanks to the graceful shape of the crown and unusual spotted bark, this tree is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful. The old pine trees in the vicinity of Beijing are especially famous for their splendor. The most famous of them is Nine Dragon Pine, growing near the Jie Tai Temple. Its trunk, at a short distance from the ground, is divided into nine thick branches. They say that it was this tree, more than 900 years old, that was described in 1831 by the Russian botanist Alexander Bunge as the first specimen of a new species of pine discovered by him for science. In honor of this scientist, the species received its name in 1847. The dark green, shiny needles of the Bunge pine reach a length of 8 cm and are collected in bunches of three. The small round cones contain large seeds, which are used as food in China. Bunge pine is taken under state protection.
The bark of young Bunge pines is mottled with green, brown and black spots. In old pines, the bark of the trunk and branches is covered with a whitish coating and from a distance appears silvery.
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Geldreich's pine, or Bosnian pine, can be found in the mountains of Southern Europe. This species grows slowly: its annual growth in height does not exceed 20-25 cm, and in width - 10 cm. It belongs to the long-lived tree species. For example, in 1989, a specimen was found in Southern Italy that was more than 960 years old, but more recently in Bulgaria a plant was discovered that was 350 years older than the previous record-holder tree!
Being a valuable ornamental species, Geldreich pine has several varieties that are cultivated in many countries. Unfortunately, Russian gardeners are not yet very familiar with this wonderful type of pine.
The light and durable wood of the limber pine is used for sleepers and fuel, and is also used in construction, and its large, wingless, very nutritious seeds, the so-called “nuts,” serve as food for rodents and birds.
At home, this type of pine is planted in avalanche-prone areas to reduce the threat of snow falls.
In the Himalayas, on the southern slopes of Annapurna, at altitudes of 1800-3750 m above sea level, graceful trees grow, up to 50 m high, with a pyramidal crown and gray-green short needles, which are collected in bunches of five. This is the Himalayan pine, or Wallichiana pine. In India and Nepal there are many plant species with the specific epithet "wallichiana" or "walliohli". They are named after one of the first plant collectors in the Himalayas, Nathaniel Wallich (N. Wallich), who visited these places in the 20s of the XIX century.
This species is very decorative thanks to its wonderful, long hanging cones.
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This species can be a tree up to 10 m high or a multi-stemmed bush. Its range is Southern and Central Europe; in the Carpathians it forms crooked forests on slopes and swamps above the border of coniferous forests.
Mountain pine wood is used to make carpentry and turning products, and its resin is used in medicine and cosmetics. In Crimea, it is used to strengthen slopes with poor soil.
Mountain pine is widely known as a decorative species that decorates gardens and personal plots and often used to create low-growing decorative groups.
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This species is of interest to landscapers, gardeners, and also to lovers of bonsai style.
Its highly valuable wood is widely used as a building material, used in the manufacture of carpentry and furniture, and also for sawing. Pine, or yellow pine, was discovered for science in 1826 by the famous naturalist David Douglas. Because of its denser wood than other pines, he gave it the Latin species name “ponderosa,” which has taken root in everyday life. Heavy pine, growing in favorable conditions, amazes the eye with its austere beauty. Its straight trunk is covered with a narrow, almost cylindrical crown and covered with fissured bark, consisting of irregularly shaped plates of yellow-brown, reddish and pinkish-gray color. Dark green needles reach a length of 25 cm and grow on branches in bunches of three.
Forests where heavy pine predominates are usually devoid of undergrowth from shrubs and low trees. Their main inhabitants are deer, as well as birds and squirrels that feed on pine seeds.
Yellow pine looks very impressive thanks to its decorative brown cones, collected in whorls of three, so it is often used in landscape design.
Italian pine, or pine tree - Pinus pinea
In Italy, this tree, reaching a height of 25 m, is called and cedar pine; This is a truly majestic tree, especially its older specimens - primarily because of its extraordinary umbrella-shaped crown, one of a kind. It is formed by branches that are concentrated in the upper part of the trunk - all their legs (tops) are directed upward. The trunk is straight, in older specimens it is often forked quite high: in this case, two separate umbrellas are formed. The bark is at first gray and slightly wrinkled, but with age deep grooves appear on it; it seems to consist of rectangular brownish-gray plates (films). The needles are 12-15 cm long and up to 2 mm thick, hard, slightly twisted, bright green in color, they have spiny tips, and at the base they are wrapped in a transparent dense sheath. There are a lot of small oblong yellow spikelets at the base of this year's shoots. At first, small and round female cones are sessile, then they become spherical and heavy, their width and length are 10-12 cm. At first, the cones are green; When mature after three years, they become a shiny red-brown. The scales are thick and lignified, with a rounded tubercle, each of them contains two large seeds with a lignified shell (“pine nuts”), they have almost no wing, they are covered with purple-black powder.
Ecology. Italian pines grow from the coast up to an altitude of 600 m above sea level (holm oak climate zone), on soft, acidic soils. They cover all the dunes, where forests only of Italian pine are found, as well as mixed forests with an admixture of maritime pine, holm oak, English oak, elm and ash. Groves of Italian pine eventually become closed, with very sparse undergrowth.
SPREADING. From Spain to the island of Cyprus and further along the southern coast of the Black Sea.
In Italy it is very difficult to know whether groves of Italian pine are wild or artificial plantings. Here you can name pine forests in Aquileia, Grado, Lignano, Classe, San Vitale, Casal Borsetti and in Cervia on the high Adriatic coast, in addition - in Macchia di Lucca, Migliarino, San Rossore, Tombolo, Cecina, Donoratico, Castiglione della Pescaia , Castelporziano and Castelvolturno on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and Playa di Catania on the coast of the Ionian Sea.
APPLICATION. In ancient times, Italian pine was bred for its "pine nuts", which, together with edible chestnuts, formed the basis of the Italian diet. For example, it is believed that groves of Italian pine on the high shores of the Adriatic Sea appeared precisely for this reason, in other words, these are not wild trees, especially since the climate is not very suitable for this species.
Similar view - Canary pine (Pinus canariensis) It is also very often grown on the sea coast, but it has a pyramidal rather than an umbrella-shaped crown, the needles are combined in bunches of three, the cones are drooping and elongated, with pedicels.
Wood is used as a material for construction and carpentry work, and is also used for the production of pencils. However, how rare view, is listed in the Red Book, so it economic use limited.
Valuable wood of this kind of light, resinous, well processed. It is used as a construction and ornamental material.
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- Pinus uncinata
Height up to 20 m.
The shape is correctly conical.
The bark is gray, wrinkled and furrowed.
The leaves are needle-shaped, hard and spiny.
The male flowers are small, yellow spikelets; female - spherical purple-red cones.
The fruits are small ovoid cones with a hooked-curved tubercle.
The tree is small in size, sometimes reaching 20 m in height, with a dense dark green regular crown in the shape of a narrow cone, slightly more spreading in older specimens, with the ends of all branches facing upward. The trunk is straight, slender, covered with matte gray wrinkled bark in young trees, then the bark is covered with dense grooves, forming almost rectangular plates. The needles - 3.5-4 cm long and 1.3 mm thick - are arranged in pairs, they are very hard, prickly, and bright dark green in color. Male cones, like those of other pines: yellow, there are many of them at the base of new shoots, and female cones on a short peduncle, usually paired and opposite or 3-4 pieces - in whorls - are located on the branches. At first they are spherical, violet-red, after pollination they become green, acquiring a pointed ovoid shape and, with rare exceptions, reaching a length of 4.5 cm. When the scales are open, the outline of the cone is spherical or round. On the scales, especially the lower ones, there is a strongly protruding tubercle with a clearly visible longitudinal “boat” and a “protrusion” curved down like a hook (an important distinguishing feature).
ORIGIN. Mountains of Southern and Western Europe.
ECOLOGY. A typically alpine wood species adapted to cold continental climate, - hooked pine prefers to grow at high altitudes - from 1200 to 2700 m above sea level, where the cold (frost) lasts from 6 to 9 months and the air is quite dry in summer. It very actively colonizes rocky and sediment-rich slopes, with predominantly calcareous or mixed soils, usually illuminated by the sun. It forms pine forests, sometimes quite large and very beautiful.
SPREADING. Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Vosges, Black Forest, Central and Western Alps.
APPLICATION. Mugolio, a balsamic essential oil that is used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract, is extracted from the buds of the hooked pine, as well as from the buds of the mountain pine.
SIMILAR SPECIES. mountain pine (Pinus mugo), which displaces hooked pine in the Eastern Alps and Apennines. This is a low shrub that can also be recognized by its cones, which do not have a curved protrusion on the scales.
, or Monterey (Pinus radiata)
Height: up to 61 m.
Area: coast of Central California (USA), islands off the northern coast of the California Peninsula (Mexico).
Places of growth: coniferous forests on the coastal hills (at an altitude of up to 300 m on the mainland and up to 1100 m on the islands).
In its homeland, in California, radiata pine has almost no economic importance, but in some countries of the world (especially in New Zealand, Australia, Chile and South Africa) it is widely grown on plantations. The climate of New Zealand and the south-eastern part of Australia is so to the liking of radiata pine that many trees here reach much greater heights than in their native historical homeland. Undoubtedly, the good growth of trees here is facilitated by the absence of natural pests and diseases (for the same reason, Australian eucalyptus trees often grow better in foreign lands). Radiata pine plantations produce a huge mass of light, fairly dense wood. It is used to build houses, make furniture, cardboard and paper.
The dense green needles of the Radiata pine reach a length of 15 cm. This tree is one of several species of pine trees whose seeds can remain in closed cones for years - characteristic feature trees growing in fire hazardous areas.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Radiata pine has a lot in common with others American species, especially with drooping pine "jelicot" (Pinus patula), which occupied the central mountain ranges in Mexico. It is distinguished by very long needles (up to 30 cm) and very elongated cones, but they are still less short and less asymmetrical.
It is a very beautiful species in cultivation, but dead needles continue to remain on the tree for a long time and spoil its appearance, so it is recommended to remove them manually. Looks good in rock gardens or as a bonsai.
- Pinus pinaster
A tree reaching a height of 35 m, with a crown that is initially conical and regular, which then gradually expands, becoming irregularly dome-shaped or almost umbrella-shaped. The trunk is straight at first, then tends to grow obliquely or is slightly curved; young trees have gray and slightly wrinkled bark; subsequently, deep grooves and almost rectangular films (plates) appear, which peel off in layers. The needles - 15-20 cm long and up to 2 mm thick - are flat, at the base they are wrapped in a long, strong, thin and shiny shell; the needles are hard and end with a sharp end, almost a thorn. At the base of young shoots there are a lot of small, cylindrical ovoid male spikelets, which turn yellow when ripe. Female cones are sessile, ovoid, often in whorls along the branches and there are 2-3 of them at the end of the trunk. They ripen for two years, becoming very lignified and acquiring a pointed conical shape, first the cones are green, then brownish-red, 10-20 cm long; on the scales there is a sharp, prickly tubercle.
Ecology. Maritime pine grows on sea shores, rising up to 800 m above sea level (Atlas Mountains in Morocco) and very rarely up to 2000 m. Prefers crumbly soils, well-ventilated areas, in particular coastal sand. Maritime pine needs acidic and acidified soils; it avoids limestone. In Liguria and Provence, maritime pine climbs crystalline mountain slopes, forming groves with an undergrowth of various types of heather, prickly gorse, cistus, myrtle and arbutus. On the sand dunes it is mixed with Italian pine, creating classic coastal pine forests. Fires often break out in coastal pine groves, but they do not interfere with the growth of trees; moreover, they contribute to the rapid emergence of forests in burnt areas.
SPREADING. The range of maritime pine is the coast from the western Mediterranean to Atlantic Ocean. In Italy, everywhere from Ventimiglia to Naples, the maritime pine is found and can be admired in its natural setting, for example, on the slopes above Varazze, Voltri, at the foot of the Apuan Alps and on the hills between Florence, Arezzo and Siena. On sand dunes it grows in the same place as Italian pine. On the islands, with the exception of Elba and Giglio, maritime pine is rare, but it is worth mentioning its groves in Montagna Grande Pantelleria - this is the most southern point, where the seaside pine gets to in Italy.
APPLICATION. The main use of seaside pine is to strengthen the sands on the coast. It was once grown for the production of resin (resin), which large quantities flows from cuts (incisions) in the bark.
Under natural conditions, black pine grows in Central and Southern Europe, as well as in the western part Balkan Peninsula. A tree no more than 30 m high, with a dense, regular, pyramidal, dark green crown; in older specimens the crown is spreading and dome-shaped. The straight trunk is covered with wrinkled and furrowed grayish-brown bark, consisting of almost rectangular plates, which in old trees become larger, acquiring a characteristic whitish color. Flat dark green needles are more or less hard, from 4 to 19 cm long and 1-2 mm thick, they are sharp and prickly. Numerous yellow, sometimes with red specks, cylindrical oblong male spikelets appear at the base of young shoots; sessile single, pairs or three female cones are located on the branches, at first they are ovoid, then ovoid-conical, their length is not more than 8 cm, they are matte, immature - green, then become brown-ocher. This species is very diverse, and there are at least five geographical species, which are subspecies: Pinus nigra in Austria, Central and Northern Italy, Greece; Pinus salzmannii- in Chevennes and the Pyrenees; Pinus laricio- in Corsica, Calabria and Sicily; Pinus dalmatica- in the former western part of Yugoslavia; Pinus pallasiana (Crimean pine)- on the Balkan Peninsula, in the Southern Carpathians and Crimea.
Its wood has a high resin content; it is strong, elastic and hard. Often used in shipbuilding and to create underwater structures.
High frost resistance and low demands on soil composition allow this species to grow and develop well in northern latitudes.
Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) is a tree with extraordinary properties. Description of Scots pine and its characteristics. Why does pine often grow where many other trees cannot survive? How is our common pine used, including for medicinal purposes?
Greetings, dear reader!
Botanical names sometimes seem surprisingly unfair. The Scots pine is ordinary only in its commonness to us, even in its commonness. What could be more familiar and simpler than a simple pine tree?
Meanwhile, the tree is amazing, even unique. According to its characteristics, according to its meaning for a person. The very wide distribution of pine can say a lot. After all, it grows from Spain to Eastern Siberia, to Lena and Altai. From south to north - from the subtropics to the forest-tundra, penetrating the Arctic Circle.
The variety of climatic, soil conditions, and topography on such a vast territory is very great. And everywhere pine adapts well.
Scots pine grows on dry sands and moss swamps, on fertile soils and on granite rocks and chalk slopes. It rises high into the mountains - in the south up to two and a half kilometers.
Pines rustle in the wind on the Baltic dunes, stand in slender columns in clean forests, and seem like stunted trees in swamps and in the harsh conditions of the North.
Scots pine is unique in its healing properties. It is also an excellent building material. And in the settlement of disturbed natural complexes, in the settlement of new territories, he is one of the pioneers. Finally, just beautiful tree, loved by many gardeners.
Description of Scots pine
Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) belongs to the Pine family of the Coniferous division. This is coniferous evergreen tree, capable of living for five hundred years or even more, reaching fifty meters in height and one and a half meters in diameter (at the bottom of the trunk).
Alas, it is almost impossible to see such trees now. They simply do not exist, or they are extremely rare. Pine forests that have reached 70–80 years of age are cut down. In the best case, the trees in them grow up to 20 - 25 meters.
Scots pine grows well in almost barren, dry soils
The root system of Scots pine perfectly adapts to living conditions. If the soil is loose, well-drained, and groundwater can be reached, it will grow a powerful tap root. On dry sands with deep soil water, lateral roots grow, collecting moisture from a large area. The lateral roots of a pine tree are able to penetrate into cracks in rocks, securing the tree and also collecting precipitation. In swamps, the pine root system is poorly developed. It is these features, first of all, that allow Scots pine to live in the most different conditions.
Scots pine, like many trees, has two types of shoots - elongated and shortened. An elongated shoot is a section of the main trunk or side branch that grows annually, from one whorl to another. An apical bud forms on it, and several lateral buds nearby.
Next year, a new elongated shoot will grow from the apical bud, and lateral branches from the lateral ones. A new whorl will form. By the number of such whorls it is easy to determine the age of a young tree. We simply count the whorls and add two years - during the first two years they do not form on the seedling.
Scots pine at a young age
Shortened shoots of Scots pine are “stumps” 1–2 mm high, located on an elongated shoot in a spiral manner. On each shortened shoot two (occasionally three) needles develop. Between them is a dormant bud.
If the tip of the shoot is damaged or a significant part of the needles is damaged, the dormant buds on the surviving shortened shoots “wake up”. From each one a new elongated shoot can grow.
Scots pine needles are triangular and covered with a layer of wax-like substance. Stomata are visible on the underside, through which gas exchange with the atmosphere occurs. The length of Scots pine needles is on average about five centimeters, although it may vary among pines in different living conditions and belonging to its various intraspecific forms.
Scots pine is perfectly recognizable by its needles
The needles on the tree last two to three years, then fall off along with the shortened shoot. In the forest floor they lie in pairs.
The color of pine wood is slightly reddish, with whitish-yellow sapwood. The wood is riddled with many passages through which pine resin moves. It is called resin. The resin performs important protective functions - it heals wounds received by the tree and repels pests.
Resinous, light wood, usually growing evenly, is easy to process. It can be used to make excellent carpentry. Scots pine wood is also widely used as a building material.
Scots pine is very light-loving. If young pines are still able to tolerate some shading, then with age this ability is completely lost. Therefore, in a closed pine forest, the branches on the trees are only near the top. The lower branches die off, and even the place where they grew becomes covered with bark. The tree becomes like a column.
In the pine forest, overtaking each other in the pursuit of light, tall straight trees grow, which are in demand among loggers. Individually standing ones, as well as those growing on the edges, always have a developed crown, lateral branches, often very thick. Sometimes such trees are very picturesquely curved. Here's their chance to live a longer life!
At the edge of the forest, Scots pine grows powerful branches
In May, Scots pine “blooms”. The flowering of pine, like other conifers, can only be talked about conditionally, since it does not have a specialized reproductive organ - a flower. But in large numbers, male cones are formed, collected in spike-shaped “inflorescences,” which produce pollen, and female cones, where eggs are formed.
I told you in more detail about how pine “blooms” (with photographs). If you are interested, please just take a look.
Scots pine is a monoecious plant, that is, both male and female cones are formed on the same tree. But on some specimens the “masculine principle” predominates, and on others the “feminine” principle predominates.
This is how Scots pine “blooms” (male cones with pollen)
Pollination occurs in the second half of May - early June. At this time, there is a huge amount of pine pollen in the air, which can fly hundreds and thousands of kilometers from forest areas. When pollen gets under the scales of the female cone, pollination occurs.
And then quite surprising events begin that distinguish Scots pine from most trees, including conifers. The pollinated female cone tightly closes its seed scales and clogs all passages between them with resin. And inside, pollen grains slowly, very slowly germinate.
More than a year passes before the pollen tube grows to the ovary. During this time, the cone will grow quite large and turn green. And only in the summer of next year fertilization of the eggs occurs in it.
Young (green) and old cones of Scots pine
It takes several more months for the seeds to ripen. They will ripen only by the middle of next winter. By this time, the cones will change color again, turning gray-brown. But the seed scales are still tightly closed. And only from February to April, depending on weather conditions, the cones begin to open, dispersing the seeds. Thus, from the pollination of a female cone to the ripening of its seeds, 20 months pass - almost two years.
The seeds are equipped with a wing and are able to fly quite far from the mother tree. Most of them will simply die, unable to reach the soil. This is prevented by both grasses and forest mosses. True, the pine tree also has involuntary helpers in the forest. , other mosses, growing laterally in rings, suppress mosses, thereby promoting the germination of pine seeds.
And even after forest fires, pine quickly populates new territories. True, in burnt areas and clearings, deciduous trees and shrubs, as well as grasses and others, become serious competitors to pine.
Therefore, if we strive for faster regeneration of pine forests, we are obliged to provide assistance to the pine tree in its regeneration. It is forest planting, along with forest protection, that should be the first and most important task of forestry enterprises. In the spring, people go to clearing sites and plant seedlings of Scots pine grown in nurseries.
So ideally. In life... The “tradition” that has developed, especially in the last twenty years, - the main “task” of forestry enterprises has become logging (!) - has not yet been overcome. Foresters should not be blamed for this. In any case, my tongue is stuck. This is how they earn their living, and for reforestation, and for forest protection work!
True, there have been some changes for the better in recent years.
Use of Scots pine
Scots pine, along with, is used by humans to obtain beautiful building materials. This is lumber different kinds timber, boards. They receive rounded logs for building houses. Dry planed products are made from pine - profiled timber, floorboards, lining, as well as molded products (i.e. measured not in cubic meters, but in linear meters) - platband, plinth, cashing, etc.
By extracting resin from living pine trees and processing it, a person receives many useful things for himself - medicines, varnishes, paints, plastics, etc.
A significant portion of harvested pine logs is processed to produce paper. Here I would add - unfortunately! To produce paper, including high-quality paper, you need to look for other sources of raw materials. In some places in the world they are already being adopted. At our pulp and paper mills, this is being postponed for now... Pine can be used better!
Medicinal uses of Scots pine
All parts of Scots pine are unusually rich in biologically active substances. These include resinous substances, essential oils, and terpenoids. Buds and needles also contain vitamins C, K, B2, and carotene. Let's add various macro- and microelements here. A real pharmacy!
The needles of a pine forest release, especially in summer, a huge amount of essential oil and other substances that have a powerful bactericidal effect. The air of the pine forest is healing. Even such a serious and the most dangerous enemy human like a tuberculosis bacillus. That is why the best sanatoriums for pulmonary patients were built in pine forests!
Pine belongs to the genus of coniferous evergreen trees, the Pinaceae family, which are characterized by needle-shaped needles growing in bunches of 2-5 pieces each and lignified female cones that ripen over two growing seasons.
Pine lives on average about 350 years, growing in height from 35-75 m, but there are also long-livers. For example, bristlecone pine, which grows in the United States, lives for about 6,000 years and is the longest-lived tree species throughout the world.
In addition, pine is distinguished by its powerful root system with a vertical taproot extending deep down, as well as peeling bark. Thanks to this structure of pine roots, it can be called a pioneer of forests, since it can grow in a variety of places: on sand, on rocks, over ravines, in forests. Some types of pines are not afraid of drought, snow, frost, or winds.
But pine is sensitive to air pollution by gases and dust, which limits its use in urban landscaping. As a rule, pine is common in the temperate and cold climates of the northern hemisphere, where it forms forests on rocky slopes and on well-drained soils.
In total, there are approximately 100 species of pine in temperate forests and more than 20 species in tropical and subtropical zones. Some types of pine are valued for their variety of shapes and beautiful crown shape, while others are valued for their beautiful cones and the color of their needles.
The most popular in ornamental gardening are Siberian pine, Weymouth pine, Rumelian pine, Banks pine and dwarf pine from the Alps; it forms low bush thickets.
In the mountains of the northern part of the Black Sea coast and Crimea, Crimean pine (Pinus Pallasiana) or Pallas is often found - a tree about 30 m high, which looks very decorative thanks to its long green needles.
In Russia, the widest range is occupied by Scots pine. The most valuable species Pines are considered: yellow pine, resinous pine, Weymouth pine.
Some species of pine trees are endangered and are listed in the Red Book. For example, chalk pine, Pitsunda pine, funerary pine and others.
Pine benefits a person. Its homogeneous softwood can be easily processed, glued, painted and polished, making it a sought-after building material.
Features of pine care
Pine is light-loving, so it develops and grows better in open places. In addition, pine is a drought-resistant plant that does not require additional watering.
Young specimens of pine and decorative forms with delicate needles can suffer from winter frosts, as well as spring needle burns, so in the fall they need to be covered with spruce branches, which must be removed in April. Mature pines are quite winter-hardy.
A large number of pine species are undemanding to soil, but prefer to grow on sandy loam or sandy soils. If there is a lot of sand in the soil, then you need to add clay.
The soil for planting pine trees should be in the following proportions - turf soil, clay or sand (2:1). If the soils are heavy, drainage is required, which is gravel or sand, in a layer about 20 cm thick.
Pine propagation
Pine can be propagated by seeds: they need to be sown in the spring. You should know that pine seeds ripen only 2 years after pollination. Ornamental species are propagated by grafting. It is usually not possible to propagate pine trees by cuttings.
Pine diseases and pests
The most common pine disease - seryanka (blister rust, tar cancer) - is caused by a rust fungus. An orange coating similar to pollen appears on the tips of the needles. Control measures: removal of infected trees, destruction intermediate hosts(gooseberries and currants).
The main pests of pine are butterflies and some types of aphids. Butterflies and their caterpillars feed on buds and needles and gnaw at shoots. To combat butterflies, trees are sprayed with the biological product Lepidocide.
Some pine diseases are caused by aphids. You can fight it by treating it with carbophos or insecticides (pine moth, common pine scale insect, pine cutworm).
The use of pine in landscape design
Pine is traditionally used in garden design. Recommended for group and single plantings and alpine slides. Some decorative forms of pine can be used for borders and free-growing hedges.
Aristata pine (Bristol)
This pine is native to North America. It is a small bushy tree, no more than 15 m high. The oldest of all specimens of this species is pine, growing in the mountains of Arizona. She is more than 1500 years old. But in general, the lifespan of pine depends on the place of growth.
The cultivated pine tree has a very beautiful appearance, however, dead needles remain on the tree for a long time, thereby spoiling its appearance, so it is recommended to remove it manually. Tree about 15 m high. Blooms in early spring. Anther cones are numerous, yellow or reddish. Aristata pine looks great as a bonsai or rock garden.
Armandi pine
Armandi pine differs from representatives of other species by its beautiful resinous yellow-brown cones, which look impressive against the background of narrow and long blue-green needles. It grows in China and is valued not only for its decorative appearance, but also for its durable, soft wood, which is used in the furniture industry and used to make sleepers. In addition, turpentine is obtained from the resin of this pine - a raw material for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Tree up to 18 m high. Lives for more than 500 years.
This pine grows from Bear Lake in Canada to Vermont in the USA. Banks pine grows in sandy soils of hills and plains. The tree is about 25 m high and the trunk is 50-80 cm in diameter. The cones are curved and oblique, sessile, conical, about 5 cm, kept on the tree, closed for several years.
The wood of this type of pine is hard and heavy. It is used in construction, and sulphate pulp is made from it.
The fragrant resin of the Banks pine, which appears on the shoots, makes this pine especially desirable in plantings near sanatoriums and holiday homes, where it looks great in group plantings.
White pine (Japanese)
White pine, sometimes called Japanese or maiden pine, grows in Japan, as well as on the Kuril Islands. It is an elegant tree no more than 20 m high with long dark green needles, which have a silver tint on the underside and a dense cone-shaped crown.
In Japan, this pine tree is a symbol of longevity and also a symbol of the beginning of the year.
Due to its decorative value, this type of pine is often found in parks on the Caucasus coast, where it has taken root due to the humid and mild climate.
Grows in the mountains in southeastern Europe. Whitebark pine is not demanding on growing conditions and is resistant to dust and smoke, which is why it is widespread in many countries, as well as in Russia. The tree is about 8-10 m high, with a crown diameter of 7 m. The cones are ovoid, brown-black.
The tree looks impressive in group and single plantings and is suitable for small areas due to its slow growth. Lives about 300-350 years.
Weymouth pine grows in northeastern North America. In those places its height reaches about 30-40 m, but in our latitudes you can only count on 15, maximum 20 m. It lives for about 300 years. The crown of the Weymouth pine is pyramidal, the branches are horizontal, the needles are soft, blue-green, 10 cm long.
The cones of this pine are long, light brown-yellow. Having a vast habitat, this pine practically does not form pure stands; it grows together with maples, oaks and hemlock.
Himalayan pine (Wallihiana)
On the southern slopes of Annapurna, in the Himalayas, at altitudes of about 1800-3760 m above sea level, graceful trees grow, about 50 m high, with a pyramidal crown and green-gray short needles, collected in bunches of 5 pieces.
Himalayan pine is very decorative thanks to its wonderful, long hanging cones.
Mountain pine can be a tree about 10 m high or a multi-stemmed bush. Its habitat is Southern and Central Europe.
Turning and carpentry products are made from the wood of this pine, and its resin is used in cosmetics and medicine. In Crimea, it is used to strengthen slopes with poor soil.
Mountain pine is very popular as a decorative species that decorates personal plots and gardens and is often used to create low-growing groups.
It grows at altitudes from 900 to 1700 and above sea level, forming mixed with larch and spruce and small pure stands. This type of pine is especially valued for its delicious seeds - pine nuts; they are very nutritious and healthy because they contain up to 50% oil, protein and starch.
Cedar pine wood is used as a material for carpentry and construction work, as well as for the production of pencils. However, cedar pine is listed in the Red Book, so its economic use is limited.
This type of pine forms pure stands and can grow together with birch, spruce, aspen, and oak. The height of the tree is from 20 to 40 m, the crown is cone-shaped when young, and umbrella-shaped when mature.
The color of the needles is bluish-green, the cones are ovoid, reddish-brown, single, their length is about 3-6 cm. Scots pine grows quickly.
Its wood is used in construction and in some industries; is the main source of lumber. Its resin is used as raw material for the chemical industry, and its needles are used to produce vitamin flour.
or Balkan
Grows in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. Creates forests at an altitude of about 750-2300 m, pure or with white fir, Scots pine and Norway spruce.
Shade-tolerant and fast-growing, undemanding to soil. The height of the tree is about 20 meters. The crown of the Balkan pine is cone-shaped, sometimes growing straight from the ground. Balkan pine needles are long, dense, grayish-green, the cones are light brown, elongated.
The decorative forms of this pine decorate the landscapes of the USA and Northern Europe. There are also dwarf varieties of this plant that can be grown in bonsai style.
Thunberg Pine is a beautiful tree with deeply furrowed bark that becomes rough and expressive.
This type of pine occupies large areas in North America, growing at an altitude of approximately 3500 m above sea level. The low-growing form of lodgepole pine grows in swamps and sand dunes.
Durable and light yellowish wood of this type is used in construction.
Black pine (Austrian)
In nature, black pine grows in Central and Southern Europe, and in the west of the Balkan Peninsula. The height of the tree is from 20-40 meters, in youth the crown is pyramidal, in maturity it is umbrella-shaped. The needles are long, dark green, the cones are yellow-brown.
Black pine wood has a high resin content; it is elastic, durable and hard. Often used to create underwater structures and in shipbuilding.
Depending on the varietal group, the age of seedlings suitable for planting in open ground, is: for early tomatoes - 45-50 days, average ripening periods - 55-60 and late ones - at least 70 days. When planting tomato seedlings at a younger age, the period of its adaptation to new conditions is significantly extended. But success in obtaining a high-quality tomato harvest also depends on carefully following the basic rules for planting seedlings in open ground.
I love ornamental shrubs, especially unpretentious ones and with interesting, non-trivial foliage colors. I have various Japanese spirea, Thunberg barberries, black elderberry... And there is one special shrub, which I will talk about in this article - viburnum leaf. To fulfill my dream of a low-maintenance garden, it is perhaps ideal. At the same time, it is capable of greatly diversifying the picture in the garden, from spring to autumn.
It is no coincidence that June remains one of the favorite months of gardeners. The first harvest, new crops in the vacant spaces, rapid growth of plants - all this cannot but rejoice. But the main enemies of gardeners and garden bed dwellers – pests and weeds – also use every opportunity this month to spread. Work on crops this month is waning, and planting seedlings is reaching its peak. The lunar calendar in June is balanced for vegetables.
The June schedule of gardening work can surprise anyone with its richness. In June, even lawns and ponds require attention. Some ornamental plants have already finished flowering and need pruning, others are just getting ready for the upcoming show. And sacrificing an ornamental garden in order to take better care of the ripening harvest is not a good idea. IN lunar calendar There will be time in June to plant new perennials and potted arrangements.
Cold pork leg terrine is a meat snack from the category of budget recipes, because pork legs are one of the cheapest parts of the carcass. Despite the modesty of ingredients, the appearance of the dish and its taste are at the highest level! Translated from French, this “game dish” is a cross between pate and casserole. Since in times of technical progress there have been fewer game hunters, terrine is often prepared from livestock meat, fish, vegetables, and cold terrines are also made.
In cute pots or fashionable florariums, on walls, tables and window sills - succulents can withstand weeks without watering. They do not change their character and do not accept conditions that are comfortable for most capricious indoor plants. And their diversity will allow everyone to find their favorite. Sometimes looking like stones, sometimes like fancy flowers, sometimes like extravagant sticks or lace, fashionable succulents have long been not limited only to cacti and fat plants.
Trifle with strawberries is a light dessert common in England, the USA and Scotland. I think this dish is prepared everywhere, just called differently. Trifle consists of 3-4 layers: fresh fruit or fruit jelly, biscuit cookies or sponge cake, whipped cream. Usually, custard is prepared as a layer, but for a light dessert they prefer to do without it; whipped cream is enough. This dessert is prepared in a deep transparent salad bowl so that the layers are visible.
Weeds are bad. They interfere with the growth of cultivated plants. Some wild herbs and shrubs are poisonous or can cause allergies. At the same time, many weeds can bring great benefits. They are used as medicinal herbs, and as an excellent mulch or component of green fertilizer, and as a means of repelling harmful insects and rodents. But in order to properly fight or use this or that plant for good, it needs to be identified.
Once upon a time, while visiting, I saw and fell in love immediately and forever with this bush. Of course, for this I needed to see it in all its glory, namely at the moment of flowering. And now, when I am writing this article, a massive pink bush - weigela - inspires me outside the window. It is named after a German scientist of the 18th–19th centuries. In those distant times, a scientist, as a rule, was a specialist in many fields at once - in botany, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals.
Fish pie with pollock and fried potatoes is an everyday dish that is simple to prepare, although not as quick as a sandwich. For this recipe, steam the pollock fillet and fry the potatoes in vegetable oil, so the number of calories in the dish will remain at an acceptable level. Cooking fish and potatoes won't take much time, then all you have to do is gather the ingredients, pour in a simple batter (like for pancakes) and wait for the oven to do its job.
The best option The formation of a grape bush is considered to be its formation on a trunk. This form allows you to give the greatest load to the plant, which means you can take greatest harvest. It provides better heating of the vines, good ventilation, due to which the bushes get sick less, and is also considered the most convenient to care for. However, it is suitable only for those areas where the temperature does not drop below minus 17 °C, and for certain varieties - minus 28 °C.
Among indoor shrubs, there are not many plants that are more famous for their flowering than for the beauty of their shoots. Lantana camara is one of these exotic beauties. Amazingly easily changing its growth form, lantana surprises not so much with its unpretentiousness as with the beauty of its extraordinary inflorescences. Soft color transitions give the dense shields a rainbow effect. And it’s hard to look away from the blooming, feminine, bright and so colorful lantana.
Grilled zucchini with a sauce of sour cream and fresh vegetables is a vegetarian dish that can both open and close the barbecue season. In early spring Young zucchini are available, in the summer the garden is full of a variety of zucchini, and in late autumn mature vegetables are roasted on coals, peeled from seeds and peels. You can also pamper yourself at home delicious vegetables with a light smoky aroma. It’s easy to cook healthy vegetables in a special frying pan or on an electric grill with virtually no oil.
Most owners of personal plots would like to see a water corner in their garden - at least a small one, but still their own personal “lake”. In response to this request, ready-made structures for constructing express reservoirs made of polymer materials appeared on sale. The task of those who want to have a pond is to dig a suitable hole and install a plastic bowl of the selected configuration into it. But how to choose the right container for a pond?
Perhaps even those who know this majestic tree only from pictures from a school textbook on botany and reproductions of paintings by the great Russian artist I.I. have heard about how pine grows and what it looks like, about its beauty and benefits for nature and people. Shishkina. Those who have at least once visited a park with soaring pines or a pine forest will forever remember the incomparable smell of pine cones and the intoxicatingly clean air. And it’s not surprising: scientists have long determined that per 1 cubic meter. meter of air in a pine forest contains only 500 (!) microbes, while in 1 cubic meter. per meter of metropolis air there are 36 thousand (!!!) microbes. Willy-nilly, you will remember how pine air smells... The fact that even within a radius of 5 km speaks about how useful pine is. The air from the pine forest is healing and ionized. It is not surprising that Scots pine is grown with great pleasure both in hospital nurseries and forestry enterprises, as well as in gardens, and recently it has even begun to appear in some private rural houses in the steppe zone.
First acquaintance with pine
Scots pine (or Pinus sylvestris) - one of 120 species big kind Pine, a tree whose distribution range extends from Spain to Lapland and from the British Isles to Mongolia and China inclusive. There are at least three versions of the origin of its Latin species name. According to the first, the word "pinus" comes from the Celtic "pin", meaning "rock", "mountain", and is roughly translated as "growing on the rocks"; the second version derives the word "pinus" from the Latin "pix" or "picis", which means "resinous tree". The third version connects this name with Greek mythology and tells us sad story the beautiful nymph Pitis, whom the northern wind Boreas, in love with her, out of jealousy, turned into a tree that looks like a modern pine. Another version of the legend says that the nymph herself turned into a pine tree (or asked Zeus to carry out the transformation) in order to avoid the claims of Boreas. How it really was, probably even Clio, who sometimes has a very selective girlish memory, does not know, but each of the versions in its own way reflects the characteristics of the pine tree, which can take root on any, even the most unfavorable soils. True, its trunk directly depends on the conditions in which the pine tree has to live. The picture that is familiar to us in the form of an upright resinous tree proudly directed upward is not the only option that can be found in nature.
The height of the pine tree, depending on its age, ranges from 25 to 40 meters, but there are specimens reaching 42 meters in height. Unfortunately, such tall pines, which were once called “ship pines,” only grow on south coast Baltic Sea and in some nature reserves. In many areas, it is a very common practice to cut down young pine trees that have reached the age of 70-80 years, at which time they have a height of only 20-25 meters, although the tree can live up to 400-500 years and reach a height of 50, or even 70 meters. Perhaps this is due to the fact that pine, for all its might, often suffers from various diseases, perhaps there are other reasons, but the fact remains: while pines of venerable age and impressive height can only be found in the depths of the taiga, in biological reserves or in those places where a forester or inspector from the nearest forestry has not yet set foot.
In its natural habitat, pine can be found in the most unexpected places:
- as an admixture in deciduous, spruce and fir forests.
- in open areas, where it often takes on a spreading appearance.
- in the mountains, where it rises to the upper border of the forest to a height of 2.5 km. in the south and up to 1 km. in the north above sea level.
- in the steppe and forest-steppe zones that are alien to it as a fixer of sands and ravine slopes, preventing their spread.
- like a vast homogeneous forest area (pine forest).
Depending on the area of distribution, scientists distinguish three varieties and about 30 ecotypes within the Scots pine species, often named after the area where they grow. For example, pine from the Angara River basin is classified as “Angara type of Scots pine.” External differences between ecotypes are insignificant, but varieties can differ significantly in height, appearance and growth rate. For example, the lapponica variety, native to Scandinavia and northern Russia, has shorter and stiffer needles, yellowish-brown seeds, and often looks like a creeping shrub, although specimens up to 30 meters high can be found on the Solovetsky Islands (Russia). The mongolica variety, characteristic of Mongolia, southern Siberia and northwestern China, has a more familiar appearance to us. By the way, she also owns the unique height record we mentioned in passing: in the natural biosphere reserve Sokhondo (Chita region, Russia) grows a “Mongolica” pine 42 meters high. Finally, the Steven variety has “climbed” the highest: it can be found in the Balkans, northern Turkey and Transcaucasia at an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level.
In addition to them, there are several slow-growing dwarf varieties that attract the eye with their unusual appearance. One of them became known back in 1865 thanks to the famous English breeder Anthony Waterer, who discovered it in the vicinity of his Knap Hill estate (England), and was subsequently named after him. The nursery founded by him in this area also bears the name of the scientist.
Description of pine
Scots pine is so unpretentious that it can be found in soil of any degree of severity and suitability: sandy and sandy loam, rocky mountain and chalk, even in peat bogs and permafrost conditions. True, it will look different everywhere, and a picturesquely gnarled tree growing “lonely in the wild north” or on a mountain slope is unlikely to recognize its “sister” in a one-meter dwarf huddled in a swamp. And even more so, the majestic taiga pine from the Angara River basin or the Baltic ship pine will look down on them both. However, all these will be trees of the same species... The pine owes such unpretentiousness primarily to its root system, which can adapt to any living conditions. If the soil is loose and has good drainage, and the groundwater does not lie very deep from the surface, the root looks like a powerful rod. Dry sands with deep waters promote the development of lateral roots - this is how the pine “expands”, becoming spreading. These same lateral roots allow it to survive in the mountains, anchoring the tree in rocky soil and “collecting” precipitation. But a pine tree growing in a swamp, due to the nature of the soil, has a poorly developed root system, and therefore looks like a weak dwarf even at the venerable age of a century.
Among other trees, pine stands out not only for its unpretentiousness and trunk, which is formed depending on the circumstances, but also for its highly raised crown, cone-shaped in youth, and then round and wide, in the form of an umbrella. Sometimes there are specimens with weeping and pyramidal types of crowns. Average length needles - about 5-6 cm, although it can vary depending on living conditions, intraspecific forms and age (in young pines the needles are longer and can reach up to 9 cm, in old ones they are shorter). Three characteristics remain unchanged: trihedral, needle-like, and the presence of stomata on the underside, through which the tree exchanges gases with the atmosphere. The needles are arranged in bunches, with two in each bunch. They usually stay on the tree for two to three years, then fall off, giving way to new needles, and lie in pairs on the forest floor. The color of the needles is predominantly bluish-green.
Another remarkable feature of pine is its cones, which are divided into two types: male and female. They form on individual trees, since pine is a monoecious plant. Usually the “sex” of a pine tree is inherited, but there may be cases when it can change under the influence of growing conditions and the environment. That is, a pine tree that once had male cones may well, over time, change them to female ones.
Male cones are oblong, have a length of 8 to 12 cm and are yellow or pink in color, female cones are from 3 to 7.5 cm long, cone-shaped, grow singly or in two or three pieces, their color when ripe varies from gray to gray. light brown to gray-green. Both types of cones are covered with near-diamond-shaped flat or slightly convex scales with a pointed apex, sometimes having a hooked appearance. They ripen slowly, 18-20 months after May-June flowering and pollination - that is, in November-December - and the seeds fly out of the cone another two to three months, in the spring. During this time, not only the formation of seeds occurs, but also the growth of the cones themselves, which can be seen by their color changing from green to light brown. Each seed is 4-5 mm in size. It has a membranous wing, thanks to which it can fly over a considerable distance. True, the survival rate of the seeds is not one hundred percent, otherwise the pines would probably have long ago reached the Cape of Good Hope and the islands of the Indonesian archipelago. In an ordinary pine forest of one hectare, about 120 million seeds fall annually, but less than one tenth of them germinate - only about 10 million seedlings. On average, about 500-600 trees grow in a hundred-year-old pine forest. There are many reasons for this: competition between plants, grass burning in spring, lack of sunlight... Some seedlings may simply be trampled, and most seeds die without even getting into the soil (this is often prevented by grasses and forest mosses). That is, as you can see, the theory natural selection Charles Darwin is familiar even to this seemingly mighty plant.
Pine tree in the yard
From all of the above, it is easy to understand that pine will fit perfectly into a country garden or rural landscape, either as part of a group planting or as a tapeworm. The benefits of such a “garden resident” can hardly be overestimated: in addition to the fact that it purifies the air and makes it incredibly intoxicating and healing, pine is also simply a beautiful tree that grows relatively quickly, especially at the age of 10 to 40 years, and retains its decorative value all year round and under favorable conditions it can delight the eyes of even your distant descendants. If you live near a pine forest, then there is a high probability that one fine day a young pine seedling will spontaneously appear behind your fence in the form of a weed. Such an appearance can truly be considered a gift of fate, and it should be treated appropriately, and not like a weed. You can try to plant a pine tree yourself, even if you are a resident of the steppe zone: the probability of success of this undertaking is very high. However, before planting a pine tree, you should consider some nuances:
- the thickness of its trunk can reach from 1 to 1.2 meters, and the older the pine tree becomes, the taller and more voluminous it will be. Therefore, there should be enough space in your garden for the pine tree to feel comfortable.
- for all its unpretentiousness, it is light-loving and does not tolerate shading. This can be noticed even in natural conditions: if you have been to a pine forest, you have probably noticed that the pines growing there are the same in height. This is the result of the features we mentioned. That is, you need to choose an open and sunny place for it. An exception is made for young animals: in the first years of life it is recommended to shade them from the bright spring sun. In the same forest, young plants are given the necessary shade by their older comrades.
- if you want to plant several pines, then the distance between them should be at least four meters, and between low-growing ones - at least one and a half meters.
How to plant a pine tree correctly
Planting and caring for pine trees is not particularly difficult. Somewhat more complex and nuanced, as with other trees or plants, is preparation for planting. It is believed that it is best to plant pine in mid-spring, when the soil is warm enough, or in early autumn. The first option is good because it allows her to settle down in a new place over the summer, get used to it and prepare for winter, which always comes suddenly; in the second case, the tree slows down all life processes and is thus able to relatively calmly endure such dramatic changes in its life. You can also find references to later plantings of pine, but in this case the seedling should be insulated and protected from excessive activity of the spring sun, covered with spruce branches, spunbond or any other covering material. You can remove the protection in the spring.
You can get planting material in three ways:
- grown from seeds (a separate section will be devoted to this).
- purchased from a nursery.
- digging in the wild.
Most reliable way– purchase from a nursery: not only will they sell you a seedling of the required age and with intact roots, but they will also give you a whole lecture on how to plant a pine tree on your site. True, this method has a couple of disadvantages. Firstly, there are cases when a pine tree already infected with some insidious disease or pests ends up in a nursery. But, as they say, “if you are afraid of diseases, do not buy pine trees,” especially since this risk is insignificant, and we mention it only just in case. In addition, when purchasing, you always have the opportunity to inspect the seedling offered to you and check it for fragility. If the needles are yellow and the tips of the branches break easily, there is a very high probability that the seedling is sick and will soon die.
Secondly (and, probably, “the most offensive”), there may simply not be the right nursery in your region. In this case, you can try to purchase pine online with home delivery or go to the nursery yourself, even if it is far away. True, this may not be cheap, but if you have such an opportunity, then why not try?
Finally, the freest option is to dig up the pine tree yourself. Not all experts advise resorting to this method, explaining their attitude by saying that the seedling should be dug up very carefully so as not to damage the root system. In addition, in their opinion, pines transplanted in this way rarely take root and often die the next year. There are very different opinions on this matter, but if you still decide to try to get pine yourself, a few tips on this matter will certainly be useful.
It is best to choose a tree that will die if it is not replanted. This does not mean that it must be infected with something: a pine tree can die as a result of “natural selection”, which we wrote about above, or by growing in an unfavorable place for it (yes, there are such things - for example, steep hillsides, on which the pine tree may simply not be able to stand during the growth process). Pine trees are also doomed to die in places where there is intense human activity. Replanting such trees can give them a chance to escape, and you can contribute to preserving the atmosphere of the entire planet.
Having obtained a pine tree, you should look for a place for it, prepare a hole and only then plant it. The size of the planting hole should correspond to the size and shape of the soil clod with which the tree will be transplanted. The logic is simple: than more com, the less damage the seedling will receive. For example, for pine trees up to 70 cm high, you need a hole measuring at least 60x60, and for trees over 70 cm, at least 80x80. The depth also depends on the height of the plant, but some experts recommend digging a hole 10 cm higher than the height of the seedling. As for the size of the coma, it’s even simpler here. It is believed that all conifers live in symbiosis with soil fungi and form mycorrhiza - a kind of fungal root. Therefore, the more native land that moves along with the pine tree to a new location, the better.
You need to dig up a pine tree carefully, remembering that it primarily has a tap root, and trying not to cut it or damage it. When digging, you can use a large wet piece of cloth. Having plucked and lifted the earthen lump with the pine tree, you should slip the fabric under the shovel, straighten it, lower the lump from the shovel onto it and wrap the fabric tightly near the lump. You can also use a thin cotton sheet, with which you can plant the seedling in the planting hole. The sheet will rot quickly and will not interfere with the development of the root system. Sometimes it is advised to pay attention to the so-called. “southern branch” - i.e. remember or mark the branch that faces south. When planting a seedling in the yard, it is advisable that it also be oriented to the south. Although many gardeners admitted that they lost these marks and planted pines without taking them into account, the result was the same.
Under no circumstances should you plant pine trees in garden soil. No matter how unpretentious it is, pine does not like soil rich in organic matter. The best soil for it is light, breathable sandy or sandy loam. If you can offer the pine loam or clay soil, you should definitely make good drainage by adding a layer of sand or expanded clay with fine gravel and broken brick 20 cm thick to the planting hole. Sometimes 50 grams are added there. nitrophoska. Depending on the area where you are planting pine, you can add a mixture of turf soil, topsoil and river sand or clay in a 2:2:1 ratio to the hole. Also, you cannot replant a pine tree with bare roots, otherwise the root system will die in ten to fifteen minutes.
When planting, you should thoroughly water the hole (usually half a bucket of water is enough), then lower the seedling into it and, if necessary, adjust its size by adding or removing soil. Sometimes the pit voids are filled with a sand-earth mixture. After this, the poured soil is moderately trampled down to avoid the formation of air cavities around the roots, but the soil should not be too dense. The tree should be planted so that the root collar is at ground level, and in a large specimen even slightly raised, otherwise it will rot and the pine will die. The seedling planted in this way should be mulched and then watered again, this time using a watering can with a nozzle so as not to wash out the soil.
Sometimes you may come across the question: is it necessary to apply fertilizer when planting a pine tree? It all depends on what soil it is planted in. It is known from practice that sometimes pure sand taken from a pine forest and mixed with fertile soil is used as fertilizer. You can purchase special fertilizer for coniferous plants or use mature compost. If the soil in which you plant a pine tree has not been used before, then it will have enough of its own minerals, so you don’t need to apply fertilizers.
After you have done all these steps, all you have to do is be patient and wait, watering the pine tree about once a week early in the morning or after sunset until it begins to grow branches. After this, watering can be reduced.
Caring for a young pine tree is no different from caring for any other transplanted tree. From time to time, you should mulch it, remove diseased and dried branches, weed out large grass around the seedling, water it during excessively dry periods or in the fall, after leaf fall. The need for watering can be easily determined by taking a handful of soil from the tree trunk and squeezing it in your fist. If it is loose and crumbles at the slightest compression, then it’s time to water.
If you planted a pine tree in the fall, it should be insulated for the winter using one of the above methods, and protected from the sun in the spring by spraying it twice with epin at an interval of two to three weeks.
An unusual method of transplantation
Despite the fact that experts recommend planting pine trees in the spring, one can come across the statement that coniferous trees cannot be replanted in the spring, since they begin to grow very quickly, and the soil in a number of regions of Russia by this time is still frozen or has not warmed up enough. For this case, another method is proposed - folk:
- choose a tree suitable for transplanting.
- to a depth of one shovel bayonet, cut the soil around the trunk in the form of a circle with a diameter ten times greater than the diameter of the tree trunk.
- mark the pine tree in any safe and not very noticeable way and leave it until autumn.