How to grow pine from seed at home?

Foreword

For the improvement of a suburban economy, it is often important to know how to properly grow a pine tree from seeds and get a beautiful landscaping of the site.

Seed preparation - collecting and growing cones

If you decide to improve your site and plant a pine grove on it, take care of the planting material first. To do this, you need to go to the nearest forest, where strong enough trees of the species you need grow, and notice some of the healthiest among them. Then, starting from mid-September, you need to visit the chosen place from time to time and watch when the cones begin to fall, with the help of which the pine forest reproduces.

You may have to follow up until November, so take a photo of the selected trees in advance. It is advisable to collect fruits from under several pines. Before choosing trees, familiarize yourself with their species, since there are separate varieties of pine, the seeds of which ripen for about two years. After picking up the buds, make sure that they have not yet sprinkled with seeds.

Pine cones selection

Then, carefully placing them in a paper bag or box, transfer them indoors, where try to shake them over a large sheet of white paper, or directly in the bag. If the seeds do not fall, then the buds are not yet fully ripe. You need to dry them on a heating radiator or on a stone stove, if there is one. In the oven, despite the recommendations of many gardeners, it is undesirable to heat, you can not calculate and overheat the seeds. When the cone scales open, gently shake out the planting material.

To select the strongest seeds that will go for propagation, prepare several cups, according to the number of cones collected. Next, we place the seeds from each fruit of the Scotch pine (or other variety) in a separate container and select those that plunged into the water faster than others. Those that remain to float on the surface are not suitable for breeding. Many people advise to dry the planting material and place it in the soil prepared for germination. However, pre-soaking for at least 24 hours in warm water at room temperature is much more effective. Better yet, leave the seeds on damp gauze (between its two layers) until they hatch.

Soil preparation for sowing seeds for seedlings

First of all, it should be noted that pines are quite unpretentious plants, but it is extremely difficult to grow them on heavy soils. The ideal soil for them is considered to be one that is well saturated with oxygen, that is, it can be sandy soils or sandy loam. By placing the seed in heavy and poorly loosening soil, you have every chance of not waiting for the sprout to appear.

In the absence of air access, rot forms at the end of the hatched root, which quickly covers the entire embryo. The same thing happens when there is an excess of moisture in the soil.If planted in sand, then the optimal ratio of its particles with water will be such a state when moisture does not ooze from the lump raised in the fingers, but the individual fractions remain linked by it. The ideal environment where it is recommended to place Scots pine seeds, both for germination and already hatched, is peat compost. And not any, but obtained from the upper layer, more friable.

Peat compost

The fact is that peat is formed from peat moss, which turns under the influence of dampness and in the process of decomposition by bacteria into a kind of compost. This planting substrate, in addition to excellent oxygen saturation, is very rich in various trace elements, initially replacing fertilizer for seeds. Moreover, top peat retains to some extent the antiseptic properties of sphagnum moss and protects pine embryos from rot and fungus.

Low-lying peat is not suitable for sowing pine, since it is too dense soil, practically not saturated with oxygen, slowly absorbing and also slowly releasing moisture. To distinguish between the top and bottom layers of peat, you first need to pay attention to their color by comparing photos or finished samples, the first is much lighter than the second, some redness is inherent in it, while the low-lying layer is closer to brown and dark brown. They also have varying degrees of looseness, as mentioned earlier, and it is enough just to knead a lump with your fingers to understand what type of substrate is in front of you.

To some extent, it is suitable for planting hatched seeds and black soil, which it is advisable to dry beforehand. Before planting, such soil is watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to destroy the fungus.

Stratification - is it really necessary for pine seeds?

Some tree species, when growing seedlings from seeds, need mandatory sharp cooling, or, in other words, they need stratification. These include linden, ash, mountain ash and even a pear. This method of activating the development of planting material is also applied to Scots pine seeds.

According to some statistics, stratification somewhat accelerates growth at the initial stage, during the first year, which can be noted by making for comparison a photo of seedlings planted with and without pre-cooling. But at home, such methods of seed preparation are undesirable, since a violation of the temperature regime can eventually lead to decay of the planting material. However, extracted from well-dried cones at room temperature, pine seeds are capable of sprouting even without aging in a cool, humid environment (within 0 degrees).

Dried Pine Seeds

In addition, you can try to apply a method of soaking in ice melt water to a small batch of seeds, which, like stratification, according to some gardeners, activates accelerated growth and saturates the planting material with energy. In general, it is enough to germinate well-dried seeds in warm water in order to get uniform friendly shoots. If stratification for Scots pine seeds is considered by you as a necessary stage of preparation, you can use the following advice from foresters.

When the buds are fully open, the seeds are soaked in cheesecloth for 3 days. To hatch them, you need to keep the planting material in a humid environment for about 10 days, so a shorter period will simply reduce the dormant period. Next, the seeds are mixed with coarse-grained sand (preferably river, with a rounded shape of fractions), in a ratio of 1: 3, which will require small wooden boxes. Stratification requires keeping seeds cool, at temperatures from 0 to 6 degrees, for which a dry cellar is suitable, or a half-meter deep ditch, subsequently covered with snow.

Temperature range for seed germination

Pine is a heat-loving plant, but here the emphasis should be placed on the word "warm", it does not tolerate high temperatures, especially since the heat dries up the soil, and the seeds need moisture no less oxygen. Even at the drying stage, care should be taken that the air around the seeds does not heat up over 40 degrees. But cooling the environment below 27 degrees is also undesirable. You should not listen to advice on drying in the oven, since 120 degrees are destructive in most cases for planting material.

Drying of planting material

After placing the seeds in peat or in a sandy substrate, you need to try to prevent the pots or containers from getting too hot - the warmer, the more favorable the conditions for fungi. Therefore, do not overheat the plantings in sunlight, provide a constant supply of fresh air. At the same time, in no case shade the emerging growth, the pine needs a lot of light. The optimum soil temperature for active growth is 22-24 degrees, no more. That is, you need to regularly moisten the peat or sandy substrate, at least once a day.

What should be the lighting of seedling containers?

Having mentioned the temperature setting, it will be natural to focus your attention on the lighting. As already mentioned, the Scots pine needs a lot of bright sunlight. Therefore, containers are best kept on windows facing south. Shading of sprouts leads to inhibition of their development. However, it should be borne in mind that not just light, but the ultraviolet spectrum plays a key role in photosynthesis, therefore, on a window where natural light is not available all day, the growth of pines will be slower than on open ground.

Pine sprout container

It should be noted that artificial lighting in no way replaces natural lighting. In particular, only bright light and heat can be obtained from incandescent lamps, but not ultraviolet light. Fluorescent lamps do not even provide heat. There are special fluorescent lamps with photosynthetic effect, but they are not powerful enough to fully provide the pine sprouts with the necessary lighting. Therefore, it is easier to make a greenhouse in the garden so that the sun's rays fall on the shoots from morning to evening than to install them at home, an ineffective imitation that consumes electricity.

Watering and fertilizing the soil in containers with seedlings

Moistening of the substrate in which the seeds are placed should be constant, more precisely, daily. The degree of water hardness when growing pine does not play a special role. At the same time, it does not matter at all how the hatched seed is immersed in the soil or sand, spine down or sideways, it will still develop correctly. Moderate watering is recommended so that the oxygen needed by the roots remains in the substrate.

Also, for air access, it is advisable to drill small holes in the walls of containers or pots, so that earth does not spill out of them. In general, it all depends on the volume of soil - if it is prepared more than 500 grams per plant, then you can do without holes in the container. The substrate should not be less than 200 grams per seed. It is best to water not with a stream, which quickly oversaturated the soil, but with water dust from a spray bottle, gradually moistening the peat or sandy substrate. Watering from the bottom is considered a good solution, using wicks from quickly absorbing moisture fibers brought out through the drainage holes in the pot.

Such a container is placed in a pan with water, which is then absorbed from the bottom into the soil. Similarly, you can feed the plantings with soluble mineral fertilizers. As for organic fertilizers, they are categorically contraindicated, since nitrogen oversaturation can occur, and there is a risk that the roots will begin to choke. You need to stop feeding in the middle of summer, so that the winter period of rest comes on time.Attention - over the course of a year, the growth rises by 10-12 centimeters, which can be seen by taking a photo, the pine tree can be transplanted only in the 5th year, when a sufficient number of needles appears, and the stem is formed.

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Perennial conifers are one of the best ways to decorate the local area. Undoubtedly, it is very easy to purchase a ready-made seedling in the nursery, but growing pine from seeds at home with your own hands will give you incredible pleasure. Self-grown from the moment of a tiny grain to an adult pine tree will warm the soul every time you look at it. In this article, we will share all the intricacies of this process, from collecting planting material to the features of caring for grown seedlings. In addition, we will definitely share a photo of growing pine from seeds at home, which will clearly make sure that the process is simple. So, we will start with one of the most important stages.

Seed selection

The process of growing pine from cone seeds is a fairly simple but lengthy process. If you decide to create your own pine grove on your site, it is important to take responsibility for the choice of planting material. The collection of cones is carried out either in early spring or in the fall - during periods when they have not yet opened. The autumn harvest period lasts from mid September to early November. Moreover, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the species of trees in advance and collect cones under several pines at once. The strongest, fully ripe and healthy buds are chosen - two years are enough for them to fully ripen. In the first year, they are green in color and medium density, and at the end of the second year, their color changes to brown. In addition, the cones begin to grow stiff, and the seeds inside - fully ripen. It is important to remember that only female cones are suitable for growing pine from seeds at home, on the scales of which are seeds with wings. The buds are collected as carefully as possible to prevent the seeds from scattering. Transportation of seeds to the house is carried out in paper bags.

Preparation of planting material

Before you start preparing the seeds for planting, free them from the cones. To do this, shake the buds well over a white sheet of paper or in the same bag where they were stored. If the seeds still do not sprinkle after this procedure, let the cones ripen at room temperature or on a radiator. You should not use an oven for these purposes, since you can not calculate the temperature regime and overheat the seeds, which can lead to their death. After the flakes are completely open, you can try to shake the buds again to get seeds.

After that, the strongest seeds are selected and cups of water are prepared (their number corresponds to the number of collected cones). The seeds of each fruit are immersed in a separate cup of water for a while, after which those specimens are selected for planting that have sunk to the bottom of the container much faster. Floated seeds are not suitable for further use and must be removed. After that, there are two ways of preparation: germination in room conditions in wet gauze and stratification, which we will talk about a little later.

Soil preparation

In terms of soil selection, growing pine from seeds at home is a fairly simple procedure. However, it is worth remembering that heavy soil is not suitable for these purposes. Seeds in such soil may simply not sprout even if other comfortable conditions are created. Preference should be given to sandy or sandy loam soil, which will be well saturated with oxygen.

In addition, light and loose soil will prevent rotting of the hatched root and embryo.Rot can develop not only with a lack of oxygen, but also with excessive soil moisture. If you plan to plant pine in sand, then its moisture can be controlled as follows: moisture should not ooze from a lump of substrate, but its particles should be well adhered to each other. Peat compost from a looser, upper layer is considered an ideal environment for germinating seeds and developing sprouts that have already hatched. This substrate is rich in various trace elements necessary for the growth and development of pine.

The need for stratification

From experienced gardeners, you can often hear reviews about growing pine from seeds at home. And they say that the pine necessarily requires stratification, or, in other words, significant cooling of the seeds before planting. According to some statistics, this procedure is good at accelerating the growth of the plant, not only in the first year after planting, but also at later stages. However, it is not recommended to stratify seeds at home, since it is quite difficult to control the temperature regime, which, as a result, often leads to decay of the planting material. Fully ripe seeds germinate well even without being kept in a refrigerator or in a cool room. It is enough to germinate them in warm water or damp gauze.

Temperature regime

Scots pine is considered a heat-loving plant, and it does not tolerate too high an air temperature. The heat dries up the soil and kills the seeds. At the stage of ripening and drying the seeds, it is important not to heat them more than 40 °. However, lowering the temperature to -27 ° C is completely undesirable for this plant. After planting the seeds, care should be taken that the soil does not overheat, because this threatens the development of fungal diseases. The optimum temperature for growth is 22-24 ° C.

Lighting

In addition to pleasant and warm air, the pine tree needs sunlight. Therefore, containers with plantings are best placed on the south side. Even a little shading can slow down the growth of sprouts. When growing pine from seeds at home, it should be understood that it is ultraviolet radiation that plays a key role in this process. Therefore, you should be prepared for the fact that home plantings will develop a little slower than those that were planted in the open field. Replacing natural light with artificial light will not change the situation for the better at all. Therefore, it is much more correct to organize a place for the pine in the greenhouse, and not to spend money on expensive fluorescent lamps and other equipment.

Landing rules

Pine from seeds at home grows, though not quickly, but without any particular difficulties. The main thing is to comply with all the requirements for the selection and preparation of planting material, as well as to competently carry out the planting process itself.

After two to three weeks of germination in moistened gauze, the seeds are split into two parts, and a root begins to grow from them. Planting material is immediately planted in separate containers with prepared soil and a drainage system. For each seed, at least 200 grams of substrate is calculated. The seeds are buried slightly and very carefully so as not to damage the fragile sprouts. Regardless of the location of the seed, the plant will develop correctly and grow evenly. Plants will be ready for transplanting after reaching twenty centimeters in height.

Watering and feeding

The soil should be moistened regularly, namely daily. But at the same time, watering should be moderate and not impede the access of oxygen. The hardness of the water has absolutely no effect on the development of the germinated seed. To ventilate the substrate, make small holes in the side walls of the container. This is done if more than 500 grams of soil is prepared for each plant.It is advisable to water from a sprayer or by immersing a container with plants in a pan with water (provided that drainage holes are prepared in it). Pine is fed exclusively with mineral preparations until mid-summer.

Features of growing pine from seeds in the open field

This method of growing pine is permissible only in warm regions. In this case, preparing seeds for planting is no different from growing at home. Seeds are sown to a depth of about three centimeters at a distance of at least 15 centimeters from each other. After planting, the soil is mulched, but not shaded, as this will lead to inhibition of growth. In spring, seedlings are covered with a film to protect them from birds and rodents. Such a shelter is removed after dropping the remnants of the seeds. In such conditions, pines grow for three years, after which an intermediate planting should be carried out. At the same time, the distance between seedlings increases to 90-100 centimeters. After another five years, the pines are transplanted to a permanent place. With each transplant, it is necessary to bring land from a pine forest into the soil.

Evergreens are a picturesque decoration of any local area, all seasons pleasing to the eye with luscious green needles. To buy, if necessary, a ready-made pine or spruce seedling is not a problem today, but it is unlikely that it will warm the soul as much as one or several trees grown with our own hands from tiny seeds. Moreover, this it's not such a difficult thing to grow pines from seeds on your own at home.

Pine seed selection

Everyone understands that small pines appear from the very cones that are often found on a New Year tree and delight children. But not every cone is suitable for extracting seeds from it.

DIY Pine Seeds

For planting material, it is better to go to a nearby coniferous planting. Despite the seeming monotony of pines, the plants are still of different varieties, so you need to find an adult tree that is optimally suitable in appearance. Most species of the pine family take two years to mature, so those that are still green and tough are not suitable. Large, brown fruits in which the scales have already opened or have begun to open should be selected.

Note: the harvesting of cones is carried out in the fall, before the snow.

At home, the cones need to be dried at a heat source until the doors are fully open, and then knock them on each other so that the seeds spill out. Then fill them with water: those seeds that remain floating on the surface are not suitable for reproduction. Grains immersed in the water should be removed, dried and processed for planting.

Preparing for landing

There are two opinions regarding the pre-planting seed preparation. Adherents of stratification argue that germination will be positively affected by being in a cold temperature regime. According to this version, after collection and selection, it is better to soak the seeds in water for 2-3 days, then mix with clean sand and remove the box in the cold (from 0 to +5 degrees) for the winter. Other gardeners believe that stratification of the pine is not at all necessary, and it is better to germinate the seeds before planting in room conditions. In this case, the grains still need to be soaked in warm water for about 3 days, and spread between layers of wet cloth (gauze) until they germinate. You can withstand planting material in potassium permanganate or growth stimulant.

Seeds must be soaked before planting!

Seeds are planted both in containers with soil (boxes, pots, containers) and in open ground on the site.

Prerequisites for good growth of seedlings:

• constant moderate soil moisture
• excellent drainage
• optimal soil composition (peat + sand + turf, you can add dry needles and pieces of pine bark for looseness)
• a sufficient amount of sunlight (not artificial!)
• temperature not lower than 22 ° С and not higher than 40 ° С

The seeds are deepened into the ground by three centimeters, the distance between them is kept 2-3 cm.If the planting goes directly into the open ground, then in the ground you need to make a groove on a bayonet and a half shovels 25 cm wide, fill it with the same soil mixture and plant the seeds in the same way. Top up with a centimeter layer of sand or mulch.

Important: the area for sowing must be well lit.

The first time after planting, you need to strictly monitor the moisture content of the soil, preventing it from drying out. Daily watering from a sprayer or sump is carried out for the first two weeks. Seedlings usually appear 15-21 days after planting.

Seedling care

For the first two to three years, young pine shoots do not require complex manipulations, you just need to monitor regular watering, feeding and protection from curious pets. In spring, it is better to cover sprouts grown in open ground with a foil to protect them from frost, and for the winter - to cover them with spruce branches. After three years, you can carry out the first planting of seedlings, and after five - plant them in a permanent place. It is better to land at the end of spring.

Of the fertilizers, special ones are preferred - for conifers, as well as compost. One should also not forget about protection from fungi and diseases, periodically treating it with a fungicide (potassium permanganate).

The final location for the pine tree should be lighted, not too wet, with a little shading on the west side. Pine trees usually grow in open areas, maintaining at least one and a half meters of free space on each side. Drainage is poured into the dug hole and fertilizers are applied, then a layer of soil mixture. It is important when transplanting that the roots are not exposed, but planted together with a lump of adjacent earth.

Gardener's advice. Transplanting is an important stage in the life of a tree. If you remove the roots from the clod of earth and plant in new soil, the tree may not take root well and even dry out. The fact is that in the near-root soil during the growth of the plant, its own microflora is formed, which protects against diseases and pests. Therefore, a clod of earth with roots should be transferred as intact as possible into the planting pit, then the transplanted tree will quickly take over and continue to grow.

While the plant is young, it needs to be watered, fertilized, weeded, protected from severe frost or heat. In an adult state, pine is quite unpretentious, and no longer requires effort, but on the contrary, it pleases with constant beauty and cleans the air.

A pine tree grown personally from seeds can become a real friend, like pets, because watching how long and persistently this amazing plant grows is an exceptional pleasure.

Seed acquisition, stratification, care of coniferous seedlings based on the experience of FORUMHOUSE users

Growing a coniferous plant from a seed is not an easy task and, at first glance, rather pointless, from the category of "practice and play." Conifers are sown if a large amount of planting material is needed, for example, on hedges or on rootstocks (for those amateur gardeners who are already seriously keen on breeding). But, oddly enough, there are quite a few people who want to grow a cedar from a pine nut. And although this cedar in its prime, the gardener most likely will not see it, as the user consultant FORUMHOUSE Waldschnepfer says, "a step into eternity."

Waldschnepfer FORUMHOUSE User

But this is a step into eternity! Trees live (if not cut down) much longer than humans.

But if your goal is not pure creativity, if you are not so much attracted to the process of obtaining a tree from a seed, then it is better to try other methods.

Thuja - easy to cut (the handle breaks out with a "heel"). With this method of reproduction, thuja retain their grade.

Pine and Norway spruce in the forest they give abundant self-seeding - you can contact the nearest forestry and ask where to dig a seedling so as not to harm the forest.

Cedars and blue spruces sold in nurseries, cost very little, but they allow the gardener to win three years.

If you want to get the seeds yourself, simply place the bud in the room to reveal its scales, and then carefully sprinkle the seeds. By the way, if you want to sow cedar seeds, you have to buy not nuts, but cones, and then pour seeds from them. The fact is, nuts are often obtained from cones using heat treatment, and such seeds are no longer suitable for planting.

In the matter of propagation of conifers, it is important to remember this: conifers propagated by seeds will not retain varietal characteristics.

The varieties are propagated vegetatively.

It doesn't matter if you yourself got the seeds from the spruce cone or bought a bag of a well-known seed company.

Mountelf FORUMHOUSE User

Forget the varieties. All these firms pack seeds of species plants and call them all sorts of names. From all the listed seeds, ordinary species of trees-bushes will grow.

In nurseries, varieties are very often propagated by grafting, some varieties and species - by cuttings, and some of the plants are cuttings in conditions that are almost impossible for an amateur in the garden to create (controlled temperatures, greenhouses, foggy installations). Only species of plants are propagated by seeds. There are, however, forms that reproduce themselves from seeds with a certain stability, for example, spruce blue spruce from seeds gives most of the "blue" seedlings. Already in infancy, in the first years of life, they can be recognized by their characteristic color and selected for further cultivation.

So, having stipulated these conditions, we pass to practice.

It is better to start sowing in May, it makes no sense before. At home, on the windowsill, pine and larch cannot be dispersed.

Mountelf

They will ascend, the palm will grow, and so they will continue to stand on the windowsill. It will be dark for them. And houses can be bent easily, conifers just spit it.

According to the experience of FORUMHOUSE users, stratification is not needed for spruces and thujas, the main thing is that the seeds are fresh. That is, if you collected them the day before in the fall and store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container, then germination lasts for five years.

Stratification is needed: larch, pine, dwarf cedar, yew. The sowing of larch and yew seeds by the participants of our portal into open ground before winter gave a positive result, while it is noted that the germination rate of larch was low.

Usually, seeds are laid for stratification in December - January. Many seeds need sandpaper before stratification.

Mountelf

Take a nut and rub it on sandpaper, but not to the hole, but almost.

Let us recall how coniferous seeds reproduce in nature: at the end of autumn, even at the beginning of winter, cones open, the seeds spill out on wet snow or wet ground, swell, and then freeze for several months until spring.

Stratification must repeat this process: the swollen seeds are placed in a moist substance and sent to the cold. You can bury the pots with a mixture of wet sand and peat (for example, the composition of the soil may be different, at FORUMHOUSE, in particular, vermiculite is popular) in the snow. The only thing: it is necessary to provide for protection from mice and birds, for example, lay a piece of white lutrastil on the ground and wrap the pot on top with the same piece. You can place the pot not in a snowdrift, but in a refrigerator or on a cold loggia.

After stratification, seeds can be sown directly to a permanent place, but experience shows that coniferous seedlings grow best in pots. Usually, pots with sown stratified seeds are dropped in the garden, and it is better for each seedling to have an individual pot, because the root system in conifers develops faster than the aerial part, you are then tortured to unravel this ikebana.

Mountelf

I sit on individual ones and do not drip it, I put it on a non-woven fabric.

It is optimal to transfer to a larger pot every year.

Whichever method you choose, if the experiment is successful and seedlings appear, do not forget to shade them. And be patient.Conifers are slow plants.

Waldschnepfer

Conifers do not emerge before June. And they can lie in the ground for two years.

Gardeners who enjoy watching seedlings emerge sow seeds in a bowl on a windowsill. Stratified seeds can be germinated between cotton pads, and when the root germinates by 5-7 centimeters, they are planted to a depth of half a centimeter. In the spring, seedlings are planted in the ground.

This method is worse - at home, the seedlings are literally mowed by a black leg.

Mountelf

I would advise sowing in pots, burying it under the snow and generally not bringing it into the house. In the spring, rearrange it in the shade, so as not to dry out inadvertently. Street seedlings are stronger, on the street there is a normal regime of humidity and air, there are an order of magnitude less sores on the seedlings. At home, there is little that helps with mushrooms.

But even in the open field, small plants are vulnerable to disease. In general, it is easy to get seedlings, but it is much more difficult to grow them. In the first years of life, seedlings of conifers are susceptible to fungal diseases. To keep them, you need at least three treatments during the season.

1. After the snow melts - with Fundazol or HOM.
2. Summer - Topaz (double concentration).
3. Before winter - Fundazol or HOM.

In the first years of life, conifers look so fragile that it is tempting to somehow protect them on the eve of winter, hide them in a shelter, or even bring the pot into the house. It is not right. All these experiments usually end in plant death.

Mountelf

Plants should be given what they need, not you for complacency. They need a cold winter for life, which they are not afraid of.

Seedlings should overwinter in the garden. After a few years, they will grow faster, and a five to eight year old tree looks like this.

Our video will tell you how to choose and sow seeds correctly, from our article you will learn how to create a composition of conifers in the garden and how to give conifers the desired shape.