Image – Wikimedia Commons / Snoring
In the mountains of central Europe, where the landscape is covered with snow every year and the summers are mild, there is one of the conifers that best withstands the cold: the Pinus shadepopularly known by the names of Swiss pine or stone pine. Although it is a very resistant plant, it owes its existence to a bird that we have all heard about once: the common nutcracker.
He is the only one capable of opening his pineapples, which he buries in different areas to eat later, unless he forgets where they are. Those who are lucky and avoid being eaten, manage to germinate during the following spring. But, how is he Pinus shade?
Origin and characteristics of Pinus shade
Image – Wikimedia Commons / Cruiser
Our protagonist is an evergreen conifer whose scientific name is Pinus shade. It grows wild in the mountains of Central Europe, specifically from the Alps to the Carpathians, at an altitude of more than 1000 meters above sea level. It can reach 25 meters in heightand has a characteristic pyramidal shape that gives it an impressive beauty.
Also, its trunk tends to grow straight, unless it is in an area where the wind blows constantly, or has many plants around it, in which case it could lean a bit. The leaves are typical of the Pine trees; namely: acicular, that is, thin and long, green in color. Although the species is evergreen, it is important to clarify that this does not mean that it never loses its leaves.if not rather that they remain with them for a long time, until new ones sprout.
Due to the climatic conditions of its habitat, it is a plant that has a fairly slow growth rate. And it is that hopefully it can only grow about five months a year, coinciding with spring and summer, and even so it takes 30 years to measure 1,3 meters. But their life expectancy is very long, between 500 and 1000 years.
His relationship with other living beings
All trees, especially those that acquire very large dimensions such as the Swiss pine, establish relationships with other animals and often with other microorganisms. At the beginning of this article we have told you about nutcrackera bird that feeds on the seeds of this species, but that collects and stores so many a day that it cannot always remember where it has left them.
But we also want to mention you at microcorrhizaspecifically the fungi of the genus Suillus. It can be difficult for humans to imagine that fungus and plant help each other, because when we grow plants we have to fight fungi many times, but not all fungal species are bad for them. The Suillus, in fact, help the Pinus shade to grow and, also, to survive, from an early age.
How do you take care of yourself?
Image – Wikimedia / Salicyna
Growing a Swiss pine is not an easy task, since so that it can grow in conditions it is necessary that the climate is temperate and that there be snow during the winter. Thus, in hot regions, such as the Mediterranean, it will have problems in summer since high temperatures will prevent it from continuing its growth.
But in the event that you live in the mountains or in a place where the summers are mild and where the temperatures drop below zero degrees during the winter season, it will not be difficult for you to enjoy the Pinus shade:
Location
It is a plant that, in addition to being outside, the ideal is to plant it in the ground as soon as possibleat a distance of about ten meters from where you have pipes, paved floors and others.
Place it in full sun so that it grows well, and keep it as an isolated specimen. If you want, you can plant other large plants at a minimum distance of two meters.
Earth
- the garden: the soil must be rich in nutrients, and have a neutral or slightly acidic pH.
- Flower pot: As it grows slow, it is possible to grow it in a pot for years. Use mulch (for sale here!) or substrate for acidic plants (for sale here!).
Irrigation
It does not support drought or waterlogging, so the most advisable thing is to water it immediately. In summer it will be watered about 4 times a week, and the rest of the year about 2 times a week on average, for this you should use rainwater or, failing that, a slightly acidic one (pH 6-6.5).
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It is necessary to fertilize the stone pine throughout their growing season (from spring to summer) with a specific fertilizer for green plants. Follow the directions for use that you will find specified on the package; this way you get the nutrients you need, no more, no less
Multiplication
Image – Wikimedia Commons / S. Rae
It multiplies by seeds, that is, by pine nuts, in winter. These must be cold before germinating, so if there are frosts in your area you simply have to sow them in forest trays putting 2-3 seeds in each alveolus, or in pots with substrate for seedlings.
Alternatively stratify them in the fridge for three months, at a temperature of 6ºC. To do this, they have to be sown in a tupperware with coconut fiber (for sale here!) or vermiculite (for sale here!) for example, and add powdered sulfur to prevent pathogenic fungi. Once a week you have to take the tupperware out of the fridge and open it; This will renew the air and reduce the risk of infection. In addition, you can take advantage to see if they are germinating and / or if the substrate needs water.
Transplant
Remember to plant it in the garden or in a larger pot in spring. In the case of what you have in a container, you have to transplant it every 3 or 4 years.
Rusticity
The stone pine withstands frosts down to -50ºCbut not so those of more than 30ºC.
Did you know this tree?
