Pinus MONTICOLA

Pinus MONTICOLA - Western white pine, Idaho white pine, Silver pine, Mountain white pine, Pinus monticola.

Can be trained as bonsai!

Pine is an extensive genus of coniferous trees and shrubs in the pine family (Pinaceae), comprising about 130 species. They grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic to tropical mountains, and among them are both widely familiar Scots pine and Swiss stone pine, as well as dwarf forms with prostrate or cushion-shaped crowns.

Pines have strictly whorled branching and two types of shoots: long shoots and short shoots. Needles sit only on short shoots in bundles, and by the number of needles per fascicle, pines are divided into two-needle, three-needle, and five-needle species.

Cones are woody, maturing in the second or third year. Seeds in most species have a membranous wing and are dispersed by wind. The plants are wind-pollinated and monoecious: male and female cones are borne on the same tree.

Western white pine is a species from western North America: it grows in mountains from British Columbia to California, in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Coast Ranges, and in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains. The tree grows up to 50-60 m (164-197 ft) tall, with a straight branched trunk and an elegant columnar crown.

Needles are in fascicles of five, bluish-green, 5-13 cm (2.0-5.1 in) long, with finely serrate margins. Cones are pale brown, long and slender, 12-32 cm (4.7-12.6 in) long and 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6 in) across when closed, becoming twice as wide upon opening.

Pine seeds are medium-small, with a long membranous wing, ripening in woody cones. For germination they require cold moist stratification: seeds are mixed with moist sand and kept for 30 days at a temperature of 4-5 °C (39-41 °F), at home simply in the refrigerator. Scarification is not required.

After stratification, seeds are held for 1-2 hours in a 1% potassium permanganate solution, then soaked for 24 hours in warm water and for another two hours in a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon. They are then sown to a depth of about 7 mm (0.3 in) and covered with substrate, moistened with a spray bottle, covered with plastic wrap or placed in a propagator, and germinated in the light at a temperature of 18-22 °C (64-72 °F).

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts emerge in as little as 3 weeks; main germination extends up to two months, while individual seeds may delay longer. Sowings are ventilated regularly; waterlogging and desiccation are unacceptable. Pricking out is carried out once seedlings have strengthened and shed their seed coat, into individual deep pots: pines develop a taproot early.

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The pine needs a bright location: it is a light-demanding plant, and in shade the crown thins out.

The species is frost-resistant and hardy, tolerating both drought and polluted urban air well.

Watering is needed for young plants in the first years after planting and during severe droughts. A mature tree practically does not require watering.

There are no special requirements for the substrate: the pine grows well even on dry, easily drained soils. It is only important that there is no water stagnation. In container culture, coarse sand is added to the soil, and drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Feeding is needed in moderation, using a specialized conifer fertilizer: pines do not like excess nitrogen.

Shaping is conducted by pinching candle-like young growth in spring. In addition to seeds, ornamental forms are propagated by grafting and layering.