Mountain pine “Gnome”: rules for planting and caring for a coniferous plant

Mountain pines are becoming increasingly popular in landscape design. There is a wide variety of mountain pine species. From dwarf coniferous plants choose the “Gnome” variety. It can be planted separately or used to create a composition in the garden.

Content:

• How to prepare for landing
• Proper planting of mountain pine
• Pine propagation
• Pine tree care: basic activities

How to prepare for landing

The “Gnome” variety of mountain pine is a dwarf coniferous shrub with dense green spherical needles. This decorative species grows slowly and annual growth is only 7-10 cm. The diameter of the shrub is 1.5-2 meters, and its height can reach 2.5 meters. The pine needles are dark green, hard and shiny, about 4-5 cm long.

Cones appear only in the second year. They are round and small, not exceeding 4 cm in length. During the flowering period, small cones appear on a thin stalk. Grows well in well-drained soils.

Mountain pine can be planted in acidic, sandy loam, sandy or rocky soils. The following composition can be used as a soil mixture: turf, sand and clay in a ratio of 2:2:1. Be sure to lay out a drainage layer of about 20 cm on heavy soils. Gravel, sand, etc. can be used as drainage. landing follows in early May or the first ten days of September.

Proper planting of mountain pine

It is recommended to plant the plant in sunny or semi-shaded places. It is important that when planting densely, trees do not block sunlight. Mountain pine “Gnome” is an unpretentious plant that can grow well in urban environments if you care for it properly.

The age of seedlings should be 3-5 years. Younger plants may not take root. Before planting mountain pine, you need to prepare a hole about a meter deep. If you plan to plant seedlings as a hedge, then dig a trench. The hole for planting a coniferous plant should be larger than the root system. A drainage layer in the form of broken bricks or pebbles is laid at the bottom, and a layer of sand on top.

It is necessary to add humus or nitroammophoska to the planting hole. Further pine together with a lump of earth, they are lowered into a hole and covered with earth. It should be remembered that the root collar should not be covered with soil. Proper planting is to ensure that the root collar is located on the surface of the earth.

During planting, the distance between coniferous plants should be taken into account. The gap between dwarf plants should be 1.5 meters. At the final stage, compact the soil around the trunk and spill it with water.

Pine propagation

Mountain pine can be propagated by seeds. After pollination, they become mature after 2 years. The optimal sowing time is early spring. The seed must first be immersed in water for two days to soak. Next, add sandy loam soil, vermiculite to the container and mix. The soil mixture must be disinfected before planting. For this purpose, Fundazol, Fitosporin, etc. are used.

1-2 seeds are immersed in a pot, slightly deeper into the soil.It is recommended to plant directly in open ground next spring. Mountain pine can be propagated by cuttings. This method is used in greenhouse conditions. Cuttings taken from mature plants. The favorable time for this procedure is April. It is during this period that the kidneys actively swell. It is advisable to carry out cuttings in cloudy and rainy weather, in the morning.

Video review of mountain pine:

Using pruning shears, cut a cutting from the mother tree. Its size should be about 7-10 cm. Then lower it into water and add Zircon or Epin extra. This will protect the cuttings from possible rotting. To root the cuttings, you need to prepare the soil well. Crushed stone and small stones are used as a drainage layer, and river sand is sprinkled on top. Fertilizers are not used, but to activate root formation they are sprayed with special means. The root system will form within 2-5 months.

Pine tree care: basic activities

Fertilizers should be applied in the first two seasons of life. It is advisable to use mineral fertilizers. 35-45 g of the substance will be sufficient per square meter of area. It is periodically necessary to moisten the plants with growth stimulants. In dry weather, mountain pine does not require additional watering. A coniferous plant has a thick litter of needles, which helps retain moisture in the soil for a long time.

During the season you should water 3-4 times. One tree will need about 10-20 liters of water. The soil should be loosened if it is very compacted. To form the correct crown, it is recommended to pinch every year. There is no need to remove all tiers of branches at once. Pine pruning is carried out during the formation of young growths, the so-called candles.

To curb the growth rate and give it a spherical shape, the growths are not completely removed, but shortened. This procedure is performed at different lengths from 2 to 7 cm. Low pruning promotes the appearance of small branched branches. It should be remembered that pruning should not be done very low, as this can cause deformation of bud growth and stop development.

Young plants must be protected from frost for the winter. For this purpose, you can use spruce branches, non-woven material, and burlap. With the onset of warm spring days, when the soil thawed, you can remove the cover. Mountain pine is perfect for creating an alpine slide, mixborder or stone garden.