Among all varieties of coniferous varieties of trees, a special place is occupied by Japanese pine. Under natural conditions, it grows in Japan, on the Kuril Islands, is found in the Caucasus and on the Black Sea coast. A characteristic feature of this variety is a cone-shaped crown, dark green or blue needles.
This is an unpretentious plant that can be grown on your personal plot or even in a city apartment and create a bonsai from such a plant.
general description
The tree can grow up to 20 meters high. The crown of the plant is long in the form of a cone. The needles have a dark green color with a silver coating on the bottom. The needles themselves are soft and thin, the tips are curved.
Flowering occurs in May. Then small bumps appear, up to 12 centimeters long. On the tree they remain up to 7 years, and full ripening occurs in 2-3 years.
Japanese pine can live 150-200 years. The plant is not afraid of urban dirty conditions and severe cold, up to -34 degrees. A tree can be single-barreled or multi-barreled. The bark is smooth, but scales appear with age.
Varietal variety
In total, there are about a hundred varieties of Japanese pine. But on our territory we can distinguish several of the most popular:
- "Glauka", with a characteristic blue needles: trees grow to medium size;
- Tempelhof, a dwarf plant, but in only 10 years it can stretch up to 2 meters;
- Negichi, a small tree that stretches for 10 years only 1 meter, also has blue needles;
- Blauer Engel does not grow above 1.5 meters, but has a spreading and wide crown.
Horticulture
Varieties of natural breeding are not recommended to be planted in areas where winter temperatures can drop to -28 degrees. If a variety is artificially bred, then it will tolerate lower temperatures. This is confirmed by numerous reviews.
How to grow Japanese pines and where to plant them? This coniferous tree perfectly tolerates both the cold and the scorching sun. It is unpretentious and to light conditions.
There are no special requirements for soil, it tolerates saline soil well. But it feels best on drained and moist ground. Expanded clay or broken brick can be added to the soil.
Thanks to these properties, pine trees are planted even in rocky areas.
Planting a seedling, watering and fertilizer
You can plant young plants from late April to September. It is during this period that the root system is best adapted to the new growing conditions.
It is necessary to choose seedlings that have reached 3-5 years. During planting, a hole is dug up to a depth of about one meter, and it is filled with nitrogen or complex fertilizer. Then put a tree (along with a lump) and fall asleep in advance with a prepared backfill, which is prepared from the following components:
- turf land;
- clay;
- river sand.
Components are added in a 2: 2: 1 ratio. If several trees are planted at once, then a distance of 1.5 meters should be left between them. If larger varieties are selected, then - 4 meters.
After planting, the seedling is watered, and in the future, the need for watering is determined depending on the weather. If there are sunny days, then more water is needed. On average, young animals do not require regular watering, if the street is not very hot, it is enough to carry out the procedure only once a week.
Sprinkling is carried out from spring to summer: it is recommended to wash twigs. In the first year, it is advisable to carry out the procedure every other day.
There are no special requirements for fertilizing Japanese pine. However, judging by the reviews, in the first two years every six months it is desirable to introduce complex fertilizer. When a plant grows up, it receives all the beneficial substances from its own fallen needles.
Japanese pine: how to grow from seeds?
There are three options for propagating the tree: cuttings, seed method and by grafting.
Seeds are extracted from plant cones. They ripen for 2-3 years after pollination has occurred. If there is a pyramidal thickening on the opened cone - then you can collect seeds. Reviews of amateur gardeners confirm the excellent germination of seeds planted immediately after harvest.
You can store the material in a glass container, but always in a cool place. This is a prerequisite for seeds to sprout the next year.
Before planting seeds, immediately after collection or storage, it is recommended to place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then rinse with warm water.
Pre-prepared containers (with holes) are covered with soil and sprinkled with peat. Seeds do not even need to be deepened into the soil, you can simply sprinkle on the surface and loosen.
Between the seeds should be left at 5 millimeters of distance. Watering is carried out using a spray gun. As soon as small sprouts appear, they are seated in separate containers.
This method is also suitable for obtaining seeds of Japanese pine for bonsai.
We grow a tree at home
It is this variety that is the most popular for the formation of trees in the ancient Japanese style - bonsai.
Seeds are planted in early spring. To achieve active growth, it will take a lot of sun. To assess how much the tree needs watering, the soil must be checked 2 times throughout the day. Japanese pine does not like excessive watering and does not like too dry soil.
To make the tree on the windowsill happy, you will need to fertilize it regularly. In spring it is recommended to fertilize with low-nitrogen fertilizers. Such additives do not give more until the moment the needles become hard. This is done so that the needles do not grow too long.
After this, the plant is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers more often, approximately every 2-3 weeks, until autumn comes. In winter, a tree dormant period begins and it is not required to feed it.
After cutting the branches, cutting is recommended to be lubricated with petroleum jelly to stop the release of resin. The older the plant, the harder it tolerates pruning. Old trees that have reached 30 years or more cannot be pruned more than once a year.
With a great desire, it is not difficult to grow a tree from the seeds of Japanese pine at home, only it takes a lot of patience.
Pests and diseases
Despite the unpretentiousness of Japanese pine, nevertheless, it should be regularly looked after. Always remove dry, diseased and damaged branches. We must not forget that the plant has pests.
- Pine hermes is an aphid that feeds on the needles. Aphid appears in the form of a white gun, the diseased needles become short and light.
- Pine aphids.
- Scale, a dangerous pest that causes the falling of needles.
- Pine subclinical bug, which provokes the drying of the top of the tree.
No matter how Japanese pine is grown, by seed or by cuttings, the plant can suffer from shute disease. Cancer can also occur, in which the needles acquire a reddish-brown hue, dry out and fall off.
In any case, the Japanese pine tree, as soon as it appears on the plot or in the apartment, will always delight the eye, although it will require a little attention.