Method 1: Pine was cultivated with seedlings.
1. Select the most suitable tree species for the local soil climate. Common ornamental pine trees include cedar, short-leaved pine and red pine. Please consult the seller before buying to determine whether the altitude and climate in your area are suitable for the growth of this tree.
2. Choose bare-rooted seedlings or potted seedlings. The planting period of bare-rooted seedlings should be in late autumn and winter, when pine trees are in dormancy. Potted seedlings can be planted at any time, but attention should be paid to moisturizing and sun protection in midsummer. Most seedlings can be kept for several weeks at 1.7-3.3 degrees Celsius, but you'd better check the information with the seller in case the tree species you buy have other special requirements.
3. Water the roots and trim them if necessary. Please make sure that the roots of saplings are wet before planting. Don't water too much, or you will drown the seedlings. If the roots of the seedlings form a compact ball or coil around the inner wall of the container, please carefully arrange the main roots to provide space for the extension of the roots. Some seedlings are sold with clods on their roots. Please try not to strip the original soil when tidying up the roots.
4. Choose a suitable planting place. Every pine tree should have enough room for growth, and there should be no epiphytes or roots of other trees near the planting site. There should be good lighting in the planting area to ensure that pine trees can shine in the shade. If you can't find a good position at sunrise, please refer to the following explanation about artificial shadows.
The most suitable soil for pine trees is a mixture of sand and fertile soil. If the soil becomes hard, please add an appropriate amount of organic mulch, such as sphagnum.
The planting area should be well drained. For a 30 cm deep tree pit, half a day is the best time to drain the accumulated water in the pit. If the drainage is not smooth, you should consider laying a drainage pipe.
5. Choose the right day to plant seedlings. Don't plant seedlings in strong wind, drought or when the temperature is higher than 30 degrees Celsius. On the day of planting, the soil should not have accumulated water and snow, nor should it be dry and cracked.
6. The pit should be larger than the young tree root system, and the bottom of the pit should be padded with topsoil. The top soil quality is the best. After the tree pit is dug, put the topsoil with a thickness of 10 cm. The tree pit should be large enough to ensure that there is enough space for seedlings to grow after the topsoil is padded. Warning: Contact your utility company and ask about underground lines before digging a tree pit.
Try to make the planting depth of seedlings the same as before. If you are not sure, try not to bury it too deep.
If you want to plant more than one pine tree, you must leave a distance of 3 to 4 meters, so that when you grow up, you will not block each other. Some kinds of pine trees may need more space, such as giant Austrian pine trees.
7. Remove the bags or containers of saplings. Although containers and bagging are degradable, removing them is beneficial to the growth of seedlings.
8. Gently place the roots of the seedlings at the bottom of the pit and cover them with soil. After the seedlings are buried, backfill the tree pit. Tap the loose soil with a shovel, not with your feet. Fill the tree pit. If the local climate is very dry, the soil in the pit can be slightly lower than the surface, so that water can nourish the roots. When filling the soil, you can ask another person to help hold the saplings.
9. When the sapling can't stand upright, set up a simple bracket. This often happens in windy areas. If the sapling is likely to be blown down by the wind, tie some wooden sticks with a rope as a support and leave enough space around the sapling. Don't wind the rope directly around the tree.
10, sun protection measures. In order to prevent seedlings from being exposed to the sun, awning cloth or colorful plywood wrapped in cloth can be used as sun visor. Planting in the shadow of buildings or other plants is also a wise choice. The shadow should be in the west of the tree, because the sun is in the west at the hottest time of the day.
Method 2: Cultivate small pine trees.
1. Always spread roots around the seedlings. Wood chips are cheap mulch suitable for pine trees. Bury them a few centimeters under the tree to make room for the trunk. Mulching can prevent weeds and provide a good growing environment. Weeds around the seedlings should be removed in time.
Don't put plastic film under the cover. The covering layer should be ventilated to facilitate the growth of seedlings.
2. The amount of watering depends on tree species, climatic conditions and soil quality. The amount of water is not fixed. Please check the soil moisture before watering. Here are a few tips: wet and lumpy soil does not need watering, and watering will suffocate the roots. When the soil is dry and cracked into pieces, water it again until it is enough.
Water more in autumn to help pine trees spend the winter. Water the seedlings more in dry winter to prevent drought. This is very important for saplings that need water.
3. Protect the seedlings from animals. Plywood awning can not only shade the sun, but also prevent animals from intruding. If there are large herbivores such as deer where you live, it is best to erect plastic fences or chicken pens around the seedlings.
4. Protect seedlings from pests. Pine trees attract many pests, such as weevils, bark beetles and other boring pests, as well as Monochamus alternatus, which can spread pine wood nematode disease. Although these pests may not kill trees, they will all cause serious damage. You have to take the initiative and try your best to protect the little pine tree. Spraying pesticides and fungicides on seedlings can control various pests. It may take several times to kill pests, because the larvae of stem borers live under the bark and the efficacy is difficult to penetrate.
Careful maintenance of seedlings can also resist pests. For example, keep trees healthy, because pests are usually less likely to attack healthy seedlings. Planting pine trees in light soil will help them grow lush roots, check the planted seedlings frequently and prune dry or dying branches in time.
Some varieties of pine trees (such as cedar) are mixed with hardwood or planted under the canopy of hardwood. This can resist the invasion of mountain pine beetles.
It is usually best to remove damaged trees that are vulnerable to pests. The pine trees damaged by moths should be cleaned up in time.
5. Prune diseased branches and residual branches. Don't prune the trunk of the seedlings, it will slow down their growth. Trim the dead branches slightly away from the trunk and keep the "collar" between the branches and the trunk. You can learn pruning skills in How to Prune Branches.