In Latin, the Weymouth pine is called Pinus Strobus. Another name is white oriental pine. The name was obtained thanks to the navigator George Weymouth, a citizen of the English crown. In 1605, he brought this plant to Great Britain, where it did not take root due to fungal attack.
Weymouth pine - lush coniferous tree
Brief information about the species
- Colour: the needles have an unusual shade - from green to bluish.
- Height: up to 40 m.
- Crown width: varies depending on the variety, can be from 1 to 10 m.
- In which regions is it growing: northeastern USA, southeastern Canada. Does not tolerate air pollution, heat and drought.
- Landing features: grows in the shade at a young age, as it grows more demanding for lighting. Does not tolerate stagnant water, soil salinity and air drought. Should not be planted near rust vectors. The desired distance between plants is 1.4 to 5 m.
- Immunity: extremely weak against fungi and blistering rust, may be affected by shugge in youth.
- Life span: over 50 years.
Main varieties
There are several varieties of Weymouth pine. Let's consider each one in order.
Pinus Strobus Minima
Minima (or Minimus) is a brownish plant up to 1 m high, the maximum diameter of its crown is up to 1.5 m. The needles are thin, green, dense and tough.
Pine hardly tolerates heat, smoke, air pollution, salty soils.
The main feature is a change in the color of the needles: in the spring it turns yellow to lemon green, and by the end of summer it acquires a blue tint.
This type of pine is prone to burning needles and blistering rust.
Pinus strobus pendula
Pendula's shoots hang down, they are located on a branch at a distance from each other. The crown is weeping, the needles are bluish-green. The ends of branches in an adult plant often spread along the ground.
The maximum size of Pendula is 3 m, it grows no more than 20 cm per year. It prefers open areas with a lot of light.
Pinus strobus macopin
Makopin grows in the form of a shrub, the height and diameter of the crown is up to 1.5 m. The needles are green with a blue tint. Resistant to wind, but not soil salinity and air pollution.
The crown does not need to be trimmed. Prefers light, tolerates partial shade.
Pinus Strobus Radiata
Radiata grows to a maximum of 4 m in height. It has an interesting feature regarding the shape of the crown: at a young age it is cone-shaped and openwork, at the onset of maturity it is spherical, dense.
The annual growth is no more than 10 cm.
The color of the needles is saturated green, needles 10 cm long are collected in bunches of 5 pcs. Tolerates frost, wind, snow and formative pruning.
Pinus Strobus Tiny Kurls (Tiny Curls)
Tiny Curls is a dwarf variety. By the age of 30, it has a height of 2 to 3 m, an increase per year up to 20 cm. The needles are soft, green-blue, outwardly reminiscent of curls and curls. Prefers light or partial shade, tolerates cold well.
Pinus Strobus Fastigiata
Varieties of varieties are frost-resistant
Fastigiata has a straight trunk and a cone-shaped crown. At a young age, pruning is used for a shrub; as it grows, the plant is pulled up. The needles are prickly, greenish-silvery, long.
Annual growth - up to 20 cm per year. It is resistant to temperature extremes, wind, frost, poor lighting and polluted air.
Pinus Strobus Contorta Torulosa
Torulose is notable for its rounded, raised branches. The shoots of the tree are often intertwined. The cones are small, the needles are green, up to 8 cm in size.
Pinus Strobus Blue Shag
Blue Sheg (aka Blue Step) is a dwarf pine tree up to 1.2 m high. It has a ball-shaped crown and soft needles of a bluish-green hue.
The culture is undemanding to the soil, but does not tolerate shade and drought. Resistant to frost.
Pinus strobus louie
Louis grows up to 30 m by the age of 6 years, the growth width is about 4 m.A year it adds up to 45 cm in length.
The plant has a regular dense crown in the shape of a pyramid, the color of the needles is golden. The variety requires pinching and shaping. In poor light, it changes the color of the needles to green-yellow.
Pinus strobus densa hill
Densa is a dwarf bush with dark blue-green needles. The maximum size is 1.2 m in height. In youth, the crown has the shape of a ball, in maturity it resembles a cone.
Pinus strobus nana
Nana is a dwarf bush, the maximum height of which is about 3 m. It grows slowly. The needles are up to 12 cm in size, sharp, thin, emerald or bluish. It prefers a well-lit place, in partial shade it retains the density of the crown.
Pinus Strobus Kruger Liliput
Lilliput Kruger has the shape of a ball and by the age of 10 it grows up to 60 cm in diameter. Annual growth is about 6 cm. The needles are soft, blue-gray, short. Prefers good lighting and moderate humidity.
Pinus strobus pumila
Pumila has very modest parameters: its height and crown size do not exceed 1.5 m. The growth of the variety is extremely slow, about 5 cm per year.
The lush needles are neatly rounded, they are emerald blue in color.
Pinus strobus alba
Alba grows up to 20 m in height and has an asymmetrical crown up to 10 m in width. Annual growth is about 20 cm. Shoots are long, branching.
The needles are green-gray, with a silvery tinge, thick and flat. Prefers strong light, in partial shade the crown becomes dark green.
Pinus Strobus Niagara Falls
In 2009 Niagara Falls became the plant of the year among other conifers. The maximum height is 1, 8 m, the width of the weeping crown is 3 m. The annual growth does not exceed 20 cm. The needles are two-color: green above and grayish below.
Pinus strobus green twist
Green Twist is distinguished by unusual needles
Green Twist is often grown on a trunk, since this plant is spherical and has an unusual type of needles: they twist and intertwine with each other.
The color of the needles is blue-green, in the middle of the needle there is a bright light stripe. By the age of 10, the height and width rarely exceed 0.5 m.
Pinus strobus ontario
Ontario grows up to 3 m in height and 2 m in width. Differs in slow growth, about 7 cm per year.
The crown is symmetrical, dense, with hanging cones. The color of the needles changes from deep green in spring to bluish green in autumn. Ontario does not tolerate lime in soil and drought. Grows well in partial shade.
Pinus strobus glauca
Glauka grows up to 15 m. It has a thick gray-green or blue-green crown. Prefers a well-lit area and moderate humidity.
The variety is frost-resistant.
Pinus strobus reinshaus
Rheinhaus has the shape of a pin and belongs to the dwarf varieties, the annual growth is up to 5 cm. The needles are green, dense. The boughs touch the ground.
Landing
Before planting, the seeds must be stratified.
For their germination, a special soil mixture is used, including:
- leafy land - 60%;
- sand - 20%;
- peat - 20%.
The optimum temperature for seed germination is 18 to 22 ° C. The land should not be too wet, watering is moderate.
Seedlings take root well in the open field, tolerate the transplantation process well.
When purchasing a Pinus Strobus seedling in a nursery, you should pay attention to some details.
- Sales form. The plant can be sold in a container, in a bag. It is preferable if the pine is dug up immediately before purchase.
- Earthen room. It should not crumble, keeping its shape - this indicates a strong root system. The ground should be moist to the touch.
- Temperature "habits" of the plant. Imported seedlings may not be prepared for the climate in which they will grow in the future.
The price is highly dependent on the selected variety.
Seedling and site preparation
Two hours before transplanting, the seedling is watered abundantly so that the earthen lump grasps.
It is important to choose the right place to plant the plant. Otherwise, it will not show all the properties of the variety and will grow much slower.
The place should be:
- sunny or slightly shaded;
- without stagnation of water;
- have neutral, slightly salty soils.
No plants that are intermediate hosts for rust should be planted within a radius of 500 m.
Landing rules
The tree is easy to care for
It is recommended to plant Weymouth pine in open ground in late August or early May.
The minimum distance between the holes is from 1.4 m for dwarf varieties to 4 m for large ones.
The landing pit is made no more than 1 m deep, the bottom is covered with drainage 20 cm from sand or brick fragments.
The root collar is not buried. After planting, the plant is watered abundantly.
How to care
Pine attracts attention not only by its interesting appearance, but also by its simple care.
Watering
The culture does not tolerate stagnant moisture and excessive moisture.
Young seedlings, after transplanting outdoors, may need more frequent watering to take root in their new location.
For a good wintering, the procedure is performed 4 times: 15 liters per plant.
Top dressing
Traditionally, Weymouth pine is fed when planting with a nitroammophos, 50 g of the substance is enough.
Re-fertilization of plants with special compositions for conifers is encouraged for the first 2 years after planting.
Mulching and loosening
Mulch with sawdust, wood chips, bark, peat. The procedure avoids drying out of the soil and protects against temperature changes.
The height of the mulch is up to 15 cm. In spring, it is raked to check the condition of the soil and roots.
If the soil is too dense, it is necessary to loosen the soil to provide air access to the roots.
Pruning
Some varieties require formative pruning. To do this, use several methods:
- one-year-old shoots are pinched, and in the summer they are shortened;
- the growth buds are broken off in the spring;
In general, pine does not need to be trimmed. It is permissible to limit ourselves to the removal of dead branches. The procedure is carried out in early to mid-May.
Preparing for winter
The Weimutov variety tolerates frosts well, however, young seedlings require additional preparation for winter: they are covered with burlap or special. material.
In the absence of snow in winter, an adult plant may also need shelter so that its needles do not burn out.
Reproduction
Pine fruiting begins at the age of 25. Varieties are propagated in three ways: grafting, cuttings, seeds.
Seed propagation
Pine is easiest to propagate by seed.
The easiest way that requires minimal investment. Reproduction is used to preserve the main plant species.
The best results are shown with preliminary seed stratification.
The seeds retain the ability to germinate for up to 2 years at room temperature. When sealed at temperatures from 0 to 5 ° C, they remain alive for about 15 years.
To awaken the seed, low temperatures are used, so the material is sown in winter, the depth is 2 cm.
It is allowed to use snowing in containers until spring.
Reproduction by grafting
This method is used to propagate decorative forms to preserve varietal characteristics. Without additional vaccination, the desired characteristics may not appear.
Propagation by cuttings
This method is used extremely rarely, since the cuttings take root very poorly.
In winter, the material practically does not take root if they are not treated with growth stimulants. With additional processing with special means, the percentage of rooting increases significantly.
Pests and diseases
According to gardeners, the most common disease in the white eastern pine is rust.
The disease manifests itself as bright orange fungi on the trunk. At the first signs of their appearance, it is necessary to start treatment: treat with Bordeaux liquid. It is permissible to use a rogor. The procedure is carried out three times.
Another disease affecting young trees is shugge. Signs of its appearance: yellowing and falling needles. In this case, the entire flying part is removed, and the plant is treated with 2% solution of colloidal sulfur.
The variety has a strong immunity against pests, but one should not neglect planned preventive treatments.
Use in landscape design
Weymouth pine has a great tendency to blister rust.
In this regard, landscape designers advise not to plant currants, mountain ash, hawthorn and gooseberries nearby.
In the garden, it is used in different ways, it all depends on the variety. For instance:
- Nana looks good in group plantings, she is planted with Japanese and heather hills and forest edges.
- Pendula is suitable for creating a peaceful atmosphere in recreation areas.
- Pumila usually decorates rocky gardens in the form of group plantings.
- Alba is planted singly in large open areas, lawns.
- Green Twist looks beautiful in small gardens and rock gardens.
- Bonsai are formed from Lilliput Kruger.
Dwarf varieties are often grown in pots and containers on a trunk, after which they are used for landscaping gazebos, terraces, and driveways.
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Reviews
According to the descriptions of landscape designers, Weymouth pine is an excellent choice for landscaping a site. The variety of varieties allows you to create complex compositions and use it for different purposes.
Gardeners note that this plant does not tolerate polluted air well and is practically defenseless against rust. But it is frost and wind resistant, unpretentious and does not require the formation of a crown.