Watereri Pine: variety description, planting and care, use in landscape design

Watereri Pine is an ornamental variety of the common variety. This culture has been popular for over a hundred years. It comes from Britain and is considered very popular among European gardeners. The plant is often used in landscape design in summer cottages and parks. An important advantage of culture is its slow development. Thanks to this, it perfectly complements even small spaces.

Tree characteristic

According to the botanical description, Scotch pine is a dwarf variety. This culture was discovered by the British scientist Anthony Waterer, after whom it got its name.

Appearance

This variety is a large and dense shrub that has a rounded crown and belongs to the Pine family. The culture is characterized by a beautiful blue color and a high degree of frost resistance. It is predominantly found in mountainous areas.

This culture is characterized by the following features:

1. Young plants have a columnar crown. At an older age, it acquires a rounded shape and becomes loose.
2. The average plant height is 4-5 meters. By the age of 30, the culture grows up to 15 meters.
3. Pine circumference can be 8-12 meters.
4. The needles are blue. They are quite prickly and form bunches of 2-3.
5. This crop has an average growth rate. For 1 year, a pine tree grows by 10-11 centimeters.
6. The plant is distinguished by cone-shaped buds. The color of male fruits varies from light pink to yellow. Their dimensions are 0.8-1.2 centimeters. Female cones are brown in color and 3-5 centimeters long.
7. Fruit ripening occurs in late November or early December. At the end of winter, they fully open, and in April they crumble.

Distribution area

Scotch pine Vatereri is characterized by undemanding care and is characterized by a high degree of resistance to severe and prolonged frosts. The plant can be grown in the southern regions and in the middle lane. It grows well in Siberia and the Urals. Ephedra is widespread in Spain and England. It is also found in China and Mongolia.

How to plant a pine tree

In order for Watereri pine to develop well, it is important to carry out planting work correctly. At the same time, attention should be paid to the choice of seedling and site preparation.

Seedling selection

It is recommended to buy a culture in a specialized nursery. In this case, it is worth giving preference to a plant with closed roots. It must be over 2 years old. Such seedlings are considered the most hardy. They quickly take root after landing on the site.

When buying a crop with an open root system, it must be immediately planted in the soil. Otherwise, it will dry out. When choosing a plant, it is important to carefully examine the crown. It must be alive and have an integral trunk. Shoots should be free from injury, cracks, spots or growths.

He althy seedlings have blue needles of a uniform color. It should not have yellow, black or brown blotches. Such elements indicate infection of the culture. There should be no mold on the soil clod.

Soil preparation

For planting, choose a sunny area with shading during the daytime, as young crops can get burned. The place must be protected from the wind. It is also worth paying attention to the occurrence of groundwater - they should be deep enough.

Watereri Pine prefers sandy or loamy soil with neutral acidity and high nutrient content. Adding sand and peat will help make heavy soil lighter. For 1 square meter, it is worth using 20 kilograms of each substance. You can also improve the structure of the soil with 2 buckets of clay.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is worth using dolomite flour. Calcite or slaked lime is also suitable for this purpose. For 1 square meter, it is worth using 350 grams of such components. Then the bed needs to be dug up, leveled and watered.

Step by step instructions

Planting work is recommended from late April to early May. Over the summer, seedlings will be able to take root, form a new root system and aerial part, and also prepare for winter. In the southern regions, it is permissible to carry out planting work in the fall.However, this must be done no later than the first half of September.

To plant a crop, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Water the crop well 2 hours before planting
2. Dig a hole slightly larger than the plant's root system.
3. Pour a drainage layer on the bottom. For this, it is permissible to use pebbles, crushed bricks or crushed stone. From above it is required to lay a fertile substrate. For its manufacture, it is recommended to mix the earth from the recess with turf, sand and peat. This is done in a ratio of 3:2:1:2. You also need to add 100 grams of potassium sulfate and superphosphate to the composition.
4. Set the seedling in the hole, add soil and tamp the substrate around the trunk.
5. Plentifully water the plant. For 1 pine, you need to use 2 buckets of water. After absorbing moisture, it is recommended to cover the near-stem circle with a mulch layer. For this, it is permissible to use peat or coniferous sawdust.

When planting a crop, it is important to control that the root collar remains flush with the ground. Otherwise, there is a risk of rotting and death of the culture. When planting several trees, it is worth observing an interval of 3-3.5 meters between them.

Tree care

For a culture to grow and develop normally, it needs proper care. In this case, a number of rules must be observed.

Water and fertilize

During the first few months, young plants need to be watered frequently. Thanks to this, they will quickly grow greenery and root system. It is recommended to moisten the soil at intervals of 3-4 days. For 1 seedling, it is worth using 10-15 liters of water.

Mature pines over 3 years old require less water. In this case, 4 waterings are enough during the season. For 1 tree, it is recommended to use 50 liters of water.

Crown sprinkling is considered quite a useful procedure. It favorably affects the development of young growth and helps protect the culture from parasites. Spraying should be done in the evenings - after sunset. It is recommended to do this at intervals of 3-4 days.

Top dressing helps to strengthen the immunity of the plant, increase resistance to cold and help improve decorative properties. For the first time, it is worth making nitrophoska or ammophoska under the pine tree. To prepare a working solution, it is recommended to use 30-40 grams of the drug per 10 liters of water. This fertilizer is applied the next year after planting. It is best to apply it in early spring - before the start of the growing season.

For the second time, pine is fed with a combined composition of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. To prepare a working solution, it is recommended to take 15 grams of each agent per 1 bucket of water. It is recommended to use such a composition in the fall - before the onset of cold weather.Top dressing should be combined with watering. This will help improve absorption of the active ingredients.

Additionally, it is worth irrigating the crown. To do this, use funds in the form of chelates. Suitable formulations include Epin, Heteroauxin, Quadris. They are brought in 3 times during the season.

Loosening and mulching

The soil in the trunk circle needs to be periodically loosened. This will help oxygenate the soil. Dwarf shrub grows well in a light and breathable substrate. During loosening, it is imperative to get rid of weeds. Soil mulching is important. For this purpose, it is worth using peat or crushed bark.

Cutting

In May, the buds that were laid last year begin to actively grow on the tree. Therefore, during this period, it is necessary to trim the crown. This is a simple procedure that aims to trim young shoots. This allows you to give the crown of the tree almost any shape.

Preparing for wintering

Mature plants have a high degree of frost resistance. Up to 4 years old, Watereri pines need to be insulated. In the fall, they should be insulated with spruce branches, and in the spring, the shelter should be removed. At the same time, it is forbidden to use materials that create a greenhouse effect. The shrub needs air access. An additional benefit of using spruce branches is sunburn protection.

How to propagate with a tree

Watereri pine is perfectly propagated by cuttings. To carry out this procedure, from the top of the culture, it is required to cut shoots up to 20 centimeters in size. In order for them to take root well, it is recommended to harvest a branch with a piece of old bark. Then the shoots need to be cleaned from the bottom of the needles and immersed for 30 minutes in the Epin solution.

It is recommended to plant cuttings in a large container with drainage holes.It needs to be filled with a composition based on sand and peat. It is worth deepening the cuttings by no more than 4 centimeters. In this case, the angle of inclination should be 45 degrees. Landings are recommended to be watered, covered with a film and placed in a well-lit place. It is recommended to keep them at a temperature of +20-22 degrees.

Care for seedlings is required for 2 months until they release new buds. For this plant, it is recommended to ventilate, irrigate and loosen each. When eyes appear, the shelter must be removed, and the pot must be moved to a room with a temperature of + 17-19 degrees. It is allowed to plant a plant in open ground only after 1.5 years. During this time, the seedlings will have time to grow the root system and greenery.

What can a tree get infected with

When growing Vatereri pine, the bark and needles need to be systematically inspected. In this case, special attention should be paid to the color and general condition of the tree. Thanks to this, it will be possible to detect diseases in a timely manner.

Most often culture suffers from such pathologies:

1. Rust - signs of the disease include swelling and orange spots that first appear on the shoots, and then affect the entire tree. Bordeaux liquid helps to cope with this pathology. However, severely affected fragments must be removed and burned.
2. Schütte vulgaris - this disease is associated with infection by a fungus. In this case, the plant is covered with small brown spots. Then they increase, acquire a yellow color and turn brown. Affected needles fall off, and myceliums form under infected trees. To eliminate the disease, it is recommended to use colloidal sulfur or Bordeaux liquid.

Pests and their control

Of the parasites, the spruce-fir hermes poses the greatest danger to the plant. Its colonies, which live on a tree, resemble white cotton wool. Pest activity provokes yellowing of the needles. To cope with parasites, it is worth treating the crop with insecticides.

Other pests that pose a threat to Watereri Pine include:

1. Bark beetle. These insects infect wood. Pests make moves in it and lay eggs there. In this case, insecticides are recommended to be applied to the holes. Also, these drugs should treat the surface of the culture.
2. Spruce sawfly. In this case, a change in the color of the needles is observed. It takes on a reddish hue. To protect the crop, it is recommended to use insecticidal preparations.

Application

Watereri Pine is often used in landscape design. It fits perfectly into different compositions. Also, designers often decorate pine trees in the style of bonsai.

In addition, the plant has the following properties:

• absorbs noise and dust;
• releasing a large amount of phytoncides;
• creates a special microclimate on the site.

Watereri Pine is a fairly popular crop that is often used for landscaping. To preserve the decorative properties of the plant, he needs to provide competent care.

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