Mountain pine Karsten Wintergold: variety description, planting and care, application
When looking for unusual plants to decorate the garden, you should pay attention to the coniferous family. In landscape design, the mountain pine variety Karsten is widely used. A low-growing plant looks like a shrub, is unpretentious. Unlike ordinary pine or spruce, its needles change color with the seasons. Karsten is a versatile pine that is suitable for any arrangement, from alpine slides and hedges to sculptures and rock gardens.
What sort is this
The full name of the variety is Carsten Wintergold. Pine was bred by Dutch breeders in 1969. The plant is adapted to southern, central and northern latitudes. Karsten is a short and slow growing variety.
External description:
| Criterion | Characteristic |
| Height | Up to 1 meter |
| Width | Up to 1.5 meters |
| Crown shape | Spherical |
| Needle | Hard, short, two per bundle |
| Arrangement of branches | Dense, vertical |
| Kora | Smooth, brown or gray, cracks and scales with age |
| Bumps | Round, brown, up to 5 centimeters in diameter |
| Root system | Branched, close to soil surface |
Karsten pine is resistant to frost, diseases and pests, but its main feature is the color of its needles. In the cold season, it becomes bright, orange. In summer, the pine turns pale and acquires a pleasant yellow-green hue.
How to plant him
Karsten mountain pine thrives on sandy and rocky soils. A suitable place for the plant is the sunny side of the site. The Wintergold variety grows at a speed of 4 centimeters per year, so perennial plants can be planted around in a permanent place. Karsten happily coexists with vertically growing flowers, fruit trees and shrubs, coniferous relatives.
Other low-growing stands stand out against the background of the bright Karsten. The mountain variety is also planted in the foreground of group compositions.
The favorable season for planting decorative mountain pine is mid-spring, late summer and early autumn. The plant needs warm soil to take root. Landing starts from the beginning of April and continues until the end of May.
The latest planting date is the beginning of October, if the weather is still warm. Karsten is less likely to root in early frosts. In autumn, mountain pine is best planted from late August to the second half of September.
Selecting planting stock
Seedlings are sold in nurseries and online stores. The Latin name of the variety is Carsten Wintergold. Plants are ready for planting in open soil at the age of 2-3 years. The seedling looks like a rounded needle bush 80 centimeters high and 120 centimeters wide. Also for sale are seedlings on a trunk 100 centimeters high with a crown with a diameter of 150 centimeters.
Young Karsten pine is selected according to the following criteria:
- closed roots - seedlings are usually sold planted in containers;
- fresh crown - tightly compressed and resiliently spreads the branches, the needles do not crumble;
- single stem - multi-stemmed saplings are more difficult to shape and can fall apart in strong winds.
Preparing the site
Karsten pine will need acidic soil and drainage to establish well. A planting hole is prepared after purchasing a seedling and the width and depth are selected according to the volume of the earthen coma. Pebbles, coarse gravel, crushed bricks are suitable for the drainage layer.
If the soil is dry, remains moderately wet during rainfall, and the groundwater is deep, you can do without drainage. With a high content of moisture and clay, a layer of sand is poured over pebbles or gravel. Sandy soil, on the contrary, is diluted with an admixture of clay.
Planting instructions
Carsten's sapling is transferred to the seat along with an earthen clod from the container. To easily remove the plant, the earth needs to be lightly watered.
How to plant Karsten mountain pine:
- pour drainage 20 centimeters thick on the bottom of the hole, add sand or clay if necessary;
- set the seedling clearly vertically;
- fill with soil, leaving the root neck on the surface;
- tamp the ground and water it.
The volume of water for the first watering after planting is 2 buckets. When planting several seedlings, the interval between them is 1.5 meters.
Further care
Mountain pine Carsten Wintergold does not require frequent watering and top dressing, but needs soil acidification. The variety is resistant to pests, especially with preventive treatment.
Main recommendations for seedling care:
- during the first month, water once a week with two buckets of water. Then the pine will have enough moisture from precipitation. Additional watering will be required only during a prolonged drought;
- feed with a growth stimulant for the first three years;
- for acidification, add manure, garden sulfur to the soil, mulch with coniferous spruce branches or sawdust, water with diluted citric acid or vinegar;
- For the prevention of Schutte fungus, Hermes pine aphids, mites and bark beetles, treat with Bordeaux liquid, sodium humate, Actellik acaricide, any fungicide.
In the first winter after planting, it is recommended to wrap the Karsten pine seedling with burlap or agrofibre, tie it with a spruce tree. Branches tied with twine to the trunk will not break from snow. Ice can damage the bark. If you sprinkle the trunk with peat or earth before frost, the pine will thaw safely from the ice with the arrival of heat and will delight you with bright needles.
