Pine yellow: description and characteristics, planting and care, application
Yellow pine is also a large plant that belongs to the Pine family. In nature, this culture is found in the west of North America. At the same time, this crop is increasingly grown in garden plots and used to decorate parks. This is due to the unusual appearance of the plant. To keep the culture constantly decorative, it needs proper care.
Botanical description
Contrary to popular belief, the yellow pine got its name not because of the color of the needles. This culture has traditional green needles. At the same time, it is characterized by an unusual yellowish bark.There are also many other names for yellow pines - Oregon, bull, heavy, large. In botany, the culture is called yellow pine or Ponderosa - Pinus ponderosa.
A mature tree reaches a height of 18-39 meters. Some plants even grow up to 80 meters. In this case, the diameter of the trunk is 80-120 centimeters. The culture has a conical or oval shape. It is not too thick and has a diameter of up to 3 meters.
The shade of the bark is different. It varies from yellow to red-brown. At the same time, the tree trunk is covered with many grooves. As the tree ages, it becomes covered with wide scaly plates. Near the base, the tree has descending branches. However, as it approaches the crown, the tree has an ascending type of growth.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionThe decorative properties of a tree are due to the appearance of its needles. The yellow pine has needles of impressive size - 7-25 centimeters. At the same time, their thickness is 1.2-2 millimeters. Some specimens even reach 30 centimeters. The needles form bundles of 2-5 pieces. The needles remain on the tree for 4-6 years.Special attention should be paid to the cones of this culture. In appearance, they are similar to cedar. The fruits of the yellow pine are distinguished by strong scales and a brown-brown color. In length, they reach 15 centimeters. The cones have a wide conical shape. At the same time, there are lionfish seeds inside the fruits.
Fruits on pine branches are arranged in 3 pieces. Due to their impressive size and attractive appearance, cones are often used to make various crafts and jewelry. Full ripening of the fruit takes 2 years.
Pine planting requirements
Poderosa pine is recommended to be planted in spring or autumn. For this, it is worth using a seedling no older than 5 years. Before planting, it needs to be placed in a bucket of water for 2-3 hours. Then you should prepare a recess measuring 100x80 centimeters. At the bottom of the hole you need to place a drainage 20 centimeters thick.
It is recommended to reduce the acidity of the soil extracted from the deepening. This requires making 200-400 grams of wood ash. Heavy soil should be diluted with sand in a ratio of 2:1.
To plant a crop, it is recommended to do the following:
- Pour a hill on the drainage layer.
- Place the seedling on the embankment. As a result, the root neck should be above the ground.
- Fill the seedling with soil, while spreading the roots.
- Lightly compact the soil and water the plant. It is worth using 5-7 liters of water for 1 seedling.
Care and its features
In order for a culture to grow and develop normally, it needs to be properly looked after. In this case, it is worth observing a number of rules.
Water Frequency
During the first few months after planting, the plant should be watered 1-2 times a week. The specific frequency depends on the precipitation. The soil should be moistened to a depth of 30 centimeters. After the rooting process is completed, the plant should be watered once a month.
Adult culture needs to be moistened only in the absence of natural precipitation. Otherwise, there is a risk of rotting a wet root system.
Loosening
After each watering, the soil needs to be loosened. This will help saturate the root system with oxygen. This procedure should be combined with weeding the soil around the trunk. To prevent evaporation of moisture and overheating of the roots, the trunk circle must be covered with a mulch layer.Its thickness should be 6-8 centimeters.
Organic materials are used as mulch - tree bark, straw, sawdust. In northern areas with harsh winters, mulch must be laid in a thick layer of up to 25 centimeters. This helps prevent freezing of the roots.
Crown shaping and pruning
Every year in the spring, yellow pine needs to be sanitary pruned. In this case, it is required to remove broken and frozen shoots. It is also important to get rid of branches affected by fungi. To curb the development of a young culture, skeletal branches that are strongly knocked out of the contour are cut to the desired size.
After the pine reaches the age of ten, there is a need for anti-aging pruning. In this case, you need to remove old and large branches that grow in the lower part of the trunk on the ring.
Pest and disease control
Schütte is considered one of the most dangerous diseases of culture. This disease has different types and leads to damage to the needles. The main reason for the development of the disease is considered high humidity. Therefore, adequate care is a key preventive measure.
To combat this pathology, it is recommended to spray the tree with a solution of Bordeaux liquid. Its concentration should be 3%. For preventive spring treatments, it is worth using a 1% solution.
Hom fungicide also helps to cope with fungi. To prepare a solution for spraying pine, it is recommended to mix 40 grams of the substance with 10 liters of water.
Also, yellow pine is subject to attacks by various pests, which lead to a number of negative consequences. The most common parasites are:
- Pine sawfly – causes the destruction of pine needles. The Aktellika solution will help to cope with the pest. To do this, for 1 liter of water it is worth taking 2 milliliters of the substance. Reprocessing is performed after 1 week.
- Bark beetle - makes holes in the bark of the plant and leads to its weakening. In addition, the parasite opens the way for other insects - in particular, for root bugs.If timely action is not taken, there is a risk of death of the culture. To cope with parasites, it is required to carry out intra-stem injections of the Clipper preparation. To do this, you need to inject 100 milliliters of the product into the trunk if the tree does not exceed 15 meters. For larger crops use 200 milliliters. You can also prepare a composition of 100-120 milliliters of the product and 5 liters of water. The resulting product is required to spray plantings.
- Brown aphid - absorbs the juice of needles and shoots. With a small number of pests, you can use folk remedies - tobacco dust or a solution of potassium soap. In more complex cases, Agravertin is required. To prepare the solution, you need to take 2 milliliters of the product per 1 liter of water and sprinkle the tree with the solution.
Using wood
According to the description, the tree can be used to solve various landscape problems. Yellow pine will make an excellent hedge or help divide the site into several zones.It can be combined with any ornamental or fruit crops. The plant goes well with thuja, apple, pear. It can also be planted next to juniper and spirea.
It is worth considering that the tree goes well with flowering perennials. It can be combined with poppies, violets and primroses. Also, beautiful additions include sedum and a bell. The combination of a plant with flowers and herbs allows you to create spectacular rockeries, rocky gardens and alpine slides.
Yellow pine is a spectacular ornamental crop that goes well with a wide variety of plants. This conifer is considered very undemanding to care for. However, to preserve its decorative properties, you still need to follow certain rules.