Weymouth Pine Blue Sheg: variety description, planting and care, application

Blue Shag Weymouth Pine is a highly ornamental variety of mountain pines that has a small crown and blue needles. This plant is considered undemanding to growing conditions, but it hardly withstands air pollution. Therefore, planting a crop in the city is not worth it. To grow a plant successfully, you must follow certain rules of agricultural technology.

What kind of tree is this

According to the description, this coniferous culture is considered to be from North America. In those places, it grows in mixed forests near oaks and maples. In height, it can reach 30 centimeters or even more.

At a young age, the crown has a pyramidal shape. At an older age, the tree has a spherical crown. For the first time, this plant came to the European continent thanks to the English Lord Weymouth. This happened in the first half of the eighteenth century. The popularity of the plant is associated with long and beautiful needles. The size of the needles can be 13 centimeters.

If the climate is unstable and the temperature is constantly changing, the seeds need to be stratified and planted in boxes closer to spring. Blue and grayish needles are distinguished by a soft structure. Over the years, the pine bark becomes rough and covered with reddish cracks.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionCones appear only at the age of 25. They are cylindrical in shape and have a curved appearance.The fruits are 4-20 centimeters thick. The culture is characterized by taproots and can adapt to development in almost any soil. The plant is considered undemanding to the amount of moisture and sunlight. However, he needs a fairly moist soil.

Where it is used

This type of evergreen is often used in landscape design. The Pinus strobus Blue Shag pine is often found in parks and alleys. It looks beautiful in combination with tall trees - beech, oak, spruce, fir and many others. Also, this culture goes well with cereals. It can be planted in rock gardens and rockeries.

You can make hedges from small pines and give trees any shape and size. Also, pines of this species are used to decorate plots in the Japanese style. Trees are often shaped like bonsai.

Small pines can be grown in containers. They can be placed anywhere on the site or placed in the house - to decorate the space and saturate it with a pleasant aroma.

Planting instructions

Blue Shag Pine requires proper planting. It includes 2 main stages - preparatory and main. First you need to select seedlings and a place, and then proceed to the planting process.

Seedling selection and preparation

The choice of material for planting must be treated with the utmost care. Do not buy pine seedlings from unverified sellers. In this case, there is a danger that the crop will not have the desired varietal characteristics.

This type of conifer is considered very common, so it will be quite easy to find it in the store. It is best to buy a plant with closed roots. Its roots should be in a humid environment, and the needles should have a bluish color. It is recommended to move the acquired seedling into the soil immediately after purchase.

Preparing the site

When choosing a planting site, it is recommended to take into account the size of a mature pine tree. This crop is best planted in a large area so that it has enough space for development. It is also worth considering the placement of other cultures.

Because Weymouth pine tolerates blister rust, it should not be planted near hawthorn. It is important to adhere to the interval between the trees. When planting dwarf pines, the distance between them should be 1.5 meters.

How to plant correctly

To plant a crop, do the following:

1. Carefully dig the area where you plan to plant a tree. At the same time, it is important to clear the place of weeds, stones and other debris. The culture tolerates loamy or sandy soil well. However, it does not withstand wet clay soil well.
2. Dig a hole. Since the culture is considered a dwarf variety, the depth of the pit should be 70 centimeters. At the same time, the dimensions of the root system affect its width.
3. Place a drainage layer on the bottom. It may consist of pebbles, crushed bricks and other similar materials. Drainage is necessary to prevent moisture stagnation around the roots.
4. Add sand to the soil. This will help improve its structure. With increased acidity of the substrate, lime should be added to it.
5. Lower the seedling into the recess. At the same time, you need to hold the tree with one hand, and with the other hand, lightly pour the nutrient substrate into the pit. It is important to ensure that the root neck of the crop after planting is on the same level with the ground.
6. Water the crop immediately after planting and shade from direct sunlight for a couple of days.

Further care

In order for a plant to grow and develop normally, it needs to be properly looked after. To do this, it is recommended to follow a number of rules.

Water + fertilize

Mature plants do not need additional watering, because their root system is fully developed and can get water from the deep layers of the soil. Small pines are not yet able to saturate the roots of moisture so well, so they need help in this.

It is important to water the pine of this variety according to the rules:

1. Moisten the soil early in the morning or late in the evening. This will help to avoid burns under the scorching sun.
2. In spring and autumn, pines need a fairly large amount of watering. In autumn, the crop needs support so that it can withstand the winter. In spring, the tree has a weakened root system. At these stages, it is required to pour 10-15 liters of water under each tree. Young plants are recommended to be moistened at intervals of 2-3 weeks.
3. For irrigation it is worth using fresh, not stagnant water. Otherwise, there is a high probability of soil salinization.
4. Drip irrigation or spraying is more suitable for this variety of pines.

This crop has a good tolerance for fertilization. It is imperative to feed the culture at the stage of planting a tree. At the same time, humus or nitroammophoska must be introduced into the recess for planting.It is also permissible to feed young plants with combined preparations. Adult cultures no longer need it.

When and why to trim

Weymouth pine usually doesn't need pruning. Small trees almost always have a high density decorative crown. It can be oval or spherical. If necessary, pruning is necessary to pinch small shoots. This will help make the crown more even and attractive.

Preparing for cold weather

This variety is characterized by high frost resistance parameters and does not need additional shelter. But it is better to cover young trees with a burlap cloth or use another similar material. The plant belongs to the frost resistance zone 4.

Possible diseases

The most dangerous pathology of Weymouth pine is blister rust. It is also called resin cancer or seryanka. This disease is of fungal origin. Its development is associated with a rust fungus.

You can identify the pathology by the appearance of an orange coating on the needles. When the first signs of a violation appear, it is required to get rid of all the affected branches. In advanced cases, the plant must be destroyed.

Fungal pathogens often affect gooseberries and currants. These plants are considered intermediate hosts for pathogens. Therefore, the affected bushes should be removed from the site.

To avoid the development of pathologies, in the spring time it is required to carry out preventive treatment with copper-containing preparations. The most effective means include the following substances:

• " Oxyhom" ;
• " Kuproksat" ;
• Hom;
• Speed.

From pests, the crop is affected by the following insects:

1. Red-headed sawfly-weaver. This pest has blue wings. Caterpillars actively absorb needles and make nests from cobwebs and the remains of overcooked food. In July, the larvae move to the ground surface and pupate there.
2. Pine Owl - is a gray-brown butterfly with a wing size of 3 centimeters. In March, she lays her eggs on the bottom of the needles. The caterpillars of this pest are green in color. They actively eat young needles.
3. Pine brown aphid - affects young shoots. Its distribution occurs with the participation of ants. This pest absorbs all the juices of needles and young branches.
4. Pine hermes - is considered one of the varieties of aphids, which has a complex type of reproduction. This pest eats pine sap.
5. Pine root bug - penetrates into cracks in the bark structure. After that, in areas where pests accumulate, you can see yellow spots, which eventually become brown in color. The bug leads to a weakening of the culture and blanching of the needles. Subsequently, the needles simply fall off.

To cope with pine parasites, it is important to use high-quality insecticidal preparations in a timely manner. In this case, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for their use.

Waymouth Blue Sheg Pine is a beautiful and unpretentious crop that is grown by many gardeners. In order for the plant to retain its decorative effect and develop well, it needs to be properly looked after. This requires timely watering the plants, pruning them and preparing for winter.

Recommended