How to Grow A Pine Tree In A Surprisingly Easy Way

Introduction

Are you a gardening enthusiast who is dying to have a pine tree in your garden for Christmas but does not know where to start? Pine trees are among the type of trees that require minimum planting skills and low maintenance, and this post will walk you through all the necessary steps in growing your pine tree.

Pine trees belong to the group of evergreen, long-lived conifers that are highly popular and commercially important to humans. Pine trees are planted and harvested for their timber, wood pulp and particularly for Christmas. The image of a pine tree decorated with festive ornaments has been a Christmas tradition.

Can I grow a pine tree?

Growing a pine tree doesn’t require exceptional gardening knowledge and skills, but a good amount of patience and attention to details will be very helpful. Pine trees come in a lot of varieties, but they all share similar planting methods and techniques.

If you are a beginning gardener, it can be incredibly easy to have cold feet before you start growing your first pine tree. However, as long as you stick to the guided steps below properly, you will realize that it is not as hard as you think and you will be able to effortlessly grow appealing pine trees in your garden in no time.

How to grow a pine tree at ease

A popular and less troublesome method to grow a pine tree is to grow it from a seedling. Before you start, you need to decide on the type of seedlings that best suits you. There are various types of seedlings as listed below. It is entirely up to you to decide, and each seedling requires slightly different techniques and care.

Using different types of seedlings

  • Using a bare root seedling: As the name suggests itself, a bare root seedling comes with completely exposed roots. With nothing to protect its roots, the bare root seedling should be treated with more caution.
  • Using a containerized seedling: A containerized seedling is less vulnerable than bare-root seedlings because the roots are attached to soil in a container, which can be planted directly in the soil. The container is typically biodegradable.
  • Using a pot-grown seedling: This type offers a higher degree of resilience, but you will need to take the seedling and its roots out to plant in the ground.
  • Using a balled and bur lapped tree: This is a more mature version of a seedling as the seedling has already grown into a young plant. The roots and soil are balled and bur lapped and ready to be grown.

You may also like: Fort Worth arborists for advice on planting trees

When to plant your seedling

The ideal time to grow a pine tree from a seedling is autumn or early spring. If planted in winter or summer, the chance for survival and growth of a seedling will be much lower. If the weather is favorable, a seedling once bought should be planted as soon as you can. Otherwise, it should be sealed and stored properly.

How to plant your seedling

Now that you have selected a type of seedling that works best for you, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and move to the big step: planting your pine tree. The planting process of a pine tree is not very much different from other plants. Soil assessment is also recommended to ensure your soil is ready for the new tree.

The planting process can be further broken down into separate steps below. Do not attempt to skip any step especially when you are new to gardening.

Step 1. Get your soil ready

  • A quick assessment of your soil is not required, but it’s good to check the condition of your soil every once in while, particularly when you plan to grow something new
  • Get rid of any grass and weeds to maximize the water and nutrients for your pine tree. A useful way to eliminate the roots of grass and weeds is to use herbicide and manually take out the roots one week before planting.

Step 2: Dig a hole for your seedling

  • Prepare topsoil in advance
  • Dig a hole that is slightly bigger and deeper than your seedling
  • Put a layer of topsoil in the bottom of the newly dug hole so that the roots of the seedling can access the topsoil when planted

Step 3: Plant your seedling in the soil

  • Inspect the condition of your seedling before you plant to make sure your seedling is ready and healthy
  • Spread the roots of the seedling
  • Place your seedling in the hole and bury the roots with your topsoil and the rest of the soil.
  • Softly touch the soil to keep the surface even.

How to care for your pine tree

A pine tree takes about five years or more to grow full size, so there’s no point in rushing the process. In the meantime, you should learn how to care for your pine tree so that your tree can reach its fullest potential.

Proper care of a pine tree including timely watering, preventing overexposure to sunlight and animals and finally winter trimming and pruning. They sound complicated, but your efforts will be rewarded with a beautiful pine tree healthily grown in your garden.

To sum up

A lovely pine tree can turn your Christmas into an even more memorable event. Growing your pine tree is not as tough as you think even if you are a total newbie. Pine trees require more time to grow, but when they do, they will grow into spectacular trees.

If you want to venture more into gardening, feel free to check out other posts at our blog for more gardening tips and tricks. For instance, you can learn how to grow an orange tree or how to set up mini-green houses to your heart’s desire