Starting pine trees?

happy@home · #1 09/26/10, 07:46 PM

I've found online articles about starting pine trees from seeds from the cones but I can't find out how long it takes to grow them in pots before they are big enough to transplant. We have several different types of pines growing in the yard and I want to start more. Do the pots need a lot of light?

Patt · #2 09/26/10, 08:50 PM

Ours just start themselves all over the yard....

happy@home · #3 09/27/10, 10:16 AM

Our won't start themselves so I want to give them a little help. I wish they would self-plant.

-TWO- · #4 09/27/10, 11:36 AM

Some pine require Stratification (moist, cold) to germinate. White pine for example. Other variaties of pine require Scarification (exposure to heat). Lodgepole pine for one.

Windy in Kansas · #5 09/27/10, 12:40 PM

The Kansas Forest Service offers seedlings and the information on this page will probably give you some idea of time and size.

http://www.kansasforests.org/conserv...lingsize.shtml

"Each seedling sold through the Kansas Conservation Tree Planting Program varies from species to species. Typical heights of seedlings range from 5 inches to 18 inches. Average age of seedlings are 1 or 2 years old."

taylorlambert · #6 09/27/10, 05:26 PM

Ive pulled the little ones up from the around a giant pine by my lower garden. I put them into my cell trays. Im looking into some spike trays to make them get larger root systems. A friend of mine aprenticed at an old pine tree farm down souththat started seedlings for the forestry companies. They start them in 3 foot wide starter beds and then pull them apart. I saved some seedlings from some scrubby bus pines at work. I wantthem transplanted along my property line as a wind break area.

I make card board pots from 4 inch card board tubes that tarps come in and cut them off. I flatten the ends together to make my own pots for them.

happy@home · #7 09/27/10, 05:42 PM

Thanks for the tips. We aren't getting any seedlings coming up on their own, I wonder if the trees are sterile? So far no cones have seeds so I guess that isn't a good sign. I would really like to try to get some to start for the edge of our property.
Thank you for all the help.

Patt · #8 09/27/10, 06:02 PM

What sort of pines do you have?

happy@home · #9 09/27/10, 06:23 PM

The only ones I'm sure of are blue spruce. There are a variety of others as well but I haven't identified the types. I suppose that would be a logical first step and I'm not always logical. They are all growing well but only the blue spruce and one other type are really big and producing pine cones. I'll see if I can find my tree book to id them.

Old Vet · #10 09/27/10, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy@home

I'll see if I can find my tree book to id them.

That would be a great help in defining what to do for them. I used to work on a pine nursery and we grew pines from 1 to 2 years before they would be planted. In the nursery they get the best of care proper fertilizer and such.

Patt · #11 09/27/10, 07:57 PM

We have quite a few really old Loblolly pines here with sprouts here and there.

happy@home · #12 09/28/10, 12:45 PM

The cone producers are white spruce. Two are close to each other and should be able to make fertile seeds. Only one blue spruce is producing cones so I won't try planting those. I have some other trees I haven't identified yet but they are either not producing cones or are probably too far from the other trees to make viable seed.
I guess that means I am going to be attempting white spruce. Any tips for that particular type of tree would be great. Any tips for getting my husband to tolerate pine seedlings in every window in the house would also be nice.

Actually he knows me well enough after all these years that he will probably just shake his head and put up with it.

happy@home · #13 09/28/10, 12:49 PM

One question I have is can I put the seedlings in the pots outside in the summer since they take so long to grow? Or do they need to be kept in shelter?