One of the most common plants in gardens, especially to serve as a “fence” and protection from neighbors or passers-by in the street, are pines. The planting of pines is done to cover the walls (even by letting them grow more so that they do not see you from the outside), but also in a decorative way.
If you plan to plant pine trees in your garden, do you know exactly when and how to do it? Do not worry, here we will clarify all the doubts that will arise in this regard. Go for it?
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Where to plant pine trees
This question may seem silly to you. But that’s really not the case. We know that if you plan to plant pine trees in the garden, it will surely be in areas to cover you from view, such as fences or walls shared with neighbors.
But you have to know something about pines: they have very strong and elongated roots. This means that if you plant them near the house, swimming pools or a structure, over time they can destroy their foundations and cause structural problems there.
For this reason, when planting, it must be taken into account that the roots are able to lift the soil and destabilize what surrounds them. In fact, it’s not even recommended to plant them near other trees as they could kill them over time.
When to Plant Pines
Depending on where you live, when to plant pine trees will be one or the other. It also influences how you will plant them (if with roots, cuttings, seedlings, already young plants…).
In general, we can tell you that the ideal is to plant them, either in autumn or at the beginning of spring, when the temperatures are warmer but not cold enough to damage the seeds, the seedlings…
Even so, you will depend a bit on the climate you have in your home. If it is still cold at night, it is better to wait a bit for the temperatures to rise a little more.
That’s not to say pine trees can’t stand the cold. Completely the opposite; These are plants that tolerate low temperatures and even frost very well. But when conifers are planted, they take time to adapt to their new environment and may suffer more from these changes.
How long does a pine take to grow?
When you plant pine trees, you surely want them to grow very quickly. That’s why they are usually always bought as big as possible. And you should know that they take an average of 20 years to really become adults.
It’s true, for 20 years they will develop and grow, slowly, until they reach their adult state.
After this time, they will live for about 300 years if nothing happens to them. So if we do the math, they really don’t take long to grow for what they will last you.
how to plant pines
Now yes, we are going to tell you about how you should plant the pines. It’s not difficult, not at all. But if you take into account certain important points, you will make them settle much faster, and also become stronger and more vigorous.
And what are these steps to follow? We tell you:
Choose a good location
You should know that pines are trees that need a lot of sun. Direct sun does not bother them, on the contrary, they appreciate it, so we recommend that you choose a place where they receive as much sun as possible.
Of course, make sure they are not near areas that can be damaged by pine roots.
Prepare your new “home”
In this case we refer to the hole you will have to make to plant them. Obviously, this will depend on the type of pine you are going to plant.
For example, if it is a seedling, it is normal that it is small and does not need much. But if it is already a young specimen, you will have to dig deeper.
In general, and to give you an idea, if you are going to plant trees that already measure between one and a half and two meters, it is best to make holes 40 centimeters high, 40 long and 40 deep.
This is very important as you will help the tree adapt better. Now, if it is bigger, it will need more space.
In addition, we recommend that there is a separation between the pins so that they do not “fight” with each other. It’s good to want to plant them together so that they cover more, but you have to be careful with this because in the end it is the law of the strongest. In other words, you may end up without one of the pins. It is recommended that between pine and pine there is more or less a meter distance. But it will also depend on the size they will have when they are planted.
Before planting, compost
It’s a little trick that many experts do when it comes to planting pine trees. And it is that before putting the conifer in the hole, they fill it with a little fertilizer so that the soil retains moisture and they can have the necessary nutrients to adapt to their new home.
If you do it this way, you’ll help it have a nutrient base to draw on until it’s fully settled into the ground.
plant the pine
The next thing, once you have already put the compost in, is to introduce the pine tree and cover it with the soil you have removed. We recommend mixing it with some soil with nutrients and drainage, as this will help them have a good base.
When covering it, in this case it is recommended to walk on the ground to break any air pockets that could be generated (especially since when you water they will appear and this can destabilize the plant or even cause it to miss earthen).
water
Pines do not need to be watered directly into the trunk of the conifer. In fact, it is better to make a hole around the base of about 10-15 centimeters so that you can water in this area. In this way, it will be able to absorb the water but it will not go directly to the trunk (which can rot as well).
Irrigation for the first week, and until you see it producing new leaves, should be every three days. Once it has sprouted you will know it is established and you can water it twice in the summer (more if it is very hot), and once a week in the winter (more if it is very humid or cold).
Do you know how to plant pine trees?