The evergreen Vatereri mountain pine was bred by the English botanist Anthony Vaterer. This variety was grafted onto Scots pine stock and has been used for over 150 years in industrial and private gardening. Today it is grown all over the world and is readily used in landscape design.
Scots pine Vatereri: varietal characteristics of the plant
Brief information about the variety
- Colour: needles of a bluish tone.
- Height: 4-15 m.
- Crown diameter: 8-10 m.
- Distribution regions: suitable climatic conditions of Asia and Europe. Distributed in Spain, England, Cold regions of Lapland, Eastern Siberia, Mongolia and China.
- Landing features: Scheme - 2x2.5 m. Likes a sunny place with a little shading.
- Immunity: High frost resistance, good immunity against diseases.
- Life span: No information found.
General characteristics
Scots pine Vatereri (Pinus Sylvestris Watereri) is a large and dense shrub with a rounded crown, belongs to the Pine family, has a favorable blue color, is valued for its exotic appearance and good frost resistance.
The climatic conditions of Asia and Europe are suitable for full-fledged growth and development.
Ephedra gained great popularity in Spain, England, in the cold regions of Lapland, Eastern Siberia, Mongolia and China. Grows mainly in mountainous areas.
The description includes the following parameters:
- in young plants the crown is columnar, in old plants it becomes looser and more rounded;
- height is about 4-5 m, by the age of 30 it can reach 15 m;
- the circumference of an adult tree is from 8 to 12 m.
- needles of a bluish tone, prickly, collected in bunches of 2-3 pcs .;
- differs in average height - the annual growth is 10-11 cm;
- cones are cone-shaped, depending on the type, they have a different shade: male - from pale pink to yellow (size 0.8-1.2 cm), female brownish with a length of 3 to 5 cm;
- ripening of pine berries occurs in the last decade of November or early December, at the end of winter they fully open, in April they crumble.
Landing rules
Growing pine is a simple process, because it has high frost resistance, undemanding to the composition and fertility of the soil, but does not tolerate air pollution.
The plant should be planted away from roads and industrial areas.
Sapling selection
The success of growing this crop on a personal plot largely depends on the quality of the planting material.
- You need to buy plants 2-3 years old with a closed root system (in a container or with an earthen clod). Such seedlings are not injured and can easily be transplanted.
- The surface of the underground part should be free from acidification and mold.
- Choose conifers with a healthy crown, uniform color without signs of disease, yellow, black or red spots.
- The optimum length of seedlings for planting is 50-100 cm.
Site preparation
Choose a sunny spot for planting
Vatereri Scots Pine loves to grow in a sunny location with the possibility of shading at lunchtime.
It does not tolerate stagnant moisture, therefore, before planting, it is necessary to make good drainage, especially if planting is planned on black soil and loam.
To increase moisture and breathability, add the following components:
- peat - 20 kg;
- sand - 2 buckets;
- chopped tree bark - 10 kg;
- pine sawdust - 5 kg.
This amount of ingredients is calculated for 1 m².
After that, the soil is dug up and leveled. Additionally, a drainage system of gravel and sand is created on a flat place - a 20 cm layer.
Saplings of this variety have a good degree of survival, therefore they are planted in the south at any time of the year, except for winter.
In the North, as well as in the Central and Mid latitudes, spring planting is recommended (in late April or early May), so that they have time to take root, grow and get stronger before the onset of the autumn cold.
Landing technology
- First, the seedling is removed from the container, pre-watered with water. A plant with an earthy clod should be freed from burlap.
- After that, you need to dig a hole, which is 2 times larger than the underground part.
- The deepening is spilled with water - 10 liters. As soon as the moisture is absorbed, a drainage layer is introduced - half a bucket of rubble, pebbles, stones or brick chips.
- The pit is half filled with a nutrient composition of peat, turf, sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Additionally, 300 g of nitroammophoska are added to the soil mixture.
- The earthen lump is lowered so that the root collar remains above the ground surface. They are covered with fertile soil, trampled, watered - 10 liters per plant.
- To protect against drying out, the conifers are mulched with a thick layer of peat or pine chips.
Given the decent height of the tree in group cultivation, they follow the scheme - 2x2.5 m.
Care requirements
All pine care is simple and can be done by any gardener, even a beginner.
Watering
In the first few months, young plants need to be moisturized frequently, which will ensure intensive root and green mass growth.
Frequency - once every 3-4 days, provided that the summer was hot and dry. 10-15 liters are poured under one copy.
Adult pines from 3 years old can be watered less often - 4 times per season is enough at the rate of 50 liters per tree.
Sprinkling the crown has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of young growth, and also protects the conifers from pest damage. Sprayed in the evening, when the sun goes down - every 3-4 days.
Loosening and mulching
The loosening procedure helps to ensure high-quality access of moisture and oxygen to the roots. It is carried out the next day after watering. This manipulation is combined with weeding between rows and removing weeds.
Mulching is also necessary to prevent the growth of unnecessary vegetation and to protect the conifers from drying out - they bring in peat, pine sawdust or wood chips.
Top dressing
The pine needs to be fertilized
Fertilizers increase immunity against diseases, resistance to cold and help to achieve a high decorative effect.
The first feeding with nitrophos or ammophos (30-40 g per 10 l of water) is carried out the next year after planting. The optimal time for application is early spring before the beginning of the growing season.
The second time, the needles can be fertilized with a mineral complex composition of superphosphate and potassium sulfate - 15 g each per bucket of water.
Spilled in the fall, a month before the onset of stable autumn cold weather. All fertilizers are combined with irrigation to improve the absorption of nutrients.
Additionally, the crown is irrigated with drugs in a chelated form three times per season. Use Quadris, Epin, or Heteroauxin as directed.
Pruning
This plant does not need shaping pruning, but if you want to give it the original shape of a bonsai, umbrella or cube, the haircut should be done in May - during the period of active growth of the buds laid in the last year.
They are cut off with a sharp and sterile object, and after the procedure, the cut off places are treated with copper sulfate, then covered with garden varnish.
It is important to remember that a cardinal haircut can lead to the death of the tree, so when shaping, you can shorten the branches by 3-4 cm.
Additionally, every spring, remove all damaged, dried and yellowed shoots, as well as parts growing inside the crown and at the wrong angle.
Shelter for the winter
Pine trees from 3-4 years old perfectly tolerate wintering and sudden temperature changes. A month before the onset of the first frost, they need to be piled up with pine chips or garden soil.
Young specimens will need insulation:
- mulching with sawdust or peat;
- tying branches to the central guide with twine or rope;
- shelter with burlap, spruce branches.
They remove the insulation in the spring, as soon as the street heat stabilizes and the threat of return frosts has passed.
Reproduction
Scots pine Vatereri reproduces in two ways - with the help of seeds and cuttings.
The first method is rarely used by gardeners, because it is laborious, ineffective and requires a long time and patience.
It is not always possible to grow varietal pine from seeds. Most prefer cuttings.
Material procurement
Shoots are cut from the top of an adult and healthy tree from 4-5 years old.
In order for them to take root better, they are cut off with a piece of lignified bark. Then, in the lower part, they are freed from the needles, cleaned out all growths, sprayed with Epin or Kornevin.
Planting and leaving
They are planted to a depth of 3-4 cm at an angle of 45 ° in a nutritious and moist substrate of peat and sand mixed in equal amounts.
Moisten with warm, settled water, cover with transparent film or halves of plastic bottles, put in a warm place with diffused daylight.
With good care, the tree rarely gets sick.
Further care consists in:
- maintaining heat at a level of 20-23 ° С;
- daily ventilation;
- gentle loosening with weed removal;
- watering as the earth dries up.
With such care and maintenance, new buds should appear on the shoots in 2-3 months. Then the shelter is removed, the temperature is lowered to 17-18 ° C, and they continue to grow at home.
Transplanted into open ground after a year and a half of growing at home. Usually this procedure is carried out in early autumn according to the same scheme as the planting of purchased seedlings.
Diseases and pests
By its nature, the pine tree is rarely damaged by diseases and pests.
When grown on a personal plot, gardeners note cases of infection with several infections and insects.
- Rust. A fungal sore appears as raised red or orange spots on the central conductor and skeletal branches. For treatment, fungicides are used - the drug Skor, Hom or a solution of copper sulfate. First, the damaged organs are removed, then the treatment is carried out. The same funds are taken for prevention in early spring and autumn.
- Brown shute. The peak of the development of a fungal disease occurs at the beginning of summer, when the needles, young growth massively turn yellow and crumble. In August, the needles are covered with numerous black dots. They are treated with Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, Skor or Hom. First, the damaged parts are cut out, all fallen needles are collected, then the crown and soil around the trunk are irrigated. Preventive treatment with the same pesticides is necessary in early spring and early autumn.
- Spider mite. A small insect envelops the nodal parts, needles, shoots with a cobweb, sucking the juices out of them. As a result, the plant turns yellow and dries. Acaricides - Actellik or Aktara will help in the fight.
- Aphid. Likes to feast on the juice of the kidneys, young growth. Damaged parts quickly turn yellow and dry out. In the fight against this parasite, folk remedies are used - infusions of tobacco, garlic, hot pepper, ash and soap solution. At an advanced stage, the drug Engio, Aktara or Fundazol is used.
- Shield. Small red plaques are a sign of the appearance of an insect. Both adults and young individuals adhere to the surface of branches, central conductors and needles, sucking out all the juices from them. If the necessary measures are not taken, the parasites can destroy the tree during the season. An effective tool - Decis will help to cope with them. It is also used for prevention in spring and autumn.
In order to avoid infection with diseases and pests, it is necessary to take healthy planting material, adhere to the planting scheme, water, fertilize and keep the site clean on time.
Application in the garden
Evergreen needles with a compact and dense crown are widely used in landscape design.
- It is planted singly or in groups along alleys, used for landscaping park areas and creating protective forest belts;
- Combine with other conifers - undersized and ground cover junipers, columnar thujas, spherical firs;
- A bonsai-style composition is installed next to gazebos, near terraces, benches.
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Reviews
Gardeners have a Vatereri pine in good standing:
- some value the variety for its undemandingness to the composition and fertility of the soil, the ability to grow luxuriantly and brightly without shaping;
- others honor the ephedra for good frost resistance;
- universal use in landscape design, a high ability to propagate by cuttings and create unusual crown shapes are the most important qualities for which many have fallen in love with this variety.