Ponderosa pine, or Ponderosa — available exotic for the middle band

In the world there are about 130 species of pine trees. In the middle lane grows pine, whose appearance has become quite common to us. Pine and black mountain, although they have many fundamental differences, still looks very close to the pine. Pine with a more exotic appearance grow much further South, and hence to grow them we have a risk. Nevertheless, thanks to the introduction of some exotic species can survive our harsh winters. In my garden for years to successfully grow an amazing Ponderosa pine with giant needles. About features of its cultivation, I will explain in this article.

Description pine

The name of the species may mislead the beginner growers because it is very easy to think that the tree has yellow pine needles. Yellow-pine pine do exist. For example, mountain pine "Wintergold" has bright yellow needles, which become the most expressive in the winter.

However, pine needle yellow traditional green color, and this name view obliged a yellowish crust. Actually, the yellow pine has many names: bull pine, Oregon, "black Jack" pine is a large, heavy pine, longifolia pine West. But the scientific name of the breed sounds like a Ponderosa pine, or Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa).

As adults of the Ponderosa pine is a tree 18-39 meters in height (some specimens have reached 80 meters) with a trunk diameter of 80 to 120 centimeters (a maximum of 250 centimeters). Crown conical or oval, not too thick, its diameter can reach 3 meters.

The color of the bark varies from yellow to red-brown color, its texture and strongly grooved with age forms a wide rectangular scaly plates. At the base of the descending branch, but the closer to the top have bottom-up type of growth.

The most remarkable feature of the tree needles. The needles of yellow pine have a very impressive length from 7 to 25 centimeters and a thickness of 1.2-2 mm. The length of the needles of individual instances, discovered by botanists, and reached 30 cm. Needles collected in bundles of two to 5 pieces, on average 3 pieces. The needles are retained on the tree 4-6 years.

Deserve attention and bumps of this breed. In appearance they resemble pine. They have strong scales, reddish-brown color, and their length is about 15 inches. Form cones widely conical inside seeds lionfish. On the branches the fruit of the pine tree is located three. Due to large size and noble appearance, the cones of the yellow pine are highly valued for the manufacture of various Handicrafts and Christmas decorations. At full maturation of cones takes two years.

Interesting facts about Ponderosa pine

The Ponderosa pine is one of the best examples of excellent adaptation to forest fire, which affects most members of the genus. Research in wildlife has shown that because of frequent summer thunderstorms and clusters of pine needles on the forest floor, surface fires of medium intensity may occur in stands of yellow pine approximately once in three years. However, such fires do not damage adult specimens thanks to their thick, fire resistant bark, and the young seedlings m at the Ponderosa also have a high survival rate thanks to persistent root system.

The Ponderosa pine can be easily recognized by the unusual smell, bark and resin of Ponderosa pine fragrance with hints of vanilla or butterscotch.

Ponderosa pine is an iconic tree in the Western United States. Wood m at the Ponderosa house was built and constructed furniture for the first European settlers, its wood was used on the locomotives and mines and played a huge role throughout the history of the rise of this country. Ponderosa pine is the state tree of Montana.

In the national Park "Bryce Canyon" in the US there is the canyon of the "Ponderosa", which got its name because of the huge yellow pines, growing on the bottom of the canyon. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to this national Park to admire these amazing pine trees of great height. The most gigantic specimens can be seen in the canyon, "the Ponderosa", although they grow throughout the national Park.

Ponderosa pine is the most common and continue to actively spread pine in North America. It is the main timber in the United States. The Latin name of the pine "Ponderosa" is translated as pine-heavy, which is associated with features of wood of this breed.

Features of cultivation of yellow pine

In the wild, the Ponderosa pine mainly grows in mountains and foothills in the West of the North American continent. Therefore, these pine trees will best grow on well-drained gravelly or sandy soils, but reconciled and clay soils. The most important thing is to provide trees good drainage and avoid areas with stagnant water. This pine does not tolerate prolonged becoming soaked roots.

When choosing a landing site need to choose the most Sunny places, but it is better to provide her location so she was protected from the North winds.

First, the seedlings are watered often, but once a tree has taken root, watering it only in a prolonged drought. Usually unpretentious Ponderosa pine is pretty well developed without the use of fertilizer, but mulching coniferous litter and pine bark will help to enrich the soil with additional organic matter.

Like all members of the family Pinaceae, the pine Ponderosa may occasionally marvel at the specific fungal disease (Schutte, rust) and to survive the invasion of pests (pine Sawfly, Hermes, etc.).

Winter hardiness of Ponderosa

The Ponderosa pine trying to grow many gardeners, particularly in the suburbs. But unfortunately, according to their testimony, the breed requires shelter, and in a particularly frosty winter, the trees often die. This is due to the fact that initially the saplings were brought from European nurseries, and hence were not prepared for our climatic conditions.

According to the Botanical reference, Ponderosa pine belongs to the zone 5 hardiness (to – 28,9 °C), and sometimes it refers even to zone 6 (to – 23,3 °C). Thus grow it in our latitudes, more suitable for plants 3-4 zones risky.

According to Western sources, the most winter hardy subspecies of the yellow pine trees that grow East of the Cascade mountains, British Columbia, North and South Dakota, Colorado and Idaho. But if their parents were from California or Oregon, these trees definitely will not survive the harsh winters of the middle band.

Nevertheless, in our country there are successfully introduced instances, as evidenced by adult yellow pine, growing on the territory of VVC in Moscow. They don't look depressed and have a pretty decent height. This suggests that the chances of long "register" at the Ponderosa is quite high. We have to purchase seedlings obtained from the local acclimatized instances. But if the origin of your plant is unknown, it is better to provide him with shelter, at least in the first years after planting.

Of Ponderosa pine in the middle lane

We first met with the Ponderosa pine in the nursery at the Genetics Institute of the city of Voronezh (Institute of forest genetics, breeding and biotechnology). Thanks to this nursery, many years ago engaged in the introduction of thermophilic species of conifers in the middle lane, today we have the opportunity to grow in our area and the amazing Ponderosa pine.

The first parent instance still growing in this nursery and is a very beautiful tree with a pyramidal crown with a height of about 10 meters, covered with large cones. It lacks any evidence of damage from frost that says that Ponderosa pine is fully acclimated and able to endure the harsh local winters, despite its southern origin.

Later the seedling stand (almost "local") pine settled in my garden. Now our Ponderosa pine for about 7 years, and we continue to admire this beauty. Due to the bizarre appearance we affectionately call her "porcupine" because of its needle is really can not remain indifferent. Our pine they reach a length of 15-20 centimeters! That looks very exotic in our latitudes.

In all that time, Ponderosa pine did not have any serious problems. We never covered it for the winter, protecting it from cold, never Pricedale from the spring sun and was not treated for fungal diseases. Once at our cottage, there was a serious flood, and we have already mentally said goodbye to our tree, knowing about his negative attitude to moisture, but nevertheless, this pine survived and short-term zamokaniye root system. And last year we found her young soft pink bump!

Yellow pine is quite powerful annual growth and with age, its length increases, in particular, last year on our tree, it was over 30 inches. Currently, the height of trees is around two metres But, of course, in our area of Ponderosa pine will never grow a giant tall as a skyscraper (at the moment, the height of the large instance, growing in the middle zone is 15 metres). However, every year we fashion our pine-"porcupine" that it was wider and fluffier. I'm sure that over time, the Ponderosa will be the main decoration of the site.