pine seedlings

Hello all! This post today is going to be on growing your own pines. This is, as you may expect, a time consuming project, but gives you, in return, a load of experience and confidence for future projects. Best of all, it is free.

First of all, get a pinecone. The seedlings above came from a Scotty and I would recommend this species if you are in the UK as they are quite the tolerable species when it comes to pines. And most of all, cheaper than any black pines!

Put the pinecone on a radiator for about a day or two, preferably in some sort of plastic container. If you have no central heating, put it somewhere warm, maybe ask your neighbours or something.

After the day or two, the pinecone should have opened, if not than wait another couple of days. Shake the seeds out and collect the seeds. Place in a damp cloth or tissue and place in the fridge for a week or so (stratification). Then prepare a pot, maybe even a flower pot with compost. Add a layer of sand on top of that and push the seeds into it. They are only going to be in the pot for a few months but give them the best possible start! After a few months of seedling development, pot them up individually to fully develop them into bonsai or, leave them in their individual pots for a few years and plant them in the ground as a tree.

I started the whole procedure in mid-winter and the seedlings seem to be doing fine. I grew the seedlings indoors in one pot until early spring in which I potted them individually and placed them outside under a bit of shelter.

That’s it for now, thank you for your time!

“Use your time wisely, use your money however you wish as money you can get back, however time you cannot get back once it is used up” - me