Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

name         Debbie
status       other
age          40s

Question -   I live in an area with many pine trees and pine
cones.  I would like to start seedlings to replace the older trees as I
lose them.  How do I do it?  I have searched the internet for how but
have yet to find an anwser.  I've examined the pine cones and am at a
loss, where are the seeds?  I have soft long needle trees with medium
pine cones, I have Hemlock trees with small cones and I have very sharp
long needle trees with longer, narrow cones.  Do the cones have to have
already fallen off the tree before using seeds? Thank you!!
------------------------------------------------
Dear Debbie,

The following may be helpful:
http://www.uidaho.edu/cfwr/forres/nursery/research/research/projects.htm
http://www.walden.org/thoreau/writings/seeds/dispersion_01.htm

Sincerely,

Anthony R. Brach

***************************************************************
Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D., brach@oeb.harvard.edu
http://www.herbaria.harvard.edu/~brach/
Flora of China http://flora.harvard.edu/china/
Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2094 USA
***************************************************************
===========================

Debbie,

The seeds must indeed be ripe before they will produce seedlings.
You can monitor the appearance of your pine cones over the year.  When they
are first produced, they are green; as they mature they will turn brown, and
the seeds inside will ripen.  Note that not all of the seeds will eventually
produce seedlings.  Some of the seeds are in fact non-viable, so it is
important to collect a good sampling of seeds to insure you have a good
number of living seeds.  As the cones finally ripen, they will open, kind of
like a set of venetian blinds.  This can be weather influenced, where seeds
may be allowed to drop in conditions good for their survival.  Some cones
are 'programmed' to close and not drop seeds during extremely dry periods
where the viable seed might be lost.  You can note the dates when the cones
first begin to open.  You can find the seeds of the trees within the cones
sitting on bracts of the cones, usually perpendicular to the axis of the
cone.  When the cones are open, gravity or wind can carry the winged seeds
for some distance, where hopefully they can reach conditions suitable for
growth before being found by squirrels, mice, and other animals which may
feed upon them.

As far as growing seedlings yourself, i would suggest consulting a good
dendrology text at your local or university library.  The conditions
best-suited for seedling development would be listed there.  Note:  you must
be sure not to over-water the seeds, because there are many fungi which
cause rot of developing seedlings.  If the adult trees are doing well in the
soil where they are growing, you can use a sample of the soil as growth
medium.  A generic rule would be to provide approximate conditions for
growth enjoyed by the adult trees.  Note that in some cases, the seedlings
have different preferences than the adult trees, with regards to light,
shading, and water requirements.  The dendrology text should provide the
information you seek.

Thanks for using NEWTON!


Richard R. Rupnik
Internal Quality Auditor
Lucent Technologies
(610) 712-7152
rrupnik@lucent.com

==============================

Seeds are deep in the cones, and fall out or are removed by birds and
animals soon after the cones spread open. Collect cones just before they
open, let them dry out and open in a container, and you should be able to
get seeds out, or if you find cones outside just as they open you may be
able to beat the critters to some seeds. Seeds of most pines and other
conifers are quite small. As for germinating and growing, it isn't that much
different than growing other seeds, but for specifics to make it easier I
suggest you ask a forest or agricultural extension office, which you should
be able to find in your area, or contact a nursery for help. Here in Cook
County, Illinois, the forest preserve district has a tree nursery and the
foresters there would probably be able to help you.
J. Elliott
===============================