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Pine


I know that pine trees stay alive also in semi-shady and low-light and cold conditions, as in the winter in the far north, like Scandinavia, where it's a bit darker. With all the wonderful information about the pine's medicinal value, as well as it's nutritional values, I know I will take some pine trees and pine seed trees for the Aftertime. I think that it's possible to cut small branches off the tree with some bark still at the base, and grow them to trees from these cuttings.

Offered by Michel.

One way that I know of to grow pine or other trees from twigs is to air layer them. With this method, you select your twigs a few weeks before actually cutting them. Look for ones long enough to have several nodes. At the bottom two or three nodes, remove needles or cones and with something like a clean pocketknife cut shallow vertical slits in the nodes themselves, just deep enough so that you break into sap.

Using moss (like regular sphagnum moss sold at nurseries) if you have it or fabric if you don't, saturate the material with water and wrap it around the nodes like a bandage. Over the top, use a waterproof material like rubber (cut up raincoat or whatever) and wrap this also to keep the moisture in. Tie the wrappings securely to keep the nodes damp, and come back in about 7 days. The nodes will start producing roots, and since different trees do this at different rates, I can't tell you how long the process will take. Once you have several roots 1 to 2 inches long, you can sever the twig or branch below the rooted nodes and plant it immediately, without the offspring suffering transplant crisis. By this method you get a high clone survival rate, much higher than by sticking twigs in earth without preparation.

Offered by Jenny.

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