I think I used perlite and vermiculite last year for some Japanese Black Pines, maybe coco coir also. This year I noticed I have loblolly pine seedlings growing happily in absolutely everything in my yard. These are all self-seeded from trees in my yard, so it doesn’t seem like they care very much if they have fancy soil or not.
Placed them directly in perlite and coco (80%ish perlite)
Looking good, great work!
Don’t have much experience germinating pine. That mix looks very coarse. Is it just sifted sand and aggregate?
Yes sir, just regular masonry/construction sand where all the smaller stuff is sifted out. I’ve been experimenting with different stuff over the years, this worked the best so far. I think it has something to do with how much air is in the mix.
I’ve already taken a lot of seedling cuttings from the tray, but a month ago it was absolutely full of trees.
Brilliant. They look very healthy. I’ll have to give it a go this coming spring (I’m in Western Australia). Do you collect your seed?
I wish I could, but I don’t have access to any good pines near me sadly. I usually just order online, plant a few 100 and keep the ones that thrive.
Mostly Japanese black pine and Scots pines, Mugo pine. I’m sure JBP would grow great in Australia. I’m in Scandinavia so I tend to stick to the more hardy pines.
