Software
Houzz Logo Print
steelskies

these are growing in my ditch. baby pine trees?

9 years ago

I couldn't believe it at first, but there are about 30 baby pine trees growing in my ditch in front of my line of spruces. There are pines but a lot further down the line. I guess the pine cones travelled quite a ways.


Can someone identify what kind they are? red pine maybe?

Comments (14)

  • 9 years ago

    Is there a good reason why they aren't spruces? That's what they look like...

  • 9 years ago

    pine ... cones rarely travel ... but birds do ... plus some are sorta helicopter type seed ...


    where are you??


    hope your not leaving them in the wheelbarrow ...


    needle length might help ....


    ken

  • 9 years ago

    I thought they looked like pines with bundles, fascicles. You would need to count the number of needles that join together at the stem. 3 Maybe? It could be 2, 3 or 5 .

  • 9 years ago

    As part of my son's university degree he had to take a forestry course that included tree identification. He told me the difference between red and white pine is the number of needles in a bundle. Red pine has 3 and white pine has 5. It's hard to see if the needles are bundled together but if they aren't and have needles coming out of the branch they are not pine and probably spruce

  • 9 years ago

    Enlarging the photo seems to definately show fasciation. Looks to be a 3-needle variety of pine.

  • 9 years ago

    I'll take another close up picture today, but it looks like its got 2 needles coming out of each hole. I'll put a ruler on the needles too. I have so many I don't know how I can pot them all. Right now each of them was dug out with a pretty big root ball because the soil is still nice and wet. What am I going to do with all these??? And where to plant them???? I have a pretty big wet area (sometimes wet in spring and fall), maybe I could put them there.

  • 9 years ago

    If you have no place, offer them free to good homes on Craigslist or freecycle.

  • 9 years ago

    I couldn't zoom in on my phone but on my computer it does look like two or three needles per bunch...

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ok i have looked in my sons tree book and 2 needle bundles belong to pinus banksiana or jack pine. I'd say if the 2 needle bundle is what they have they are jack pine and maybe something you don't want to save. Jack pine is not a pretty looking tree. It seldom grows straight. According to the book. it is a scruby and crooked

  • 9 years ago

    Sue, we really need to know your general location.

  • 9 years ago

    As others have said, general location, needle number and length, and probably a photo of the pine trees further down, since they are the most likely source for the seedlings.

  • 9 years ago

    There are over 100 different species of pine, including maybe a couple dozen or more with needles in groups of 2. And many of these are common landscape ornamentals or even native species so limiting the choice to just a jack (common name for Pinus banksiana) is premature. I agree with both rhizo and babs that location and more information is necessary to determine species.

  • 9 years ago

    Ok, thank you all. I will get more info and better pictures for you soon. I don't have any jack pine here that I know of. Location is SE Wisconsin. Zone 4.

  • 2 years ago

    Looks like a red or jack pine.

Sponsored
Ed Ball Designs
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars31 Reviews
Exquisite Landscape Architecture & Design - “Best of Houzz" Winner