In today’s article, we will talk about pine trees in Wisconsin. If you wanted to get a new evergreen tree for your yard in the near future, what better choice than pines?
Pines are very grateful trees when it comes to taking care of them. You will not invest much effort in their growing process and taking care of them, and they will be green all year round, how amazing is that? Each region has pines and trees specific to that region.
Florida, for example, has its own Florida oak trees, and North Carolina has its flowering trees of North Carolina, you can also learn all about the top 11 flowering trees in Texas, but now let’s focus on Wisconsin and the pines.
Some will be very neat, and some will have needles falling off, but in the end, you will still choose the perfect pine for you. Let’s learn more about the 9 types of pine trees in Wisconsin.
Pine Trees In Wisconsin Features
There are no specific characteristics of native pines in Wisconsin. Pine trees look very similar wherever they grow. In Wisconsin, pine trees grow native to that region, as well as those that “moved” there over time from other state regions.
In any case, whatever tree you choose, native to Wisconsin, one with blue-green needles, or one with gray needles, you’ll enjoy them a lot.
Pine Trees In Wisconsin: Care Guide
When it comes to the care guide for pine wood, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a northern white pine tree or a red pine tree, their care guides differ by some 10-20%.
Almost all pine trees require very similar care, and if you learn to take care of one, you will know how to take care of all pine trees. However, that 10 – 20 % even make small drastic differences and you should pay attention to them.
Let’s find out how you should care for 9 types of pine trees in Wisconsin.
1. White Pine Tree
Often called northern white pine since it’s most popular in northern Wisconsin areas, this tree only gets more wonderful as the tree ages. Very similar to this tree is the weeping blue spruce.
It grows up to 80 feet tall. Wood from white pine is very unique and soft and people make many wooden craft items from it.
Of course, that’s not good for its extermination. In Wisconsin, you can also spot much interior woodwork made from this tree.
Light Conditions
White pine trees can tolerate partial shade conditions, but they thrive the best in bright light conditions. The same light conditions work for eastern white pine trees.
Watering Needs
They like well-drained soils, but standing water can damage their roots quickly. Water about 1 inch of water per week, or 10 days. That should be enough.
Soil Conditions
They grow well in sandy soils, and loamy, and peat moss soils. Sandy soil is perfect for absorbing water, so have that in mind. Wet soils are a great choice due to their watering schedule. You can also spot them among rock ridges.
Fertilizer
You can fertilize them with granular fertilizer or with a regular houseplants fertilizer that you have left from other plantings. Fertilize them in spring and early summertime.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. Do it in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Remove the branches with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
2. Red Pine Trees In Wisconsin
Red pine is an amazing pine tree with a straight stem and lovely red pine needles. It drops its needles after 4 years, so at least for the first 4 years, you don’t have to worry about the mess in your garden. By its looks, it’s very similar to pinus strobus-white pine.
Light Conditions
Expose your red pine to bright indirect sunlight conditions. When planting, make sure it has enough partial shade in the afternoon. It doesn’t like the direct sun so make sure you avoid sunny positions for the red pine tree.
Watering Needs
Water it regularly with 2 inches of water every 10 days. This pine type likes more drainage than its sister pine white pine. Red pine trees are like any type of water.
Soil Conditions
They don’t like poor soils, soil conditions need to be rich in organic matter. Its soils conditions are similar to pinus resinosa and pinus sylvestris. Red pine is also one of the native species of Wisconsin.
Fertilizer
Fertilize red pine trees with granular fertilizer or with 10-10-10 regular fertilizer. Do not experiment with any other fertilizers.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. Do it in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Remove the branches with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
3. Eastern White Pine Trees In Wisconsin
Eastern white pine is very recognizable by its pine cones and lovely dark green pine needles. You can find it in South America and the eastern parts of Wisconsin.
It can reach up to 80 feet in height. It’s an evergreen that will brighten up your yard space in winter. You can find them in Dane county as well.
Light Conditions
Full sun conditions are pretty great for this pine tree but combine it with bright light or partial shade in the afternoon. Full shade isn’t an option since you’ll notice the obvious lack of height and thriving in such conditions. Sunny sites don’t work well for eastern pine.
Watering Needs
When planted at first, soil conditions should be well drained. Water it 2 times in 10 days, sometimes even 3 times when the temperature is very high and the soil gets really dry.
Soil Conditions
Soil conditions are pretty simple. Bark soil is the best option for these lovely green-brown branches. Its needles which are about 4 inches long are usually attacked by insects. Eastern white pine releases seeds after very high temperature conditions.
Fertilizer
Feed your eastern white pine with high-acid fertilizer in the springtime.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. Carry it out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Remove the branches with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
4. Jack Pine Tree
Jack pine trees shouldn’t be planted near other garden plants since they drop their seeds during the hot summertime. You can find these evergreens in forests in the southern regions of Wisconsin. They are great landscape trees.
Jack pine trees don’t have a wide base and their shape is pretty thick so you won’t have to worry about their space. They can be wonderful pieces of wildlife in your garden. They have a dark textured trunk.
Light Conditions
This lovely forest pine tree prefers bright indirect light conditions. they can survive full sun conditions as long as it’s not more than 3 hours per day. They attract many animals from wildlife due to their pine cones that thrive well in good light.
Watering Needs
Watering needs are pretty simple for this pine tree. You don’t have to water them more than once in 15 days.
Soil Conditions
It’s a thin truck and lovely dark green needles and its lovely pine bundles thrive best in bark soils, loamy soils, and peat moss soils. Moist soils are also fine.
Fertilizer
Jack pine tree doesn’t have to be fertilized since it can grow well in forests too. They are definitely not fertilized in the forest for sure.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
5. Austrian Pine
Austrian pine is native to Austria, north Italy, and former Yugoslavia country. It became popular in the USA in the 18th century. They can reach up to 60 feet.
Light Conditions
Plant them in partial shade and bright indirect light position. Don’t plant them in full shade conditions no matter what.
Watering Needs
Water them more in the first year, water them regularly, and later on, after a year, reduce their watering schedule.
Soil Conditions
They grow well in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, sandy, and well-drained soils.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer isn’t required for this pine tree.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
6. Pinus Banksiana
Lovely northern Wisconsin region pine tree recognizable by its unique green color and big pine cones. It has a strong pine fragrance. Its common names are pine shrubs as well. Pinus banksiana is found in rocky areas as well. They are about 30-50 feet tall.
Light Conditions
They thrive well in shady areas combined with bright sunlight. They hate full sunlight conditions.
Watering Needs
Water 2 times in 1o days, or 3 times in 20 days when you notice sudden temperature changes.
Soil Conditions
The best soil types are dry sandy or gravelly soils. These soil types aren’t very high in organic matter, but that is more than alright for this type of pine tree.
Fertilizer
Nitrogen fertilization is the perfect choice for this pine tree. Don’t try any others since this fertilizer, and only this one, gives the nutrients it needs.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
7. Emerald Green Arborvitae
This is a dwarf pine tree since its height doesn’t cross 15 feet. They are perfect for royal gardens.
In vintage locations in England, France, and Germany, you can spot these pines in the royal gardens, planted on the edge of the gardens. They are amazing evergreen dwarf trees.
Light Conditions
They thrive well in the full sun, as you can assume from the first part where we mentioned that they thrive well in gardens. Partial shade or full shade definitely shouldn’t be an option.
Watering Needs
Water with an inch and a half of water every week. Especially in the first 3 months, make sure you follow its watering schedule correctly.
Soil Conditions
They are tolerating a range of soils, they are not very picky with that so you can choose any soil that’s tolerable for most pine trees we talked about above.
Fertilizer
The best option is slow-release granular fertilizer for this type of pine tree.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
8. American Pillar Arborvitae
This pine tree can grow up to 25 feet tall. It grows about 24 inches per year. It’s not really a fast-growing tree.
These evergreen pines are native to eastern-northern parts of America. They grow well in zones from 2 to 7.
Light Conditions
They need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Partial sun or bright indirect light is also tolerable but in the afternoon hours and evening of course.
Watering Needs
Water them daily and keep the soil moist. Just don’t overwater them since that can ruin their root system entirely.
Soil Conditions
The best soil conditions are slightly acidic soil, with a soil pH reading from 5.5 to 6.0. They don’t like much organic matter in the soil.
Fertilizer
The best choice is a slow-release fertilizer that has 50% nitrogen. Use this one only! Granular and liquid fertilizers shouldn’t be an option.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
9. Juniper ‘Wichita Blue’ Tree
Another amazing dwarf pine variety. It grows up to 25 feet tall when planted and grown correctly. As the name of this cultivar already suggests, Wichita blue name is because of its green-blue foliage that’s pretty unique.
Light Conditions
These amazing pine trees prefer at least 2 to 4 hours of direct full sun and the rest of the day, they can grow in partial shade or bright light. Full shade even half of the day isn’t a good option.
Watering Needs
Water them with 2 inches of water per week. This is very important in the first 3 to 4 months, then late on, you can reduce it to an inch of water per week. Don’t water them much in the winter months.
Soil Conditions
The best soil conditions for this type of pine tree are bark or sandy soils. The most important thing is well-drained soil. They love and appreciate good drainage.
Fertilizer
Apply general-purpose fertilizer on its soils and only this one. Granular, high in nitrogen, and liquid fertilizers aren’t a good option.
Pruning
Pine pruning is done for two reasons: to remove dry and diseased branches or to shape the crown. It is carried out in the spring to remove branches damaged by snow. Branches are removed with scissors, cutting them all the way to the trunk.
Propagation
Propagate your pine tree from stem cuttings, that’s the best way to do it. Always take stem cuttings from a healthy plant because older ones lose the ability to regenerate over the years.
Use Of Pine Needles
Pine is widely used because of the healing properties of its needles, but also because of the aromatic resin. Below we present some of the most significant uses.
Pine needles and young shoots are rich in vitamin C in the spring, so they are collected to make tea.
They are used fresh and crushed and poured with hot water and drunk as an unsweetened drink. Traditionally, they are also used to make cough syrup or to relieve respiratory problems.
The most important is the essential oil obtained by water distillation. It has a strong and intense resinous smell and has a calming and anti-infective effect.
It is a stimulant of the adrenal gland, and it is also used for inhalation for respiratory problems or for massage for problems with arthritis and rheumatism.
History And Interesting Facts About Pine Trees
Pine is one of the oldest living plants in the world, and this is shown by finds and fossils from the Cretaceous period. Due to its durability, it readily adapted to many conditions and survived even the harshest climate.
It has an extremely long life, so it can survive up to 500 years, and because of its light seeds and pollen, it was blown around the world by the wind.
It is known that some species have survived for up to 8,000 years in some parts, and with later cultivation, they have significantly changed from their original appearance, although the connection can be proven by comparing the resin. Pine has always played a significant role in human history, primarily because of its timber.
Pine has had an important feature in many cultures. Thus, its essential oil was used as a ceremonial oil, and it was also used by elders as an encouragement for courage and wise decisions. Indians chewed it as a preventive measure against scurvy and used it to clean the scalp of lice and parasites, especially on horses.
They also burned twigs in houses for purification. The recommendation to lung patients to go to mountain regions to recover is actually a recommendation to spend more time in conifer forests, especially pine.
Pine trees in Wisconsin: Final Thought
In today’s article, we learned everything you need to know about pine trees in Wisconsin. Your yard used to lack an evergreen pine tree, but not anymore, right? Have you decided on the perfect evergreen tree for your yard?
You have seen that it is very easy to take care of pine trees. A little bit of attention and the tree stays green all year. The 9 offered types will look great in both urban and rural areas.
By growing them, you can customize the perfect one for your garden. Take into account the mess made by pine needles if you have children or pets, for example. In any case, pine trees are really very grateful trees and you will enjoy them.
That would be all for today, see you soon with more similar topics!