The cones are only the shells of the seeds. By the time you find them on the ground, most of the seeds have already been had by birds. sed5555
My white pine has a ton of cones this year... We had a very wet year though. I know that there are many studies out right now documenting large changes in the environment due to global warming and that increased CO2 in the atmosphere increases growth in plants....
Anyway, fire is generally what helps pine tree seeds to germinate since you need something to open up the cone to allow the seeds to be released. I have white pines come up from seed naturally but rarely without a fire (luckily). You could experiment with the cones in your barBQ or fireplace.... Collect the data on what works and let us all know? :) DKat
absolutely loaded with pine cones, more so than in other years. We did not have either a very good spring/summer nor a very bad spring/summer, just average. The trees do not seem to be distressed or dyring. Is there a reason for the trees having so many cones, or is this just a natural cycle? If I collected cones and planted them, would I get new trees, or is there something special that needs to be done with the cones, or the planting before new trees would grow? Any information would be welcomed.
absolutely loaded with pine cones, more so than in other years. We did not have either a very good spring/summer nor a very bad spring/summer, just average. The trees do not seem to be distressed or dyring. Is there a reason for the trees having so many cones, or is this just a natural cycle? If I collected cones and planted them, would I get new trees, or is there something special that needs to be done with the cones, or the planting before new trees would grow? Any information would be welcomed.
Ours are loaded with cones too. At times the tree is boiling with chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, and squirrels eating the pine nuts. Pull off a cone and take it apart--you'll find the seeds to plant. Our stand of pine trees won't let much grow except moss underneath it, but they are a blessing to enjoy shade and to clean the air. You may want to purchase another kind of pine, maybe one that is known to be resistant to the pine borer. So far, our pines have been fortunate.
There is an old belief that when the oak produces lots of acorns we are going to have a hard winter. Maybe that goes for pine cones too.
Marilyn in Ohio
absolutely loaded with pine cones, more so than in other years. We did not have either a very good spring/summer nor a very bad spring/summer, just average. The trees do not seem to be distressed or dyring. Is there a reason for the trees having so many cones, or is this just a natural cycle? If I collected cones and planted them, would I get new trees, or is there something special that needs to be done with the cones, or the planting before new trees would grow? Any information would be welcomed.
In answer to your question, heavy cone production is a response to drought. The tree is stressed and is trying better its chancs of passing on progeny.
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