Maritime Pine Data Sheet

• Common name: Maritime pine

• Latin name: Pinus pinaster

• Genus: Pinus

• Type: Evergreen

• Conservation status: Least concern

Pinus Pinaster is commonly known as the Maritime pine, is a conifer native to southern Europe. Its range extends across Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

This tree is generally found at low to medium altitudes, mostly from 600 m (1,960 ft) to 2000 m (6,560 ft).

The Maritime pine is a medium to large tree, growing up to 35 m (115 ft) tall. The trunk diameter can exceed 1.8 m. The needles are formed in pairs and grow up to 25 cm long. Needle colour can vary from Green with hints of either blue or yellow. The bark is reddish brown. The cones are conical and grow to 18 cm long, they start life a light green colour, maturing to a dark brown colour at maturity. Cones take 24 months to fully ripen and are scaled, each scale covers a seed.

The Maritime pine is closely related to the Austrian pine, which shares many of its characteristics.

This is a very important timber tree in France, there are many man made Maritime pine forests in the south. The resin is a good source of turpentine and rosin.

This is a fast growing pine with long ornamental needles making it a good choice for large gardens.

Pre Germination

These seeds need no pretreatment or stratification before sowing. Fill trays or pots with quality compost and firm down gently. Spread the seeds across the surface; around 25 in a 10 cm pot is ideal. Cover with 3 mm of compost and gently firm down.

Keep compost damp, not soaking wet. Never allow it to dry out. Place pots or trays on a warm windowsill or in a warm conservatory. Germination should occur at 2–5 weeks.

Post Germination

Once seedlings appear, keep them in a well-ventilated area to reduce the risk of damping off disease. Place in bright conditions, a windowsill is ideal. Ensure the seedlings don't dry out. Water logging should also be avoided; young trees hate wet feet. These seedlings are very robust, large juicy seedlings and will give you little hassle. They can be separated into their own 4" pots at 20–25 weeks; by this stage they are frost hardy and can stay outside all year. Fertilization is not required up to this point. During spring and summer we advise using an NPK 10-10-10 fertilizer every 4 weeks.

CAUTION: Slugs and snails love juicy young pines and spruce.

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