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Mature height x width: |
approx 100' x 30' |
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Recommended initial spacing: |
10-15' |
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Recommended final spacing: |
~25-30' |
| Hardy to: | approx -40°C (-50 F) |
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Preferred soil: |
well-drained (tolerant of gravelly / sandy soil) |
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Good for: |
partial shade, drought-tolerance, windbreak, hedgerow, marginal land, privacy screen, low-maintenance |
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Uses: |
pesto, pasta, salads |
Korean stone pines (Pinus koraiensis) produce huge pine cones with edible nuts, similar to pine nuts you'd find in the store (from Italian stone pine) but bigger. Great in salads and pesto. An ideal tree for climate instability, and probably our hardiest tree in many respects: extremely drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, and cold hardy to Zone 3! It grows slowly for the first five years, and then accelerates, eventually reaching 80' when mature. As a conifer, it keeps its needles all year long, and thus works well as a border or windbreak. Korean pines are partially self-fertile, but we recommend planting several for higher cone production.
Plant in areas where pine trees grow: sandy, acidic, well-drained soil. This tree is a long-term investment: expect nuts after 10-20 years. But it doesn't need much during that time: these pines are low-maintenance and there are no known diseases (to us). Plant in partial shade, or surround with a snow fence to protect the bark of the trunk for the first two years.