Pinon

Piñon Pine [Pinus edulis] Low to the ground, rounded crown, 15 feet tall, the piñon ("pinyon") is a very slow-growing tree, taking nearly 200 years to produce a 1-foot diameter trunk. An old piñon may be more than 500 years old, and may live as long as 1,000 years. In New Mexico they are found at elevations of between 5,000 and 7,000 feet.

The name comes from the 1500s when the Spanish explorers dubbed the tree pino piñonero, or "nut-bearing pine".(http://www.cerrilloshills.org/nature/trees.html)

Photo of Pinon Needles

Needles are short (1.2 to 2 inches) and practically always clustered in twos. The shiny cones, which usually grow singly at the ends of branchlets, open widely as they dry, releasing around two dozen thin-shelled wingless seeds. The bark is dark and rough.

If the winter-spring is wet, the piñon will produce a good crop of piñones (piñon nuts) the following year between September and October, an event that happens about every 6 years. Piñons reproduce by seed only, and it takes about 25 years for a tree to begin producing seedcones. At around 75 to 100 years of age the production of seedcones diminishes.

In order to germinate, piñon seeds must be buried 0.8- to 1.2-inches deep in soil or litter. Squirrels, nuthatches, and Piñon, Scrub and Stellar's jays all play a major role in piñon seed dispersal by means of their forgotten seed caches.

Piñon may refer to:

* Pinyon pine (or Piñon pine)
* Pinon Airplant, "Tillandsia excelsa"

People

Pinon is a French surname:
* Dominique Pinon, French actor

Places

* Piñon, Arizona, United States
* Pinon, Aisne, a commune of the Aisne department in France

Piñon trees are a small, relatively slow-growing pine. The state tree of New Mexico, piñon grows in native stands as far north as Fort Collins, often with native junipers. In fact, vast areas of the Four Corners region are referred to as piñon-juniper woodlands. Piñon nuts and firewood are commonly in demand from these areas.Piñon

Piñon pines are adapted to the nine to 14 inches of annual precipitation it receives in its native habitat. When used as a Colorado landscape, it grows best in drier soil that drains well. Piñons are a very good choice for xeriscape landscapes. Avoid planting piñon in lawn areas where regular irrigation is required. Piñon

While a piñon tree will need to be watered several times after it has been transplanting to get it established, it is not tolerant of long-term and regular irrigation, especially in heavy clay soils. Plant piñon pines on berms or dry areas and avoid low spots and areas near building down spouts.

Under ideal conditions, pinon may reach 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide after many years. Nuts will likely not develop unless there are several piñon trees in the yard. Single trees will develop nutshells in cones, but nutshells will be hollow due to a lack of wind-borne pollen from other trees. (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PTLK/1748.html)

How to grow your own pine nuts

Information on growing Pinon TreesWhat are pine nuts- Pining to know?Pines are coniferous trees of the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authors accept anything between about 105 to 125 species.

Pine trees (Pinus) have the wonderful distinction of being adaptable to wide ranges. Depending on the variety, they will grow in climatic Zones 1 to 10 inclusive. They are able to grow in soils ranging from wet clay to sandy loam.

They fulfill many multiple uses, not only in providing a bountiful harvest of edible nut pines and aromatic cones which are sold at prices that make them a worthwhile commercial crop that will out produce cereal crops and other methods of farming operations based on their cash return per acre.They also lend to the landscaping business which rival other conifer trees with their beautiful foliage of light greens to bluish colouring. They are one of the main crops for many animals. Coming in multiply choices ranging from 200 feet tall trees to bushes that reach a maximum height of 10 feet, their lifespan range from 150 years and over. Once established, the trees may start production as early as 8 years from seed and they will continue production for their lifespan. They require minimum maintenance and we have not encountered any pests to date. Knowing Your Garden Variety Pine Nuts

An important common species pine nut is the seed of Pinus pinea. Two other species, P. sabiniana and P. coulteri, produce large cones however they slower growing and the pine nut seed has a lower oil content than P. pinea. Pinus pinea, is often called the 'Stone Pine' and sometimes the 'Umbrella Nut'. These names originate from the observation that these trees grow well in stony ground. They also grow in an umbrella shape.

The tree is fairly easy propagated from seed, preferably fresh seed. However, fresh seed is hard to come by, as most pine nuts have been shelled and dehydrated. One client wrote, "I tried planting the "pine nuts" available for making pesto, etc - but they rapidly dissolve." Opps.... This is one of the reasons, I asked Charles Rhora to contribute to our page. He has been growing pine nut trees for 30 years, with amazing success. His banner is on the top of this page. I highly recommend you visit his site, nuttrees.com. (By the way, this is NOT a paid advertisement) Pine Nut Seed Germination

The temperature for seed germination is about 17-19C. If temperatures are above 25C seedling establishment will be inhibited. Temperatures below about 10C create seed dormancy. The best germination is obtained following planting in coarse river sand or pumice with about 25% moisture. As with most seeds, they will rot if the soil is too wet. It is important to add mycorrhizal fungus gathered from under a stand of other pine trees, because in the absence of the fungi the trees are likely to suffer phosphorous deficiency and make poor growth. Once established, the young pine nut trees should not be over-watered. Once the nut shell has fallen, you may replant into deeper containers. One must be careful toCare avoid breaking the tap root

This species of pine nut trees be expected to start producing cones from about year 6, However, on poor soils production may not start until about year 12. In Europe the annual yield of nuts is about 500 kg/ha. Each cone holds about 50 nuts and 100 kg of cones holds about 20 kg of nuts. Prune the trees after 3 years to remove all the lower branches. Clearing lower branches facilitates the production and harvesting of the nuts. Studies undertaken in Italy on the effects of grafting which is being done with the object of producing more cones and better nuts. The preferred graft is a cleft graft done in mid-summer, although veneer side grafting is also practiced. The rootstock used for grafting must be at least two years old otherwise delayed mortality occurs about two years after grafting. In addition to P. pinea the rootstocks used include P. radiata (80-85% success), P. halepensis and P. sabiana (60-70% success) and P. pinaster (20-50%). (http://www.pinenut.com/grow.htm)