Many people imagine that pine cones—or the individual scales within the pine cone—are the tree's seeds, and by planting the pine cone you can grow a new pine tree. That's not the way it works, though. In the biology of pine trees, the cone is actually not the seed at all, but a "fruit" structure that nurtures two pine seeds between each pointed or prickly scale of the cone.
What we normally think of as a pine cone is actually the female reproductive structure of the tree. Pine trees also have male cones that produce the pollen, but these are generally much less conspicuous on the tree, and you may overlook them entirely.
On most coniferous trees, the familiar woody cone is actually a very special container full of seeds that is designed to open when the green cones ripen to maturity. Each species of conifer sports a different type of pine cone, and they can range from very small round cones with brittle hard scales, to long narrow cones with thin, prickly scales, and everything in between.
Examining the shape and size of its cone is one way to identify which species of conifer you are looking at. In pines, two seeds are wedged in each scale of the female cone, and they will drop from the mature cone when conditions are right and the cone and seeds are fully mature. More seeds will drop from large pine cones than from small cones, and hundreds of seeds per cone are common, depending on the species.
Look closely at a conifer, and you will likely see a number of green cones on the tree that have not yet ripened. Depending on the tree species, these can take anywhere from one year to several years to ripen into the brown, dry cones that are more readily apparent on the tree or on the ground around the tree.
At the point where the cones become fully brown, they are fully ripened and the seeds have likely already been dispersed or are in the process of dispersing. The cone itself is only the protective covering for the seeds inside, and on most trees, there will be several seasons worth of cones developing on the tree, each at different stages of ripening.
Next you will need to dry out your pine cones, so place them in a dry spot and watch as they begin to dry out and open up. You may see some of the seeds begin to come out. At this point, you can give the pine cones a few taps to help loosen seeds if you want to plant the seeds outside of the pine cone.
The darker seeds will be of better quality. If you want to grow the seeds directly from inside the pine cone you will next place your pine cone in your prepared soil. Loosely bury bottom of pine cone only, do not bury the entire pine cone! From this point you will water it sparingly and wait for it to sprout - do not over-water or it will rot. That's all there is to it! A sprouting pine cone from Gisela Zimmerman. For people who enjoy outdoor DIY projects, it can be a great way to give your home a personal touch, and for others, you can hire a landscape artist.
Either way, enhancing your home curb appeal does not have to feel like rocket science. To help you get started, here. It sounds simple and reasonable, just collect dry cones, bury them in the ground, and wait for them to grow! Sure, having some pine cones could be the first step to owning your first pine trees, but sprouting an entire cone is not a viable way to achieve this goal. A cone is just a seed pod. Its job is to keep the seeds out of harm including damage by animals and harsh atmospheric conditions.
A pine cone will release the seeds only when they have matured and conditions are right — no cold temperatures, no strong winds, and definitely no animals that may eat this precious cargo. And since different pine species release their seeds from the cone at different times, by the time you decide to collect some cones for your tree garden, the seeds will probably have escaped. Also, it is important to note that pine seeds need sunlight to germinate effectively.
Not only that. Since planting an entire cone will have you pushing the seeds too deep into the soil, germination is unlikely to happen because, again, the seeds will not be receiving enough sunlight.
Pine trees have both the male and female structures cones located in the same tree. The female cones grow on the upper branches of the tree while the male ones grow on the lower branches.
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