Pinus Banksiana (Jack Pine) Project

jhill

WOW!! Gary and Karl really nice virts of this tree!! You guys must of put some time in on it. I really appreciate it. Now if I can just get you guys to come over and give me a hand I will copy and save for spring.
Gary and Karl you guys are great!!Thanks.

Boniface, I really don't know about the seeds but I would put them in the ground now and mark the area and let mother nature take over. Go to Google or some other search engine and do a search and maybe you can get more info there. here is something I found: http://www.google.com/search?q=pinus+banksiana


Reproduces by seed.
Minimum seed bearing age in open stands is 5-10 years. Some seed is produced every year and serotinous cones accumulate in the crown. A mature stand may have as many as 2 million seeds per acre stored in unopened cones. Because of abundant seed production, few mature trees are necessary to regenerate a stand.
Cones, sealed shut by a resinous bond, require high temperatures to open. This heat is usually provided by fire, but hot, dry weather (air temperatures of at least 80 degrees F.) opens some cones.
The winged seeds are the smallest of the native pines and are dispersed by gravity and wind. The effective dispersal range is about 110'-130' or two tree heights.
Seeds usually germinate rapidly after release when the 10-day mean maximum air temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Seeds occasionally exhibit partial dormancy which is probably broken naturally by heat from fire. Seeds remain viable in closed cones for years, but viability decreases over time. Up to 50% of 20-year-old seeds may be viable.
Exposed mineral soil or thin residual humus of about 1/4" or less provide the best seedbeds; deeper humus has an adverse effect on establishment; humus deeper than 1 1/2" is a low-quality seedbed. Successful germination and establishment usually occurs only after fire removes humus.
Germination and initial survival sometimes improve with partial shade, but the positive effect of shade eventually becomes negative because seedlings soon require higher light levels. Seedling survival may be low if drought conditions follow germination.
During its first 20 years, one of the fastest growing conifers in its range.
Staminate and ovulate cone primordia are initiated in late summer and then go dormant until spring. Pollen shedding usually late spring or early summer but highly dependent on the weather. Fertilization 13 months after pollination. Cones mature in late summer or early fall, 2 years after initiation.
Maximum growth occurrs under 43% light and higher.
The resin of serotinous cones melts when heated, usually at temperatures in excess of 140 degrees Fahrenheit Seed viability is not markedly affected by heating, unless the cone ignites, which kills the seed. Seeds unprotected by cones remain viable when exposed to high temperatures until the wings ash and the seed coats crack. Crown torching does not ignite cones because the high temperatures are unlikely to last more than 3 minutes.