Canary Island pine

How to recognise it

Habit

In the wild a straight tree of 25–40 m with a crown that is conical at first, later irregular and open. In a pot it stays 1–3 m here.

Needles

In threes in a sheath, 20–30 cm long, thin and limp, drooping gracefully; bright green to yellowish green. For the first few years young plants have single, blue-grey juvenile needles.

Cones

Egg-shaped to conical, 10–20 cm, glossy brown; they ripen in their second year. Potted plants rarely produce cones here.

Trunk and bark

Thick, reddish brown to grey, with deep furrows and plates. Old trunks often carry short green shoots growing straight from the trunk.

Roots

A deep taproot and widely spreading side roots, adapted to dry, loose volcanic soil.

Confusion with

Stone pine: needles in pairs, 10–20 cm and stiffer, with an umbrella-shaped crown and large, round cones. Maritime pine: needles in pairs, stiff, 15–25 cm. Monterey pine: needles also in threes but shorter (8–15 cm) and not drooping, with lopsided cones.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: May

Why grow it?

• One of the most beautiful pines for lovers of long needles: young plants are blue-green, older ones fresh green with drooping tufts of needles.
• As a container plant it brings a Mediterranean feel to a sunny terrace or balcony.
• A fascinating example of adaptation to fire: thick bark and dormant buds let it regrow after a blaze.
• In its homeland the pine forests are the home of the blue chaffinches of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, which live nowhere else and eat a lot of pine seed.
• The resin-rich heartwood, called ‘tea’, is extremely durable and was used on the islands for balconies, doors and ceilings in old houses and churches.

Canary Island pine: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: open pine forests on the volcanic slopes of the Canary Islands, often in the cloud zone, on dry, loose, stony ground.
• Full sun and warmth; it tolerates drought and wind, but not hard frost.
• In a pot: a large container with free-draining compost, for example potting compost mixed with a third of gravel or lava grit.
• Planted out only in the very mildest spots, such as against a south-facing wall in town; expect a hard winter to kill it.
• In winter: a light, cool, frost-free place of about 2–10 °C, such as an unheated greenhouse or orangery.

Goes well with

• Canary Island date palm: Another container plant from the Canary Islands, also overwintered frost-free.
• Olive: Grey-green leaves next to the long green needles on a sunny terrace.
• Rosemary: A fragrant, drought-tolerant shrub for a pot or a warm, dry corner.
• Lavender: Purple flowers and a Mediterranean scent in summer; bees love it.
• Rock rose: Colourful flowers in early summer, even on dry, poor soil.

Canary Island pine: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy a young plant from a nursery or garden centre that sells Mediterranean plants. Never take seedlings from the wild, not even on holiday in the Canary Islands.
2. Choose a heavy, stable container at least 40–50 cm wide with drainage holes, and put a layer of gravel in the bottom.
3. Fill with free-draining compost mixed with gravel or lava grit and plant at the same depth as in the old pot.
4. From mid-May, after the last frost, stand the pot in the sunniest spot in the garden or on the terrace.
5. Water well after planting and then let the surface dry out between waterings.
6. Repot young plants every two to three years in April into a slightly larger pot.

Care

Water

In summer, regularly, as soon as the top few centimetres are dry; never leave water standing in the saucer. Very little in winter.

Feeding

In a pot, a little organic fertiliser once a month from April to July; not needed in the open ground.

Overwintering

Bring it in before the first hard frost, usually in November. A light, cool, frost-free spot of 2–10 °C is ideal; a warm living room is too dark and too dry.

Putting out

From mid-May; let it get used to the outdoors in partial shade for a week first, so the needles do not scorch.

Wind

A large pot with a tall pine blows over easily: put it in a sheltered spot or weigh the pot down with stones.

Tip: Overwinter Canary Island pine light and cool rather than warm: in an unheated greenhouse or a cool, bright hallway it stays healthy, while in a warm living room it sheds its needles.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: May.

When: Little needed. To keep it compact, shorten the new shoots (the ‘candles’) in May.

How:

• In May, cut or snap the young, still soft candles back by half to two thirds: the plant stays more compact and branches better.
• Remove dead or brown branches back to healthy wood with needles.
• On a young plant, keep the leading shoot, or it will lose its shape.

Caution: Do not cut into bare wood without needles: in a pot it rarely regrows from there, even though an old tree in the wild can do so after a fire.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in March–April indoors or in a greenhouse at 18–20 °C, in light seed compost; the seeds usually germinate within a few weeks without pre-treatment. Pot the seedlings up individually once they are a few centimetres tall.

Cuttings

Rarely successful with pines; sowing is the usual method.

Canary Island pine: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −8 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it only survives a few degrees of frost briefly, around −8 °C for an older, well-hardened plant. In a pot the roots freeze much sooner.
• Overwinter it frost-free in a light, cool place and water sparingly.
• It stays green; some older needles turn yellow and drop in winter, which is normal.
• In April, put it outside during the day in mild weather, but bring it in as long as night frost threatens.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: Brown needles and dead shoots after a cold night. Bringing it in on time is the only real solution.
• Root rot: Yellow needles and a sickly plant caused by soggy compost, especially in winter. Make sure there are drainage holes, gravel in the mix and moderate watering.
• Red spider mite: In a dry, warm overwintering room, tiny mites can make the needles dull and greyish. Overwintering cool and airing now and then helps.
• Needle drop: Lots of brown needles after bringing it in: usually too little light or too much warmth. Move it somewhere lighter and cooler.
• Blowing over: A tall pine in a pot catches a lot of wind. Weigh the pot down or move it to a sheltered spot.

Through the year

• January: Overwintering: light, cool and frost-free. Very little water.
• March: Sow indoors. Ventilate on mild days.
• April: Repot if needed. Outdoors during the day in mild weather. Older plants may flower.
• May: Outside from mid-May, first in partial shade. Pinch the candles to keep it compact. Flowering.
• June: Full sun. Regular watering and a little fertiliser every month.
• July: Water in hot weather. Last feed.
• August: Water. Protect the pot from blowing over in thunderstorms.
• October: Water less. Bring in at the first night frost.
• November: Indoors in a light, cool, frost-free place.
• December: Dormant. Check now and then for red spider mite and drying out.

Did you know?

• The heartwood of old trees, ‘tea’, is so full of resin that it hardly rots. For centuries it was used for the typical wooden balconies and ceilings of Canarian houses and churches.
• After a forest fire the trunks look dead and black, but within a few months new green shoots appear all over the trunk and branches.
• The long needles catch droplets from the mist drifting through the forests; the water drips to the ground and so benefits the forest.