Monterey Pine(pinus radiata)

Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) is a coniferous evergreen tree with upward-pointing branches and a rounded top. It is native to the Central Coast of California(Santa Cruz, Monterey & San Luis Obispo counties), as well as Guadalupe & Cedros islands in Mexico.

It typically grows 50-100 ft.; lifespan is 80-90 years. The cones are serotinuous, meaning that they remain closed until they are opened by the heat of a forest fire; seed are then discharged to regenerate on the burned-over forest floor. 

Acquired: Aug, 2025 - $8.00

This tree was acquired, along with a Mexican Weeping Pine, directly from the breeder, located in northern California. Ordered via the internet, delivered via USPS in a cardboard tube, it was identified as a "seedling" even though it was 30-33 inches tall. The roots were protected by a sheer mesh "sock" that contained some of the soil mix that the tree was grown-in & a plastlc bag that also served to preserve whatever moisture the root "plug" contained. 

Candles developing

I put the seedling in a jar of water & let him soak overnight, before I potted him & crossed my fingers. Since then, I have purposely let the plant alone & he has rewarded my patience by growing 2-3 inches & is starting to develop "candles".

I think that the next step for this plant is some kind of effort toward height reduction & from the research I've done on pines, candles are the key to this. I will continue my research on the subject, looking towards mid-winter before I take any further action.

Dec 18, 2025

The Monterey Pine has continued to grow & I finally decided that I had to do something to control the height. Some sources advise against pruning ANY young pine, while others say "no big deal'... I have decided to join the "no big deal" folks.

My understanding is that candles are the key to controlling both branch length, as well as height..that by pruning or removing candles on the growing tip, one not merely is controlling upward growth, but re-directing the energy of the plant downward, making for a thicker trunk & increased branch length.

I removed the growing tip about 1/2 way down to the next developing candles, which will become the top-most branches.

This photo (right) shows the area where the grow tip used to be & the next set of developing candles. As usual, I will now let the tree rest & recuperate for a few days, before any further work is done.

Feb 20, 2026

I don't know how I let this much time pass before I noticed that this tree was not doing well..I have to admit that the Monterey Pine is not the sexiest specimen on the patio, but I should have noticed the browning needles sooner.

After another week's worth of rain, this tree, like all of the trees on the patio, is super-saturated & will need to dry out for a day or two before I can start to diagnose what is wrong.

Feb 21

De-potted & took a look at the roots..it seems like the lowest-most roots are "greasy" looking & are black, not tan or white, so I'd say that's probably where the problem lies..I pruned the worst offenders & re-potted in fresh soil..now all we can do is wait & see if he recovers.

(BACK)