The winter has been quite mild so far here in our little corner of Illinois. Most days, I’ve gotten by with just a jacket if I go out into the woods for an afternoon walk to collect pine cones.
What are pine cones, actually? They are the part of the tree that produces seeds. Pine cones come in both male and female form, with the male form looking more like a smaller, softer softer version that will release their pollen in the warm season.
Once fertilized, the female pine cone develops seeds in between the layers of woody scales, which open when dry and close when wet. The best time for seed dispersal is on a breezy, dry day - and this is when the scales of the cones will open and allow the seeds out.
This open and close reaction that pine cones have to wet and dry weather can actually be used as a way to tell if the forest floor is extremely dry, and thus a fire hazard. Look on the ground for fallen cones and notice if they are very open or more tightly closed as an indication of whether or not the fire danger in the woods is high.
An interesting and fun science project with a freshly fallen conifer cone is to hang it on a string somewhere in your house and observe how open or closed it is, depending on the humidity in the air.
We are starting a new tradition this year at Gibson House — that of planting a pine cone!
If you’d like to try your hand at starting your own pine tree from seed, first gather a fallen cone from beneath the kind of tree that you want to plant.
You will need a very small terra cotta pot, the kind with a hole in the center of the bottom for good drainage. Size will vary depending on the size of the pine cone you are planting. Get a pot that isn’t much bigger around than the pine cone. Get a tiny little saucer that matches the size of the pot to catch extra water drainage.
Loosely fill the pot with a bagged indoor potting soil mix and nestle the pine cone into the soil just a little bit, so that most of the cone is sitting above the soil. This action mimics the natural conditions in which new pine seedlings start.
Set your potted pine cone in a warm place that gets some sunlight.
Water a little daily, but do not drench the pinecone and let it remain soaking wet or it will rot. Using a mister bottle works well for this part.
In 1 to 3 weeks time, your seedlings will begin to sprout. As they grow, you can move the pine cone from it’s tiny pot to something larger.
When the seedlings reach 4-6 inches tall, you can carefully separate them and transplant them individually outdoors when the weather has warmed up.
