How Close Together Can I Plant Pine Trees?

Pine trees (Pinus species) are coniferous evergreens. They range from towering giants to small, dwarf trees. Some species make excellent wind or privacy screens. If you are planting more than one tree, you will need to space them for optimum health and growth.

Spacing

There is no one ideal rule for spacing pine trees. It depends more on the use of the tree rather than the tree species itself. In general, most evergreen conifers, including pines, grow best if spaced between 6 and 12 feet apart. Trees spaced less than 6 feet apart will probably require thinning. Trees spaced further than 12 feet apart will require more effort in weed control. Space pine trees used for windbreaks 8 feet apart, with10 feet between each row.

Sizes

The larger the species of pine, the bigger the spacing. Space pines that grow to great heights 12 feet apart. These include the White and Austrian pines, which can grow up to 60 feet tall. Mugo pines, on the other hand, reach a maximum height of only 10 feet and can be spaced 6 feet apart.

Considerations

While spacing is important, it is also vital to choose the right location for your pine trees. Pine trees need full sunlight, save the White pine, which can grow in part shade. Mugo and Scotch pines grow well in sandy soils, while most other pines will thrive in windy, exposed areas.

Pine Trees

They raise their branches to the sky in fields, front yards and other sun-soaked places around the world. They require little water and well-drained, preferably sandy soil. They can live well over 100 years, and some have even been found that are thousands of years old, such as the bristlecone pine that thrives in Nevada's Great Basin National Park. The branches of the pine tree grow laterally from a straight trunk that's covered in bark. Some pine tree species produce just one whorl of distinct branches a year that butts against the tip of the new shoot. The woody plants that become the towering trees that populate cities, forests and national parks across the country are beneficial to the environment as well as commerce. Pine parts are also used for the manufacturing of substances such as pulp and paper, rosin and the cleaning agent turpentine.