Black pine «Brepo»

Synonyms: Pinus BREPO ® 'Pierrick Brégeon'

Black pine «Brepo» (Pinus nigra «Brepo») – a cultivar of black pine (Pinus nigra «Brepo»). The cultivar originates from Switzerland, raised by gardener Pierrick Brégeon.

It is a dwarf coniferous tree with a very dense, globular crown. It grows slowly, reaching 0.5 m in height at 10 years. Branches are ascending at the tips. Bark grayish-brown. This cultivar is often grafted onto a stem (standard).

Needles are dark green, matte or glossy, in pairs, stiff, pointed, straight or slightly falcate (sickle-shaped), 8–14 mm long.

Cones on short stalks, borne horizontally, up to 8 mm long and 3 mm wide, yellow-brown in color, glossy, oblong-ovoid, opening in the third year.

Hardiness zone: 4-8 (-29°C).

Location: heliophilous, can tolerate light lateral shade. Undemanding regarding soil fertility, does not like compaction. Can grow on rocky soils, tolerates salinity. Resistant to urban conditions. Not prone to damage from heat and drought, wind-resistant. Grows well on well-aerated sandy soils. Low moisture requirements.

Planting: Planting hole depth – 0.8–1 m. Root collar at soil level. Spacing between plants 3–4 m. On heavy, waterlogged soils, it is recommended to provide a drainage layer 20 cm thick. Planting mix: sand, peat and topsoil in a 2:1:1 ratio – for planting in neutral soils. For acidic soils add 200–300 g of lime per hole. Add superphosphate 150 g/hole to the planting mix; in autumn apply phosphate-potash fertilizers.

Care: In the second year after planting apply a complete fertilizer, and in the second half of summer – phosphate-potash fertilizers 40–50 g per 10 L of water. Young pines may suffer from winter burn; to protect them it is recommended to cover with winter conifer boughs.

Pruning: requires only sanitary pruning, as it forms a dense decorative crown. Can be grown in bonsai style.

Diseases: rust, pine vertun (sosnovy vertun), rust canker (resinous canker "seryanka"), scleroderris (umbrella disease), Schütte, bark necrosis.

Pests: pine aphid, adelgids, conifer mealybugs, pine scale, pine bark bug, spider mite, red pine sawfly, pine moth (silkworm), pine shoot weevil, pine looper, pine cutworm (Noctuidae), pine leaf-mining moth, cone moth, cone resin moth, large and small pine bark beetles, pine longhorn beetle, pine buprestid (jewel beetle), pine weevil, spotted ermine moth.

Propagation: mainly propagated by grafting onto a stem (standard).

Uses: used as a specimen on a lawn, in Japanese and rock gardens, rockeries; suitable for container cultivation and bonsai.