CONIFERS
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is in the pine family and has a height of 50-70’ and a spread of 25’.
TRAITS
This pine tree doesn’t taper very much and loses its lower branches as it matures. The bark is reddish-brown with large, long black furrows and some scales. Ponderosa grow in a variety of soils and prefer full sun. Other names that this tree has gone by are Western Yellow Pine and Blackjack Pine.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
The diseases that can affect this tree are Rust, Elytroderm disease, Heart Rot disease, Root disease, and Needle disease. If you are interested in planting this type of tree in a garden area you may want to reconsider your choice. Pine trees make the soil around it acidic, thus making it hard to grow many other plants around it including grass.
POSSIBLE BENEFITS
The Ponderosa Pine has many positive qualities. For example, it grows rapidly and is good for erosion control because of the speed in which the roots grow down into the soil. When the tree is mature it is drought resistant and because of the thick bark makes it very fire resistant. If there’s wildlife around you its seeds feed birds and small animals, and the twigs and needles are eaten by deer.
