Replacing Pinons with Conifers

It's understandable when piñon trees die to want to remove them. But what types of conifers are good to replace them?

Yum Yum Mix® - 12 lb. bag
Item # H0018 		Yum Yum Mix® 2-1-1 Organic Fertilizer: Earth Food

each $16.95
  • Topics: Conifers, Trees & Shrubs
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger and Jeff Clark
  • Keywords: trees, piñons, bark beetle, conifers, Trees
  • Date: April 2004

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It’s understandable when piñon trees die to want to remove them. But what types of conifers are good to replace them? Following is a list of different trees our Nursery Department recommends.

If you’re interested in replacing pinons with dwarf conifers, a list of those follows this first grouping. All mentioned trees are available in our Nursery Department.

Conifers

Cypress

  • Cupressus arizonica ‘Blue Pyramid’ (Blue Pyramid Arizona Cypress): grows to 24’ high and 12’ wide, low water, adaptable to most soils, wind and heat tolerant. Blue gray foliage.
  • Cupressus arizonica ‘Blue Ice’ (Blue Ice Compact Arizona Cypress): grows to 15’ high and 14’ wide, low water, tolerates wind. Blue foliage.

Fir

  • Abies concolor (White Fir): grows to 40’ high and 20’ wide, moderate water, adaptable to most soils. Whitish needles.

Juniper

  • Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain Juniper): grows to 30’ high and 20’ wide, low water, hardy, native.
  • Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’ (Skyrocket Juniper): grows to 18’ high and 5’ wide, low water, hardy.

Pine

  • “Pinus leucodermis (Bosnian Pine): grows to 25’ high and 10’ wide, low water, hardy.
  • Pinus nigra (Austrian Pine): grows to 30’ high and 25’ wide, low water, variably shaped, hardy.
  • Pinus sylvestris (Scotch Pine): grows to 50’ high and 30’ wide, low water, hardy.

Spruce

  • Picea pungens (Colorado Blue Spruce): grows to 60’ high and 30’ wide, moderate water, well drained soils.
  • Picea glauca ‘Fat Albert’ (Fat Albert Spruce): grows to 15’ high and 10’ wide, moderate water, well drained soils.

If grown in highly fertile soil’ conifers tend toward excessive growth. They like slightly acidic soil, and if you need to amend your soil to make it more acidic, we recommend a single yearly application of sulfur in the root area a few inches away from the trunk to just beyond the drip line.

Generally, healthy plants require minimal fertilization. A good organic fertilizer like Yum Yum Mix can be added when planting and can be scratched into the surface of the soil on a yearly basis.

Dwarf Conifers

Dwarf is a relative term. Some dwarf trees mature at heights of 20 to 30 feet, while others will only reach 3 feet. In terms of growth rate, though, most dwarf conifers are slower growing than traditional trees, and many only grow a ¼” to 1” a year, so getting to that mature height will take a while—even for the 30-footers.

Some dwarf conifers include:

*Picea pungens ‘Sester’s Dwarf ’: grows up to 6” tall, spreads horizontally to 15 feet wide.

*Picea pungens ‘St. Mary’s Broom’: grows to 3’ tall, spreads to 3’.

*Pinus aristata ‘Blue Bear’: grows to 15-20’ tall and spread from 10-12’ wide.

*Pinus edulis ‘Trinidad’: grows to 24-36” tall and spreads to 24-36” wide.

*Pinus leucodermis ‘Gnome’: grows to 4’ tall and spreads from 2’ wide.

Next week we’ll feature replacing piñons with native deciduous trees and shrubs.