Choose the right soil. The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, if this is possible. Otherwise, sow it in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4 °C (39 °F) can improve the germination of stored seed.
Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible. Protect them for their first winter or two. Pinus radiata plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions, the better they will grow.
Plant out. The trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm. It is common enough to plant them out when they are about 5–10 centimeter (2.0–3.9 in) tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch, they establish very well.
Try to avoid planting larger trees. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and reduces their wind resistance ability.
Make cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees that are less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away.
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