thank you for the details.
so does this mean that if i take the pine cones and bury them in soil
they will actually grow into new trees?




im curious. if you have a tree how does it reproduce and make seeds
that grow into new trees? do you need two of the same type of tree?
for example. if i buy two colorado spruces and plant them in the same
location say 10 feet apart, when it makes cones will those conese make
new spruces? im curious as to how trees duplicate.

thanks

It depends on the type of tree. Most trees will have both male and female
flowers on the same tree and are pollinated by wind or insects, so only
one is required. A few number of species need both a male and female plant
and they don't necessarily have to be planted adjacent to each other to
produce seeds. Somtimes just in the same neighborhood is sufficient.
These trees all can produce viable seedlings although some are more ready
to set seed than others. Other hybrid or grafted trees, while they may (or
may not) produce seedlings, what seedlings are produced may have no
resemblance to the parent plant. You only need one spruce and it could
very well produce seedlings from the cones for you - I pull out small
conifer seedlings from my garden constantly, but they are mostly the
native Doug firs and hemlocks and cedars. Would love it if my Hinokis or
golden shore pine would generate some offspring :-)

The only sure way to duplicate the exact features in a plant is to
propagate by clonal reproduction - cuttings, etc. Some trees are very easy
to propagate this way, others less so. Most growers do this - seeds can
take a long time to germinate or require specific germination techniques
or not be viable, while cuttings can be cheap, quick and quite reliable.

pam - gardengal