Chinese Pistache Care Growing Guide

If you have looked for a perfect tree to provide a beautiful fall color, you have found it. The Chinese Pistache you cannot miss in the garden. It makes for excellent shade trees in summer. When fall arrives, you see a display of very dark green foliage turning red, orange, and yellow.

In December, it remains a sight to see. Today, we will help you care for this unique tree.

More About Pistacia Chinensis Trees

Pistache chinensis @flickr

The Pistache chinensis, or Chinese Pistaches, is native to China and grown as an ornamental hardwood shade tree. The tree grows moderately, up to 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide. When planting young Chinese Pistache, they look awkward at first.

As young trees grow, they form a symmetrical yet upright oval to rounded shape. In contrast, mature trees develop an attractive bark. Another exciting thing is that the Chinese Pistache is a close relative of the famous pistachio nut tree with intricate wood and is rot-resistant.

When planting young trees, they will need some staking and grow slowly in the first five years. You first need to do structural pruning to help the tree canopy form. Once established, the tree can grow two to three feet per year.

In the Chinese Pistache trees, you find a male and female tree for cross-pollination. These trees are known as dioecious. When you have a female one, you see clusters of red fruit, but as with the pistachio nut tree, it is not edible but does attract birds.

Chinese Pistache Care For Male and Female Trees

Chinese Pistache @flickr

Okay, pruning is the most labor-intensive part of caring for the Chinese Pistache tree. Your tree needs a specific style of pruning to help it form in the years to come. But more on that later.

For other care needs, it is similar to most other trees. Still, a note of warning is that this tree is an invasive species in certain regions. So, if you can get a male tree, it does not produce fruits, and neither does it produce nuts.

Still, it is an excellent tree to have in your garden.

Planting Pistache Chinensis

The Chinese Pistache grows roots that go deep into the ground and do not spread aggressively. Hence, planting close to a sidewalk, driveway, or patio where you need shade is ideal.

But we recommend not planting your Pistache chinensis in a low-lying or marshy area as it does not like soggy soil conditions. Another thing is not to plant your tree too close to utility lines or under electric power.

mulch added to new planted tree

Once you have a perfect spot, dig a hole as deep as the root ball but three times wider. When the root ball is in the center, backfill the hole and press it down. You can then build up the soil to the root ball’s height and water deeply.

Then add a layer of mulch to help retain moisture and protect the roots.

The Soil Ph For These Trees

The Chinese Pistache tree is not fussy about the soil it grows. The only thing it is picky about is soggy soil. Hence, it is essential to provide your tree with well-drained soil.

The tree can tolerate alkaline soils to hot summers and is drought tolerant. So, your tree can survive in the sand to clay soils, but it helps to amend it with some organic matter to make it well-drained.

Light Requirements For Your Non-Fussy Tree

Pistache chinensis @flickr

When choosing a spot to plant your young tree, select one that can receive full sun. While the tree is not super fast-growing in the early years, you can notice delayed growth when it stands in a shady spot.

Watering Your Pistache Chinensis

The Chinese Pistache is ideal for growing with its drought tolerance for a xeriscape or water-wise garden. Yet, you will need to do deep watering for the first two years of planting.

To help retain the moisture, it helps to add a layer of mulch around the base, but it should not touch the trunk.

A good rule is to water young trees a gallon per inch of the trunk diameter measured at your chest height for the first two years. You can taper this off as your trees grow.

Temperature & Humidity

The Chinese Pistache prefers warm to arid climates similar to the American Southwest. The species is not cold hardy but can tolerate mild winters to light freezing.

Chinese Pistache temperature and humidity

If you do decide to plant them in freezing temperatures, it helps to provide them with a sheltered area away from winds. The USDA zones for growing Chinese Pistache are six through nine.

Fertilizing Your Pistacia Chinensis

Your Chinese Pistache is already a fast-growing species and does not need much feeding. But you can feed trees with lagging growth with a nitrogen-based fertilizer if needed. Still, we recommend testing the soil first to find the correct NPK formulation to help fix the problem.

Pruning Your Chinese Pistache

When your Chinese Pistache is young, you want proper branch spacing to develop with an even canopy when mature. Hence, pruning is essential throughout all the stages of its life cycle. Yet, early winter is the best time to prune, which helps them establish the umbrella-shaped canopy.

So, when you receive your small Chinese Pistache, you will need to train it and give it a make-over which will take a couple of years. The first thing you will do is select one branch to become the leader trunk and another one.

Then remove the rest, leave it to grow about 18 inches more, and remove the top section forcing the trunk to develop branches. Once it develops more branches pick two and repeat the processing unit. The crown forms a round shape.

Propagating Your Pistache Chinensis

As the Chinese Pistache looks fabulous in the landscape, you can always propagate them using softwood cuttings to have more. All you need is a sterilized sharp knife with a small pot and a soilless potting mix like sand, vermiculite, peat, and rooting hormone.

Then remove a piece of the soft green stem about six inches long below a joint point. The section needs to be taken where the leaves attach to a node. Next, remove the leaves on the lower part of the cutting.

Dep that end into the rooting hormone and tap off the excess powder. Make a hole in your potting mix using a pencil or your finger. Place the cut end about two inches deep into the hole and backfill it.

Water and allow the excess water to drain and cover your cutting to help retain moisture and place it in a bright, unfiltered sunlight spot. Keep inspecting your cutting daily and dampening as needed. The roots should be developed in about three months.

Another important note is to remove the cover daily for at least an hour to provide air circulation.

Pistache Chinensis Varieties

Chinese Pistache @flickr

You can find several cultivars of the Chinese Pistache to grow in your garden.

  • Sarah’s Radiance

The grafted cultivar also makes for an excellent shade tree with beautiful fall color.

  • Keith Davey

It is a fastgrowing tree without fruits and displays bright orange foliage in fall.

  • Pearl Street

It is also a seedless cultivar with an upright growth form and gorgeous colors and needs full sun to grow.

  • Pistacia vera

If you want to enjoy pistache nuts in your garden, add the Pistache to the mix with its beautiful colors.

Chinese Pistache Common Diseases & Pests

Luckily, the Chinese Pistache is relatively pest-resistant but not wholly disease free. It can get disease problems like Verticillium wilt. If your area harbors these plant diseases, consider another species, as there is no cure. The only prevention is to keep your garden tools clean using alcohol solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Chinese Pistache grows a deep root without spreading roots and can grow near foundations. But avoid planting them near power lines and utility lines.

In the first couple of years, the Chinese Pistache is slow at growing but once established; it can grow up to three feet per year.

The inflorescence of the male forms tight clustered branches while the female has loose open branches.

The important thing is to provide your Chinese Pistache tree with well-draining soil with sun and moderate watering. The Chinese Pistache is drought tolerant once established and only needs water when the soil is dry.

Yes, this species loses its foliage in winter and can be messy in the garden.

The Chinese Pistache you can find at local garden centers to retailers online. Yet, you need not go out to find one, as Plantly sells the cultivar right here.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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