How to Grow and Care for Chinese Pistache

Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is a much-forgotten, three-season tree that glows up into a stunner. It has striking dark green foliage, red fruit that turns a midnight blue, attractive exfoliating bark, and is resistant to pollution. Chinese pistache grows best in well-draining soil with full sunlight and a warm but dry climate. There's little downside to this tree other than it can take a little patience and care to come into its own.

Chinese Pistache Care

The Chinese pistache, for such a beautiful tree, is incredibly easy to care for. Most of its care is relatively straightforward and not unlike any other tree. Here are a few main points of care to remember.

• Plant in moist but well-draining soil.
• Prune correctly to produce beautiful form.
• Grow in a spot that receives full sunlight.
• Water routinely for the first two years.

Light

Planting your tree in a spot that receives full sun will ensure its at its healthiest and let it grow at a steady rate while producing an ample amount of its attractive fruit. You will notice a marked fall back in growth if it is planted in shadier conditions.

Soil

While the species is somewhat adaptable when it comes to soil conditions it will benefit from being planted in an area with good moisture content, rich in organics, and well-draining soil. It is very adaptable in regard to soil pH.

Water

Consider planting a Chinese pistache for a drought-tolerant and water-wise garden. It is highly drought tolerant and does not need supplemental watering past the point of establishment. Water regularly for the first two years and mulch around the base, but not touching the trunk. This will enable the tree to hold moisture longer between waterings. Water 1 gallon per inch of trunk diameter for the first two years and then let nature take over.

Temperature and Humidity

Hardiness to the warm dry weather is the much-appreciated trait of the Chinese pistache that allows it to be used in arid climates like the American Southwest with ease. Unfortunately, it is not incredibly cold hardy and will only tolerate mild winters and light freezing temperatures. If placed in the colder reaches of its habitable zones consider a sheltered area out of direct winds. Strictly adhering to the USDA zones of 6 through 9 is a good idea even in micro-climates with this species.

Fertilizer

Already a fast growing tree, you should not see much a need to give your tree fertilizer. If your Chinese pistache seems to be lagging a bit in its growth, first test the soil to determine what, if any, nutrient deficiencies are present in your soil and then apply a fertilizer with the proper NPK formulation to fix the issue.

Types of Chinese Pistache

While an excellent tree in its own right, the nursery trade has created several cultivars of Pistacia chinensis to highlight some of its already outstanding attributes. Here is a list of some of the more popular cultivars:

• Pistacia chinensis  'Sarah's Radiance' is a grafted cultivar that makes an excellent shade tree with astounding fall color.
• Pistacia chinensis 'Keith Davey' is a non-fruiting male cultivar of the species that exhibits insanely bright orange fall foliage.
• Pistacia chinensis 'Pearl Street' is a very fast-growing seedless variety with an upright form.

Pruning

When you purchase your tree from the nursery your plant most likely will not have the preparatory pruning required to establish aesthetically pleasing trunk and branch structure. That will be your job and you will see at first glance that the Chinese pistache looks a bit... gangly. You will need to train it and give it a make-over that will take a few years to come together, but it will be worth it.

On first inspection, you will notice your young tree will most likely be all trunk and few branches, and what branches there are they will be bunched together. You are going to work to develop a single trunk and multiple lateral branches.

Your first step is to pick one of the branches to be the trunk, another to be a branch and then remove the rest. Allow your awkward tree to grow up a bit about 18 inches or so and remove the top of the trunk forcing the trunk to develop more branches. Once another bunch has grown pick two and repeat in a circular fashion until you have the desired rounded crown.

Propagating Chinese Pistache

The easiest method of propagating Chinese pistache is by taking softwood cuttings.

You will need a sharp knife, rooting hormone, a small pot, a soilless potting mix (sand, peat, and vermiculite are a great mix), and some water.

1. Take a sharp knife and remove a piece of soft green stem approximately 4 to 6 inches long just below the point where leaves are attached to the node. Pinch off the leaves on the lower half of the cutting.
2. Dip the cut end of your cutting in the rooting compound. Tap off any extra, avoiding brushing off extra powder when the cutting is planted; make a hole in the potting mix with your finger or a pencil. Place the cutting two inches deep into the potting mix. Pack the potting mix firmly around the base of each cutting, ensuring there is no air between the stem and the mix. 
3. Water your cutting and let it drain. Cover the cutting to retain moisture and place it in bright light but indirect light. Inspect your cutting daily. Dampen the potting mix if it begins to dry. Roots should begin to develop in two to three months.
   

How to Grow Chinese Pistache from Seed

It is possible to grow a Chinese pistache tree from seed. Here's how:

1. Place Chinese pistachio seeds in an envelope with moistened peat moss in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for 45 days.
2. Fill a seed starting tray with 1:1 ratio of peat moss and vermiculite-water.
3. Plant seeds in the tray at a one-inch depth. Mist with a spray bottle to keep soil hydrated.
4. Transplant into a small container filled with equal parts potting soil, peat moss and sand.
5. Move into larger containers once roots have developed.
6. Harden off seedlings after a year of growth.
7. Transplant trees into permanent holes that are as deep as the tree's root ball and three times as wide.
8. Water routinely while they're establishing. Add a payer of mulch around the tree but not so close to the trunk that it touches.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Luckily the Chinese pistache is, for the most part, free from serious pests and disease. One disease that occasionally infects the tree is Verticillium wilt. If your area is known to harbor the fungus or you have had issues with it in your garden, you might consider another tree as there is no cure for this nasty disease, and prevention is the best course of action. You can help prevent it by properly cleaning your garden tools with Lysol, bleach, or alcohol solutions.