Chinese pistache trees (Pistacia chinensis) bring a touch of New England to Sunset’s Climate Zones 7, 9 and 14 through 16 when fall arrives. During spring and summer, the 30- to 60-foot trees’ deep-green, compound leaves provide welcome shade in the hot, dry climates they love. Their autumn foliage illuminates landscapes with fiery shades of orange and red. Pollinated female Chinese pistaches produce brilliant-red fall berries in alternate years. Deepening to blue in winter, the bird-attracting fruit contrasts with the trees’ peeling, gray outer and salmon-pink inner barks. Only verticillium wilt and wet soils bother these pest-resistant trees.
Give Chinese pistache trees sunny locations with well-drained, fertile soil deep enough to accommodate their long taproots. Plant them at least 15 feet from nearby structures to allow for their spreading canopies. Good drainage outweighs soil pH; the trees perform well in acidic to slightly alkaline soils. If you're working with heavy clay, create raised beds 6 inches high and 4 feet across for your trees. Avoid any site with known verticillium wilt contamination.
Dig holes as deep as and three to five times as wide as your trees' root balls. Center each tree in its hole with its roots spread for maximum soil contact. Don't amend the soil; simply refill the holes, tamping the dirt gently with the back of the spade as you go to remove air pockets.
Water the trees thoroughly. Spread a 2- to 3-inch mulch layer around the base of each, keeping it away from the trunks to discourage insects, rodents and fungal infestation.
Water the trees twice a week for the next month. After that, check the soil weekly and water whenever the top 1 inch is dry, soaking the soil around mature trees to a depth of 30 inches. Over watering raises Chinese pistache's risk of verticillium wilt.
Feed trees younger than 5 years old spring and fall applications of nitrogen-based fertilizer supplemented with superphosphate only if they are growing less than 2 to 3 feet annually. Apply the nutrients according to the manufacturer's specifications.
Prune young Chinese pistache trees In January or February to establish their trademark, umbrella-shaped canopies. Prune the tops of 6-foot trees to force branch development. When branches emerge, choose one as each tree’s trunk, another as a branch and remove the remainder. Let the trunks grow another 3 feet and prune them to 2 feet above the original cuts, encouraging more branches. Repeat until the trees have symmetrical, well-spaced profiles.
Rake around your trees in late fall to remove leaf litter and prevent fallen berries from producing unwanted seedlings.
Things You Will Need
- Hose or other watering system
- Nitrogen-based fertilizer
- Super phosphate
- Pruning saw
- University of California Sonoma County Master Gardeners: Pistacia Chinensis
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Pistacia Chinensis: Chinese Pistache
- New Mexico State University Master Gardener Monthly Magazine Plant of the Month: Chinese Pistache
- University of California Integrated Pest Management Pests in Gardens and Landscapes: Verticillium Wilt—Verticillium Spp.
- University of California Integrated Pest Management Pests in Gardens and Landscapes: Water Managment
- New Mexico State University: Shade Trees for New Mexico
- Colorado Trees Tree of the Month: Chinese Pistache