Thread: реденькие

How do you translate the following paragraph? In particular what does реденькие mean?

Я шел по мягкой пыльной дороге, спускался в овраги, поднимался на пригорки, проходил реденькие сосновые борки с застоявшимся запахом смолы и земляники, снова выходил в поле... Никто не догонял меня, никто не попадался навстречу -- я был один в ночи.

Это уменьшительное от редкие.
Можно перевести как sparce.

I plugged this into an online translator and this is what came out.

I went on soft dusty road, went down in ravines, climed up the knolls, passed sparse pine borki with the stale smell of pitch and wild strawberry, again left on the floor... Nobody caught up with me, nobody came across towards - I was alone in the night.

I don't know what borki is.

бор - a pine forest
борок - a small pine forest (diminutive)
борки - small pine forests

That online translator disgraced itself

снова выходил в поле - again left on the floor

Nonsense. It should be
came out into the field again
or sth like that

So, what does the word реденькие mean here? Surely not"sparse"?

Originally Posted by DDT

So, what does the word реденькие mean here? Surely not"sparse"?

Why not?
реденькие сосновые борки = very small pine forests with a few rare trees

I see the rootword for "rare" in реденькие but реденькие looked like a noun to me. That's all!

"Реденький" is a diminutive from "редкий". Bisquit has already said it ("Это уменьшительное от редкие").
scarce, sparse, rare etc.