Need Collected Tree Root Care And Survival Help

LivingArt

I noticed down here in Florida a lot of plants grow in sand and don't get very many fine roots. Mostly just a big taproot and a couple of other chunky roots. What I’m wondering is how to aid the plant in producing fine roots, how much I should water a newly excavated plant, and anything else to help it survive? I rarely take plants from the wild so excuse my large ignorance on the subject. I just had to have this plant. It’s a deciduous tree but I’m not sure on the species. I think it might be a serissa.
Thanks for any help
LA

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Whimsical

Living Art,
In my opinion, the best way you could collect around here in the sand flats you are speaking of, is to use a long nosed shovel and a back saw to chop a circle around the tree one year. Then collect it the next year.

The places you are likely to find the best trees here are on the mainland in to the western area of Lake Washington and past that. The ground is swamp bottom and very fertile. You can find elms, maples, pines, cypress, oaks, liquidambar, and such in these areas.

You should post a pic of the tree.

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Walter_Pall

LA,

here is a picture of the root sytem of a pine in the Alps. This is not just a drawing, it comes from sophisticated scientific research.
It shows clearly that our general notions about root systems are WRONG.
The general advice is: 'cut a circle around the trunk with a diameter of about six times or more of the trunk diameter. Then try to keep as many fine roots as possible.'
If you do this with the pine I wish you good luck. You can clearly see that you would end up only getting arond 5 percent of the root system.
Bad news for Florida: in sand this gets much much worse. This is the reason why sand pines almost never survive.

So why do we keep some of the collected trees alive? Well, some species, especially deciduous broad leaved trees can handle loosing 95 percent of their root system.
We do find trees in spaces where we actually get a great part of their roots. When they grow in pockets or when they grow in bogs where they just cannot develop tap roots.

best regards
Walter Pall

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fkokkas

WOW! that's amazing !
I've never seen a root system like that !

Fanis

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LivingArt

whimsical and Walter.
Thanks again
LA

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RonMartin(deceased)

Actually if the cuts are properly made and the tree is left in the ground for the proper amount of time before the tap root is cut most trees will survive the operation.
See attached picture and you will se that not as much total roots are cut as one would think.
Problem comes when one makes the original cuts then rips the tree out of the ground before new feeder roots form. This does take a bit of time. Usually a season or two.
A bit of patience here will work.

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Mittar

Wow, I can't get over how cool that drawing is. Thanks walter, and thanks Ron for the tip and illustration. very helpful.

LivingArt

thanks ron.

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Walter_Pall

Mugo pine in the Alps

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