Wild Collecting 102

rowan57

Personally i would not have collected this stock, for this reason:
The branches are an awful long way up the trunk, and although this can be remediated quite easily in some trees it is more difficult in pines. I do understand that it can be done, over time by either reducing the candles and incuding backbudding or simply by styling the branch structure as such that it is brough closer to the trunk. However, and i do have SOME (Read, not loads but have collected a few bits and bobs) experience in this area, if collecting from the wild i feel that i only wish to collect trees, hmm having difficulty in thinking how to put it, that have a potential that is obvious to me, i only want to collect trees from the wild that i can see are going to be something special. However, i do understand that this depends on the person digging the tree up.
Perhaps in 3D i could see good potential for this tree, but im afraid that in 2D i cant.
Hope i have explained myself well enough, i think it came out a bit confused
Regards
Rowan

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Will_Heath

Understood, thanks for sharing your thoughts with me on this.

I collected this tree because of A few reasons:

1) The trunk

2) Practice for bigger and much better trees of the same species I have marked in my GPS. These trees are in the three year stage of collection and will be lifted next spring if all goes well with these few smaller ones I collected. I think just digging up a massive trunk without prior experience would be foolhardy.

3) I see a tree in there, only time will tell though.

Please remember that I collect these off of my own property and I replace all collected trees with new trees.

I also have very good luck getting pines to back bud, this is no longer a concern for me.

Could you share some of your collected trees here so everyone can get an idea of the differences?

Thanks,

Will

rowan57

Will, like i said i do not have much experience collecting from the wild as the conditions here are unlikely to warrant collecting, in my post i included a caveat emptor(right phrase i think) in that i said "if collecting from the wild..." i do understand why you collected the tree, i do like the trunk but feel that with my lack of experience in this department i would not pick it as a choice, in 3d you never know though
I do have one ash that i collected in the wild due to its perfect nebari and reasonably tapered trunk, i will try and get a decent photo of it at some point, its still in a nursery pot at 1 year collected + about 5 years old.

Regards
Rowan

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

Will_Heath

Rowan,

I look forward to seeing it!


Will

rowan57

Will, sorry have not had time to get a photo, am very busy atm with college n work.

Cheers
Rowan

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

SierraBonsai

I have placed freshly collected ponderosa pines and numerous other collected material in direct sunlight from 7am-2pm and started feeding from the minute they are potted. I have had no ill effects either. I would have to agree with Will Heath, this darkness ethiopian feeding regimen was and always been a waste of time for my trees. Thanks for clarifying this Will.

Will_Heath

A recent question in a private message led me to post the way I actually use a shovel when collecting from the wild or in an urban environment.

I never actually angle my shovel tip toward the trunk of a tree as I would do if I was "spading" a tree for collection. If I am actually lifting the tree that day I dig a trench completely around it and then undercut the root ball. This leads to much better results. A four inch wide spade works great for this and leaves enough room for my battery operated saws-all to cut the roots.

I hope my rough drawing below will help.



Will

Attached Images

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TreeBay

Will, I think you're in pretty good shape if you can use a shovel at all. Out here it seems like I use method #2 but it's done with a pick or a mattock

Regards,

Matt

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Will_Heath

Matt,

I've heard about the rock you call soil out there and I do not envy your situation. Collecting must be very tough for you.

So you do trench around the tree but have to pick your way down, I guess that rules out option one completely. How do you spade a tree for future collection?


Will