AusBonsai

What did the experienced people at the club you dug them with advise?

Ryan Neil states that after collection of pines leave as many needles as possible as they provide energy for development of new roots, the tree will not produce new growth until the roots can support the existing needles as well as any new growth.

I dug several pines in early December last year and another couple just recently and all are still very green and the December group are pushing out plenty of new growth.

One tree had the root ball greatly disturbed, the others did not, I also trimmed one tree (Contrary to Ryan Neil's advise) back as an experiment which has back budded vigorously as of a month ago, however this was a smaller specimen so is an exception rather than the rule.

I only lightly watered the needles and only let the run off from this moisten the soil.

They remained in full shade for two months and then were released into dappled shade and will only go out into the sun once Autumn is in full swing.

I believe the key is consistent after care which is very species specific, info on which is readily available on this site if you search through as many old threads as you can find, or start a new one.

Cheers everyone. Yeah i was advised to trim back growth to about a quarter and water daily. I didnt have them in shade which would probably been my issue. At least i got my ash i dug up sitting under the massive tree in my back yeard now

smashedlense wrote:Cheers everyone. Yeah i was advised to trim back growth to about a quarter and water daily. I didnt have them in shade which would probably been my issue. At least i got my ash i dug up sitting under the massive tree in my back yeard now

Not sure who advised to remove needles, but all other advise seems to say the opposite . Deciduous trees yes, conifers and pines no