[A Forest Tale] Matt S – Callitris Canyon

[Matt S]

Well this didn't go according to plan.

In the weeks that followed the initial planting I lost four of the trees, and a fifth is only just hanging on. I'm guessing it was due to me being too rough with the roots plus a timing issue, but whatever the reason I now have a slightly smaller forest. The remaining trees are now showing new growth with lots of shoots lower down the trunks, so that's a plus.

canyon 25Jul20.jpg

I left the dead trees in place and just broke them off above ground level, and I had a single leftover tree that I had planted in a small pot so that went in today to replace those that have gone top meet their makers. I may hunt down some more seeds <cough terryb> and plant a few more replacements directly into this forest, but we'll see how the trees look after some growth.

canyon 25Jul20 cleanup.jpg

The moss has grown well, so that's another plus. I'll start fertilising now but I won't even think of pruning until these survivors are growing strongly. My plan is to let the two main primary trees grow unheeded and lightly trim the others to keep them more restrained.

Matt.

[Ryceman3]

...I may hunt down some more seeds <cough terryb> and plant a few more replacements directly into this forest, but we'll see how the trees look after some growth.

That's a pretty cool concept, and probably something you wouldn't really consider unless you lost a few so sometimes interesting ideas come from unexpected events. Nice.
I'm sure terryb is up for it!

[terryb]

Interesting that the dead ones are on the edges. Did you have to remove more roots on these to get them into those locations? I have a couple that need to be repotted this year, so I'm going to be learning how much I can take off as well.

...I may hunt down some more seeds <cough terryb> and plant a few more replacements directly into this forest, but we'll see how the trees look after some growth.

That's a pretty cool concept, and probably something you wouldn't really consider unless you lost a few so sometimes interesting ideas come from unexpected events. Nice.
I'm sure terryb is up for it!

Might have to bring one of mine around for comparison. If they look the same, getting some more seed should be no problem.

[Matt S]

Interesting that the dead ones are on the edges. Did you have to remove more roots on these to get them into those locations?

That’s probably what happened. Squeezing them into the back corner meant more roots were removed.

I’m also thinking that having a few dead branches or some foliage on the ground makes sense, but I’m not sure how to do it without making it look like a model railway, if you know what I mean.

Matt.

[matlea]

So far with my limited experience is repotting gets easier once they develop a lot more fibrous roots. My early trials of lifting from the ground after ground growing or growing in a seed tray with roots escaping were a bit hit and miss.... more miss than hit. So far I have had better success growing in pots in a pumice and bark mix right from the start... more fibrous roots.

One thing that was interesting was a seedling I have going ( about 2cm high) that had its base eaten by a slug essentially cutting it at the soil level. With nothing to lose I stuck it back into the soil and it continues to grow even though it was cut in half. I assume this is a bit like the method of chopping black pine seedlings for better roots.
I haven’t tried to repeat this process but will do so when I plant some more seeds this year. I have been repotting after summer / early autumn when the plants have another push of growth and the temperatures are not too hot. I haven’t had good results with summer repotting as it appears they cannot get enough water to the foliage and the foliage dries out...or maybe that’s just me?!

Good luck with the forest!

[Matt S]

Thanks for your thoughts matlea. Not keeping the water up for the first few weeks may have been the issue. I’m still in the mindset of repotting exotics where I keep trees on the slightly drier side afterwards to encourage root growth.

Matt.

[matlea]

No probs. I've got a small one I've still got to lift from the ground so I'm going to try this in a couple of weeks and but it in a makeshift green house...plastic bag to keep humidity up. See how I go.
Keep the updates coming as I'm sure we are all keen to learn from your experiences.

[terryb]

So far with my limited experience is repotting gets easier once they develop a lot more fibrous roots. My early trials of lifting from the ground after ground growing or growing in a seed tray with roots escaping were a bit hit and miss.... more miss than hit. So far I have had better success growing in pots in a pumice and bark mix right from the start... more fibrous roots.

Hey Matlea or MattS, do you normally remove much foliage when repotting to balance the root removal?

[boom64]

Hi Matt ,bad luck about loosing some trees ,i can relate to this as one of my forests is now a small stand. Looks like you have plenty of branches to work with . Nice bonus . Cheers John.

[matlea]

Hi terryb,
The most recent repots were a couple of groups grown in pots- pumice mix. These are about 80cm high with the aim to keep growing on to thicken trunks and then chop them back.

I repotted these in mid March and didn't remove foliage but did remove about 1/4 to a 1/3 of roots. These were all the roots at the bottom of the pot. Didn't trim any of the upper roots. Trees are still alive.

All of the Callitris I have are grown from seed and still in development. Hopefully repotting gets easier in time for these!

I have tried removing foliage when lifting the ones from the ground but have had mixed results. These typically had fewer roots, particularly fewer fine feeder roots.

The next one I'm going to lift from the ground I will try chopping some foliage and put in a 'greenhouse' fingers crossed.

[MJL]

Thanks for the update Matt and sorry to hear you’ve lost a few trees. That said, I am enjoying the conversation that has ensued and I reckon that is part of the value of these comps - the group learning that takes place.
I am appreciating all the input, advice and ideas. Great stuff.


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[terryb]

...I may hunt down some more seeds <cough terryb> and plant a few more replacements directly into this forest, but we'll see how the trees look after some growth.

That's a pretty cool concept, and probably something you wouldn't really consider unless you lost a few so sometimes interesting ideas come from unexpected events. Nice.
I'm sure terryb is up for it!

Hey Matt S, got you a present.

20200913_190451.jpg

[Matt S]

I’m guessing they’re not fruchocs?

[terryb]

I’m guessing they’re not fruchocs?

No chance of getting them if they were

[MJL]

This competition continues to be instructive .... With a bit of googling - I just found out what FruChocs are! Perhaps they are a dessert to another south Australian delicacy, the pie floater.


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