AusBonsai

hi guys,

could possibly be digging some radiata tommorrow, and apparently they are in a LOT of sand.

Does anyone see any probleme in barerooting at collection time, or should i let it establish for a year and then bareroot it to get rid of the sand?

as far as I am aware, barerooting pines is a very bad idea? good luck with the collection, have my eye on some myself

Well this has been discussed at length in the past on this forum. I have collected hundreds of radiata pines ( my speciality ) from paddocks and the side of the road. The best way is to dig them out with a shovel, but I have also just pulled them out of the ground bare rooted, wrapped the roots in a wet rag until back at home and then potted into sharp sand/ sphagnum mix. My theory which works for me is if you collect a dozen trees and a third survive then its worthwhile.

I know some of you purists are horrified at the way I collect pines, but they can survive with good after care.

Really its all about post care. If you can get it home and soak it in a water and seasol bath over night and then pot the next day it should be OK. Of course there are no guarantees but it is the best bet.
Good luck.

You can bare root pines, but it is not advisable if you have just collected them.

You should always retain as much original soil as possible when collecting. I learnt the hard way and lost a great radiata with heaps of potential by being sloppy when collecting. Sandy soil is good especially if it has been wet recently as it is easy to dig, Try and dig up as much of the root ball as possible and wrap in plastic misting the needles regularly. The advice I got from the "pine guru" at my club was to not disturb the rootball, and to pot up in a large container with diatomite or similar around it. Don't water the rootball (I watered once with seasol though) for around 4-6 weeks as this will encourage the roots to extend into the daitomite surrounding the root ball in search of water. You should also keep it in the shade until at least March next year, misting the needles 2-3 times a day for the next 6 weeks. It was recommended to not do any work for a year as pines need time to adjust and regain vigor from the shock of transplant and relocation into potted culture.

Obviously aftercare will differ depending on your location, but some guys at my club have been going on radiata digs for around 8 years trying different methods, and the above method has the best success rate. At the end of the day it is up to you. But can I recommend you ask some local club members about their experiences?

Heres some reading on the subject

viewtopic.php?f=131&t=9543&hilit=+crawford
viewtopic.php?f=104&t=12257&hilit=+crawford
viewtopic.php?f=131&t=11246&hilit=+crawford
viewtopic.php?f=131&t=11387&hilit=+crawford

Brian wrote:Well this has been discussed at length in the past on this forum. I have collected hundreds of radiata pines ( my speciality ) from paddocks and the side of the road. The best way is to dig them out with a shovel, but I have also just pulled them out of the ground bare rooted, wrapped the roots in a wet rag until back at home and then potted into sharp sand/ sphagnum mix. My theory which works for me is if you collect a dozen trees and a third survive then its worthwhile.

I know some of you purists are horrified at the way I collect pines, but they can survive with good after care.

I am not wanting to start a debate, but wouldn't you be better off collecting only those you need and work out what is the best technique for survival? It seems unfair to both the trees and other bonsai artists for years to come to just dig trees up willy nilly and hoping for the best?

http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATcoll ... 20Pall.htm

Walter Pall says -

If you find several suitable trees, but are unsure if they will survive, it is best to take only one in order to gain experience and to be able to collect the others later on.

I have collected Radiata ? in sandy soil near Gosford with success.
The Sand tends to just fall off the roots if Dry but still try to disturb as little as you can.
Wrap up and then pot up when home.

Ken

Keep in mind the symbiotic relationship that pines have with fungus micorriza. When you bare root the tree much of this is lost.

Hackimoto wrote:Keep in mind the symbiotic relationship that pines have with fungus micorriza. When you bare root the tree much of this is lost.

Wow solid piece of advice right there. Thanks Hackimoto.

I've collected a fair few and only lost a couple, and around here it's all sand.
My method is to collect on a overcast day, better after rain or is raining, (the only reason is so the tree won't dry out and has taken on some water already, not a necesary though) I take a plastic shopping bag per tree I would like to collect, I spade around the tree and try to get the whole lot in the bag (about one full spade) as I said before it's all sand so it will just fall away, the reason I do this is to be gentle with the fine roots, when I get home I bare root and remove what roots I don't want and clean cut the rest I also ad about 1/3 of the original soil in my new mix, try for as much fungus as possible from the original soil in the bag, after it is potted I water, this helps to settle the soil, I then leave in shade for a few weeks.
That's it, radiata are weeds so dig as many as you like.

Mick