AusBonsai

OK guys, time to open my soul and admit I can not collect this species!!! There I've done it. Every tree I have attempted to dig up has rewarded me by becoming a Bin a Tree and I sure would like to change that situation (even if there are thousands available for collection)

Now, I know a lot of guys on here collect these things and have success doing it. Can some (or all) of you please help an old codger out and use this thread to explain the hows, whys, wheres and whens of collecting please. As is normal, pic's will be greatly appreciated, if you have them.

Thank you in advance, Gentlemen (and Ladies, if you also want to share)

I've collected a couple using very specific techniques. I normally pull up in the side of the road, find a tree and pull it out. It then rests in my boot for a few hours until I'm home, potted into a grow box and watered along with the rest of my plants.


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I'm the same as Isitangus. I've only ever just grabbed them and pulled. There are heaps just down the road so I never worried if I lost them or not and so far I've had nearly full success rate. Mind you they are growing in shale and the tap roots grow horizontal rather than down. Most didn't even have much more roots than the main one and a few feeders. No special after treatment either. So either I've been lucky, or maybe your trying too hard!

It would depend on the age of the tree Graeme. Saplings..go with the above method, an aged tree would take preparation. I have collected in September, no success, october, no success, November is my next window when i would try.

Hi All

A few years ago, I collected 4 - 5 in winter, all didn't make it. The smallest one hung in there a bit but still didn't make it. All had full roots as they were growing in rich surface soil. I left them covered in a bucket of soil then repotted within 30 minutes.
The year after, I did it in summer. Some were poorly removed with ripped roots. All made it and still growing strong today.

All were just pulled right out of the ground but because of the previous experience, I potted them within 5 minutes.
Since then, I think the preferred time is summer and I've led to believe repotting radiata in winter is wrong. Not sure if this applies to all pine including blacks but I think it works better when they are actively growing.

I've collected 3 saplings, the first 2 in winter without soil (both perished within 3 months) then a third in spring with soil. Mixed the soil with my mix and it made it (at least until some young cattle broke out and ate the roots and bottom half of the trunk )

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Thanks for this post, folks. I am currently staring at a gorgeous but dead Radiata I failed to domesticate. The second one to die on me.
They were both collected late Winter and neither developed any new roots before carking it. This second one was collected and tended very carefully. It looks like Winter is NOT the time for these guys.

5 years ago I collect 6 trees from Mt Crawford (South Australia) each with a trunk diameter approx 100mm. All but one survived the process. What worked for me:

- Collected in September
- Dug out about a bucketful of soil with the rootball, although in each case there weren't many roots and I didn't expect any to survive.
- Collected some mycorrhizae from the area from under some pine needles.
- placed the whole lot in large pot for the journey home.
- Potted up later that day in an open mixture with the original soil and a lot of sphagnum moss mixed in. Sphagnum is supposed to help with transplanted pines.
- Placed in a sheltered spot and misted every day for about a month.
- Didn't touch the tree for 2 growing seasons. I heard from a lot of people who lost similar trees after pruning them within 2 years.

I sold all the trees other than the best two, and I only repotted into a standard pine mix back in April and they're doing really well. Last weekend our club had another dig at Mt Crawford so I have another tree settled into a pot. Hopefully another success.

Matt.

When I collect radiata pines from the roadside, I just grab then and pull them out bare rooted. I plant into sharp propagating mix and usually have a 50 % success rate of them surviving.

Ive found that the more foliage the tree has the better.
I always collect mid August and keep as much of the original soil
as possible around the roots. use a spade to cut around the tree and lift.
keeps the roots together and the soil is still moist enough to keep the roots cool.
keep it all together with a plastic bag and pot up in a good draining soil with the original soil.

I have also had very good success with collecting these -

Spade around the tree and then lift out trying to keep the rootball/soil together. Wrap in plastic or compost bag or even put into foam box onsite. Then once home place in shady spot and mist everyday - don't water roots if possible. I also managed to pot up into 100% inorganic substrate as the rootball fell apart and essentially bare-rooted itself.....this one survived too

As Matt has suggested don't do any work for first 2 years.

I did lose 2 from my first dig, but this was from working on them after about 12-18 months.

Good luck

I've not trimmed mine but have bent a couple quite hard with no negative effects. Most growth I've had has been juvenille so I've left it, even on the one I've bent the most. Hopping this year I get some good strong growth.

OK, thanks guys, this is building nicely here. Maybe Matt has answered my problem as I think I have pruned all my Radiata's (the old "reduce the foliage to reduce the stress" adage maybe. Problem with the summer digging lark is the ground is bloody hard up here during summer and there are also a LOT of snakes about at this time of the year . Might have to take a buddy along with me.

Another question about these things. Are you guys collecting the old style radiata, or the new ones being grown for timber?

radiata is still radiata. Whether it is a selected clone or 'old' style it is still the same species.
I think that nearly all the ones that are collected will be seedlings and, until recently, those will have come from older trees so less likely from the newly developed elite clones. Why do you think that would be an issue Graeme?