Collecting Radiata

[jbaker]

Hi Guys,

Looking at collecting some roadside radiata pine in spring and was wondering if there are any useful tips to increase chances of them surviving.

Cheers Josh

[shibui]

This question usually gets a whole range of responses. Rather than wondering who is 'right' I take this diversity of opinion to mean that trees will survive many different transplant methods.

Here are my tips.
Get prepared: Digging tools depending on the soil you are digging in - crowbar, shovel. Pruning tools - secateurs, loppers, saw. Something to wrap/ cover the roots. have a range of suitable pots and potting mix on hand at home ready to pot up your finds.

On site:
Look at lots but only collect the best. It is amazing how good a tree can look in the field but when you get it home you'll wonder what you ever saw in it so take plenty of time looking and less digging.
Try to get some finer roots if you can but no need to go to extraordinary lengths to get them. All trees have the capacity to grow new roots.
Cut back the top to make it easier to dig, move and pot up. With evergreen trees and conifers in particular you need to remember that most don't bud well on bare wood so you do need to leave some branches with healthy foliage. There is an emerging trend that indicates that pines and junipers recover better with a little more foliage and growing tips than when you cut back to a minimum.
Cover the exposed roots while you transport the trees. Short term exposure to air and sun (an hour or 2? depending on conditions) will not hurt the roots but prolonged drying can damage chances for survival. I just wrap the roots in a bag or similar so the air doesn't dry them out too much while you get home.

I don't bother to try to retain field soil on the roots of collected trees. Field soil can be detrimental in pots so I feel that its best to get rid of most at the earliest opportunity. Just let it fall off as you dig the tree. There will still be plenty of fungi, etc attached to the roots for tree health.

At home: Check the roots and remove broken and damaged ones. Shorten them to fit into pots and put your trees into convenient pots with good potting mix. If you have a few trees to process, or if you can't pot them up immediately, you can submerge the roots in a container of water for up to a few days while you get organised.
Water thoroughly and place the trees in a sheltered area while they recover. Sunlight is important for trees so some light is important. Something like morning sun but afternoon shade and shelter from strong wind should be ideal.
Water as needed. Initially the trees won't be using much water so won't need as much as established trees but it will be important not to let them dry out completely. If you're using a free draining potting mix you can water more often without too much worry but if you have kept more field soil on the roots you should keep a closer eye on moisture content.

Enjoy the collecting experience Josh.

[Redsonic]

Shibui's advise is, as always, excellent and extensive. I have no wisdom to add, except that a search of Ausbonsai should reveal a few posts on this topic.
e.g. viewtopic.php?f=131&t=20579&hilit=collecting+radiata

I killed every pine I collected until I realised that they were all Slash Pine, not Radiata out my way. Slash Pine prefers a much moister situation

[dansai]

I have collected many youngish pines that I presume are radiata out of shaley clay soil by giving them a good yank. Only ever got a few ropey roots and no soil and all have survived. Tough little buggers.

[Matt S]

Hi Josh.

I've been on a few digs collecting Raidata and I'll add the following:

- I've had more success digging in late winter than spring. One year we had a hot spell 2 weeks after collection and I lost the lot.
- I don't take off too much foliage, just reducing the height to make it manageable. The tree will sort out how many needles it can support and drop what it doesn't need.
- The places I've been collecting produce mostly boring trees with very straight trunks and you need to spend a lot of time looking for anything decent. The best places to look were under trees and branches that had fallen and damaged the saplings underneath, causing them to produce some interesting shapes. Likewise around the edges of clearings was a good spot where the light can get to smaller trees. Young trees growing in the darkest spots grow very straight as they reach for the light.
- Young whippy trees can be bent into interesting literati styles if you're so inclined.
- Add some Sphagnum moss to the soil mix you transplant into, pines in particular seem to like it.
- After care is important. Keep the tree in a sheltered spot away from wind and mist daily if you're able.

Have fun and show us what you find!

Matt.

[shibui]

I second Matt's autumn collecting. Summer and autumn have worked well for me too but I have taken a few in winter which have also survived.
I also use Dansai's collecting method. In rocky soil they often come out ok just by pulling on the stem.

[jbaker]

Thanks for the advice guys will update how it goes. Cheers Josh

[longd_au]

My experience with Radiata is to dig them in summer when they are growing actively.
All the ones I dug in winter did not make it. I think it is because of the inactive period over winter and root rots.
All the ones from winter were pulled from the ground with most roots intact but had no soil on them.

My 2nd attempt was over summer and all survived. I even repotted one this year over summer it is still doing well.

[Lane]

I have collected quite a few of these, some in spring and some in Autumn, 4 survived and 1 died.

I always kept them on the dry side with just a very light watering once dry-ish.

[Charliegreen]

Potting media?

[Lane]

I use a mixture of Diatomite, river sand and pine bark fines.

They were in very sandy soil so I kept a lot of the mix they were transplanted from in tact and just added what was required.