Advice Requested - Sweetgum Happy Accident Yamadori

[DanaWhicker]

I was cutting grass along the back of my property today. There is a stream that runs through back there. I noticed a sweetgum tree leaning at a pretty severe angle. Wind must've tried to blow it over. I dug it up and put it in a rain collector. I had to trim the larger roots a bit to get it to fit in the rubbermaid container. I left as much of the original sand/mud on the roots as possible. I'm struggling with what to do next.

1. Leave it as is and in straight water for a bit, then transfer to a grow box?

2. Trunk chop it and put it in a grow box right away?

3. Wait until winter, chop and put it grow box.

4. Other suggestion?

 

[Gabler]

It's not still in the water is it? Pot it up and see what happens. Choose a soil that drains well. Sweetgum is pretty moisture tolerant, but it's still possible to drown the roots if they stay waterlogged too long.

Chop the top back to that first big leafy branch. If you cut it below active buds, it could die all the way back to the roots, since sweetgum can be finicky at collection.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Gosh, Sweetgums are pretty hardy, strong growers and the roots very strong, which indicates lots of storage throughout.

Given this, it might be worth chopping the tree and boxing. Can’t see keeping it like it is. Yet I’d protect it in the winter from freezing, given you have freezes up near the ocean.

Just my thoughts

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Gabler]

Gosh, Sweetgums are pretty hardy, strong growers and the roots very strong, which indicates lots of storage throughout.

Given this, it might be worth chopping the tree and boxing. Can’t see keeping it like it is. Yet I’d protect it in the winter from freezing, given you have freezes up near the ocean.

Just my thoughts

cheers
DSD sends

I've collected a handful of them, and I've had trouble with dieback when chopping trees below an active bud. I've also had trouble with larger trees, which seem to resent having their roots chopped to fit in a container. What's your trick for collecting big sweetgum?

 

[jradics]

I've collected a handful of them, and I've had trouble with dieback when chopping trees below an active bud. I've also had trouble with larger trees, which seem to resent having their roots chopped to fit in a container. What's your trick for collecting big sweetgum?

I collected about a dozen this weekend. All had very deep tap roots. We'll see how many wake up in the spring. Some had plentiful lateral roots near the surface, and will surely make it. Others had nothing but a deep straight root, I have less hope for these

 

[bonsailevel:master]

I've collected a handful of them, and I've had trouble with dieback when chopping trees below an active bud. I've also had trouble with larger trees, which seem to resent having their roots chopped to fit in a container. What's your trick for collecting big sweetgum?

Same here. Saplings do well, but the 2 bigger ones (3 inches in diameter) died. I've heard similar stories with larger gums.

 

[DanaWhicker]

Update - I chopped and potted this tree after leaving it in the water about a week. It has pushed out several new buds and is looking pretty happy. I'll get some pics put up this weekend..

It's late fall/early winter here now so I'm just worried about protecting it and seeing how it does in the spring.

 

[DanaWhicker]

 

[DanaWhicker]

I plan to grow and chop this tree for a few seasons - being patient with it. You can't tell because it's buried but it has some very nice nebari. Not much trunk movement I know but we'll see what I can do with it.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Keep cutting back until low branch grows then use as first trunk movement.

 

[Davidlpf]

I plan to grow and chop this tree for a few seasons - being patient with it. You can't tell because it's buried but it has some very nice nebari. Not much trunk movement I know but we'll see what I can do with it.

Maybe you could do an airlayer....or two

Cheers.

 

[Gabler]

Keep cutting back until low branch grows then use as first trunk movement.

Let it get established before chopping it again, or it'll die back to the roots and send out suckers.