Digging Piñon Pine

[Hartinez]

making the piñon rain from the heavens!

 

[Hartinez]

The trees on this ridge are just bonkers. So gnarly, old and plain weather beaten.

 

[Hartinez]

Took my 1 year old pup Maximus, out with me and he was awesome to have up there. So chill and stuck right by my side the whole time.

 

[BonsaiManic]

That looks like the perfect day in the mountains! That's how I used to get the pecans out of our backyard tree. I guess we just have bigger nuts in the southern part of the state!

 

[NMbonsai]

Thanks for sharing those stunning photos and yamadori information. I have tried collecting pinon over the years, mostly in the East Mountains and Manzanos, with zero success. I went out in late February and March. the soil conditions were exactly as you described; so fine that it just fell away from the roots. I collected very little of the loose soil and tried to pack it around the bare roots when I put them in pure pumice and immobilized the trunks with wire. they made it through the spring and immediately died when our summer temps kicked in. Most of the bonsai community I know here in Albuquerque don't bother with pinons, preferring to work with ponderosas and Japanese Black pines, which do surprisingly well here. I have had success collecting Bigtooth maples and New Mexico olive/privet. I have left them in the pumice for going on three years now to make sure they have a strong enough root system to survive going from a training basket into a bonsai pot.

 

[jevanlewis]

But I also had a great time harvesting piñon seeds for eating. It’s a big time tradition here and northern NM is seeing a very bountiful crop this year. Roasted, salted and ready to snack!

Pinyon seeds are one of my favorite snacks. Growing up, I would look forward to eating them every fall at my grandparents’. As an adult, I would buy 12 pounds every year until the last few years, when the price has been really high.

 

[Hartinez]

Thanks for sharing those stunning photos and yamadori information. I have tried collecting pinon over the years, mostly in the East Mountains and Manzanos, with zero success. I went out in late February and March. the soil conditions were exactly as you described; so fine that it just fell away from the roots. I collected very little of the loose soil and tried to pack it around the bare roots when I put them in pure pumice and immobilized the trunks with wire. they made it through the spring and immediately died when our summer temps kicked in. Most of the bonsai community I know here in Albuquerque don't bother with pinons, preferring to work with ponderosas and Japanese Black pines, which do surprisingly well here. I have had success collecting Bigtooth maples and New Mexico olive/privet. I have left them in the pumice for going on three years now to make sure they have a strong enough root system to survive going from a training basket into a bonsai pot.

Very much my experience as well early on. The dirt conditions they are growing in is crucial and the time taken to extract an intact ball even more so. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour plus, to slowly pull away rocks and other debris and carefully sever any small roots and ultimately the feeder root. I will know so so much more next spring/summer with these trees and the process of collecting piñon!

 

[clem]

hello, thanks for sharing those amazing pics
Was it a bear that made these holes?

 

[Hartinez]

hello, thanks for sharing those amazing pics
Was it a bear that made these holes?
View attachment 569062

I’m pretty sure these are just from a bark beetle that have slowly weathered and gotten bigger over time.

 

[BonsaiManic]

It's that stinkin' bark beetle that's decimating our Piñon population! Is there a large-scale solution for this epidemic?

 

[ShadyStump]

It's that stinkin' bark beetle that's decimating our Piñon population! Is there a large-scale solution for this epidemic?

I've not heard anything around here, and they're a big issue.
They usually just cut them where they can. I guess the bark beetles don't thrive so well when the trees are dying. There are places where it looks almost like the area has been clear cut, but all the trees just left behind on the ground. Mostly that's in the higher altitudes, spruce and fir and other valuable timber species. If it's not commercially important it doesn't get much attention, so we're seeing swaths of beetle killed piñons in places. Thank God it's mostly the older ones, though. Young trees seem to be popping up like crazy, and aren't targeted by the beetles until they're more mature. Should mean that they'll mostly eat themselves out of house and home inside of 100 years, and new trees take over.
Seems about right. I've read they tend to spike in 25 to 50 year cycles, and we're just in the middle of it right now.

 

[Hartinez]

It's that stinkin' bark beetle that's decimating our Piñon population! Is there a large-scale solution for this epidemic?

It’s not been much of a problem of late in this area. The trees that were affected died years ago. Everything else has just been massively beaten on the west facing slope from, wind, rain, snow, etc. massive difference from those on the west slope compared to the north slope trees that are mostly straight as an arrow.

 

[Dabbler]

Wow those are some crazy tree's! Good luck and congrats

 

[Hartinez]

Wow those are some crazy tree's! Good luck and congrats

Thanks Dabbler. I’m nervously excited. While I’ve had great success with lesser trees, I really don’t want to lose any of these. Percentages tell me a few won’t make it, but I have felt good about what I’ve dug so far!

 

[Ruddigger]

Looks like you found some good ones! What’s the weather like out there? Its still about 100 out here, way too hot for collecting.

 

[Hartinez]

Looks like you found some good ones! What’s the weather like out there? Its still about 100 out here, way too hot for collecting.

Dayum Rudd. In Abq. We’re are mid to high 80s and 50s at night. In the area these come from. It’s a few degrees cooler.

 

[Hartinez]

Looks like you found some good ones! What’s the weather like out there? Its still about 100 out here, way too hot for collecting.

The tree I dug Monday had the smallest tap
Root and more feeder roots than I’ve ever seen on piñon. I’m really feeling like I’ve unlocked some cheat codes on the piñon that are coming from this area. But we’ll see!!!

 

[Kyleboldy2003]

can I ask you what your after care is like?

 

[Hartinez]

can I ask you what your after care is like?

Nothing fancy. Just keeping the foliage misted, and pumice moist. Keeping the tree perfectly still for hard winds by securing to the boxes is also key