Five Year Native Tree Challenge: parvae_arbores's Pinus Rigida (Pitch Pine)

[parvae_arbores]

I hate to disagree with the Leo, but the photos I see have pretty good bark and, even though I don't know anything about the species, I think it will take forever to fatten up significantly. That is even saying nothing about the lack of branches for an upright. For all those reasons I like the Literati option. I suspect that the top (wherever that winds up to be) can be torchered in several stages to get to a Literati. I don't like leaning trees either, so I suspect that the planting angle is un-discernible until such time as the top (of a Literati) is established. So there, the other side of the coin, for what it's worth.

The good thing is the tree is very healthy and back budding 150% more foliar mass this season. I have time to decide and I plan to prune this thing almost like a deciduous tree given it's growing pattern for this season and next before I style it to see what nature provides.

 

[Fi5ch]

Has anybody successfully performed large trunk chops on pitch pine?

 

[parvae_arbores]

Has anybody successfully performed large trunk chops on pitch pine?

I dug this one up this year, it completely died back and I am thinking about chopping it. You can see from the photos that it is sprouting from the base vigorously. I was also thinking I could make something cool by keeping the dead trunk and playing with the live trunk I need to regrow next to it.

 

[parvae_arbores]

I dug this one up this year, it completely died back and I am thinking about chopping it. You can see from the photos that it is sprouting from the base vigorously. I was also thinking I could make something cool by keeping the dead trunk and playing with the live trunk I need to regrow next to it.

Update here, this one died . But the tree in the contest is alive and kicking. Will post pictures this year of the growth from last year.

 

[Fi5ch]

I just got permission to dig some pitch pines in southern NJ, near Cape May. I'm thinking late March would be a good time to this, or should I wait until mid-April?

 

[parvae_arbores]

I just got permission to dig some pitch pines in southern NJ, near Cape May. I'm thinking late March would be a good time to this, or should I wait until mid-April?

According to the Nick Lenz: "Pitch Pine can be collected at any time; their foliage is not soft. Thus early spring, late summer, and fall are equally appropriate. In the most severe environments, they can be collected when the new growth is soft, but softness is but a relative term in these desiccating and windswept locations."

I enjoy digging when its relatively cool out and the soil is wetter since its easier to get deeper so March sounds good. I was planning to scout some new locations on the route 18 corridor by the walmart this weekend for digging next weekend.
As for Cape May: If they are growing in sand you need to dig REALLY DEEP to get to feeder roots that will help them survive if you are digging anything older than seedlings. I will not lie I have had a 0% success rate with sand grown pitch so far and the only ones that survive are growing in rocky soil where where I could get feeders.

This year to get my new projects to survive I am going to:
1. Fill pot with coarse soil around original soil (no bare rooting)
2. Dig much deeper to try to get feeder roots
3. Tony Tickle cheap trashbag trick
4. Pray


Let me know how your digs go!

 

[Fi5ch]

Unfortunately these are in pure sand so I will dig deep (2 feet?) and wide, build some grow boxes, and pray. I try to keep as much soil as possible, but being sand almost all of it falls off.

Last year I dug 3 (shallow) PPs and replanted them in sand but I don't think I gave them enough sun, and each died after looking healthy for 6+ months. This time I will test different combinations of topsoil, pumice, and traditional bonsai mixes. I will update with pics after I collect them.

 

[parvae_arbores]

Unfortunately these are in pure sand so I will dig deep (2 feet?) and wide, build some grow boxes, and pray. I try to keep as much soil as possible, but being sand almost all of it falls off.

Last year I dug 3 (shallow) PPs and replanted them in sand but I don't think I gave them enough sun, and each died after looking healthy for 6+ months. This time I will test different combinations of topsoil, pumice, and traditional bonsai mixes. I will update with pics after I collect them.

One of these days someone will offer to take me collecting in a spot where they grow in mats on rock pockets, or I will have enough time away from kids/job/life to go find that spot myself. Good luck with your dig.

 

[Fi5ch]

Collected this today for practice and as expected it was in pure sand and I wasn't able to get many roots. It got it into a pond basket within 30 minutes so maybe there's hope.

 

[Fi5ch]

3 more Pitch Pine collected today in southern NJ

 

[parvae_arbores]

3 more Pitch Pine collected today in southern NJ

Fingers crossed they live. Was going to go to my honey hole on Friday morning and see what happens.

 

[parvae_arbores]

3 more Pitch Pine collected today in southern NJ

How are the ones from last year doing?

 

[Bonds Guy]

Collected this today for practice and as expected it was in pure sand and I wasn't able to get many roots. It got it into a pond basket within 30 minutes so maybe there's hope.

An alternative to digging them up right away is to dig a trench around it then refill the trench with the soil removed. This severs the thick roots and force them to grow feeders at the area of the cut — maybe even some from the base. Allow the tree to grow for a season or 2 since Pines dont grow roots as fast and voilà feeders near the trunk

 

[Fi5ch]

I tried the trenching method on one last fall and it is clearly less healthy than it was, showing yellowish needles and no new growth. I will keep an eye on it and let it regain its health before collecting it in a year or so.

 

[Fi5ch]

How are the ones from last year doing?

I don't think I gave them enough sun, and each died after looking healthy for the initial 6 months.

 

[parvae_arbores]

Ok so here is the actual tree from this thread. As you can see last year from being in a deeper pot is has doubled trunk size, barked up nicely and put on about 100% more growth. This year I am still trying to decide if I grow it again in this pot with heavy fertilizer or I start styling the bottom of the tree while keeping the apex now as a sacrifice. Thoughts?

 

[Fi5ch]

The tree looks healthy enough to start styling, and you have some nice movement in the first 12" which is rare in these. In what kind of soil has it been potted since collection?

 

[parvae_arbores]

The tree looks healthy enough to start styling, and you have some nice movement in the first 12" which is rare in these. In what kind of soil has it been potted since collection?

Miracle grow container planting soil. I was planning to repot next year into lava, pumice and akadama.

 

[parvae_arbores]

Just thought I would post an update, tree is really happy now and candling like crazy. Here is a view from a couple different angles. I have candled it this year to see how it responds, and done some minor thinning of needles and branches that are coming out of the same part in the trunk. In the fall I am going to top it about 1/3 and do some actual branch selection and wiring to start shaping it. For now hoping for some vigorous back budding.

 

[Fi5ch]

Nice looking tree and congrats on keeping it alive. All three I collected in Feb with 1"+ trunks have died after looking healthy until late May. I was so careful to get more roots from the sandy soil this time, but I'm about ready to give up collecting any large PP. I'll try one last time with some 1/2" material this fall, but it seems like a waste of time given my success collecting other conifer species.