Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Can you post some links for all to see? Is this a species that is indigenous to Central Europe?
Manzanita Thread
- Thread starter Arcto
- Start date
Txhorticulture
Chumono
Arbutus are closely related called Madrones we have one here in texas arbutus xalapensis but it's notoriously difficult to cultivate or transplant
Arbutus unedo is commonly called strawberry tree. It's a Mediterranean Madrone.
Arbutus unedo is commonly called strawberry tree. It's a Mediterranean Madrone.
my nellie
Masterpiece
I have already posted the link on the bottom of my first post, Vance
Here it is again : http://www.animabonsai.com/?p=2846
And one more : http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3707-splitted-arbutus-unedo?highlight=arbutus+unedo
With spring, it's time to take stock of how my Manzanita took winter. I put all the California natives and half my A. columbiana into a greenhouse that was always kept at 30F or above. The remaining columbiana and all my collected A. patula were healed in with mulch under the bench. We had good snow depth early. It flirted with -20F a couple of times. All my plants outside came thru the winter ok. In the greenhouse, I had an infestation of greenhouse thrips. Here is the damage to my "white lanterns" cultivar. 
I hit the thrips 3 times with a 3 in 1 soap insecticide/fungicide that knocked them out. The plant is starting to push a lot of new buds now. It only lost a couple of twig tips.
One of my collected patulas. Not pushing buds yet, but locally, other than flowering, these break dormancy late. Remains to be seen if they are going to sulk this year.
How did others fare?
I hit the thrips 3 times with a 3 in 1 soap insecticide/fungicide that knocked them out. The plant is starting to push a lot of new buds now. It only lost a couple of twig tips.
One of my collected patulas. Not pushing buds yet, but locally, other than flowering, these break dormancy late. Remains to be seen if they are going to sulk this year.
How did others fare?
Here is the first of 2 collections I did recently. I found this Green Leaf Manzanita at an abandoned cinder pit last year. A collection of a Ponderosa Pine last year there was a near disaster because of the loose lava cinders all these plants are growing in. I changed the collection technique for this one. Hopefully it will be successful. The natural twisting of the trunk is the major draw of this bush. It's in its natural soil, just straight unsifted red lava.
The 2nd collection. This one was growing on an abandoned, overgrown forest service road. It appears to have been partially uprooted years ago. The plant recovered and continued to grow from the remaining imbedded roots. The 2 sideways jin in the 2nd pic were the original roots uprooted and dead. Note the difference in soil, leaf and trunk color from the previous posted bush. That one was exposed to sun and weather constantly near the top of a cinder cone. This one was understory in an open conifer forest.
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PiñonJ
Omono
Hey, Arcto, any guess as to species, and whether this would be a collectible location? (I know the latter is hard to judge from the photo). I love the bark color and the shari.
PiñonJ
Omono
Based on a quick search, a Wikipedia article suggests it may be Arctostaphylos pungens.
That's a real tough call to make from a photo. Especially as the base is hidden. It appears that the larger the plant, the more difficult to get a successful dig as these will send a few big roots some distance. I would scrape the surface material away by hand and feel for what roots you may have there. I've walked away from a lot of nice material simply
after doing that. Also I have had my best success after an extended period of rain. The ground is quite damp and the manzanita here will push out a lot of small feeder roots afterwards. Looks pretty dry in your photo. I have A. Patula, nevadensis, and kinikinick here. And they all hybridize. I can't key it out from your photo. Another posted here with success in your region due to the plants growing on bedrock a foot deep below the surface. I suppose you could carefully dig a test hole next to it and see what you find.
after doing that. Also I have had my best success after an extended period of rain. The ground is quite damp and the manzanita here will push out a lot of small feeder roots afterwards. Looks pretty dry in your photo. I have A. Patula, nevadensis, and kinikinick here. And they all hybridize. I can't key it out from your photo. Another posted here with success in your region due to the plants growing on bedrock a foot deep below the surface. I suppose you could carefully dig a test hole next to it and see what you find.
aml1014
Masterpiece
Atrox
Mame
As I have stated before I have the advantage of having regular access to my Manzanita patch. This one had all roots cut about 20" dia around as well as sharp shovel cut under at about 8" mid summer last. It has been watered since April and I plan to collect next week. The cut stub showing on the right is a stump well behind the tree.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
I have a question if you don't mind, I'm just trying to get things straight in my mind about a lot of things people take for granted. This tree looks like it is doing fine, and showing no ill effects that I can detect? However; you stated " This one had all roots cut about 20" dia around as well as sharp shovel cut under at about 8" mid summer last."
That sounds like something I would do. I know in the past from my exposure to Manzanita, when I lived in California, almost no one had luck digging them up with the exception of some of the very young ones. I have always felt that many times the statement that it can't be done is really saying it can't be done the way it has always been done.
The standard time line for transplanting or digging anything up has always been early Spring at or before bud break. You virtually did this in the middle of the Summer and it seems that has worked. I have harvested a good deal of criticism for doing root work, on Mugo Pines and other things, in the Summer from the many who claim I am doing this wrong. There is an issue that I think needs to be addressed: Maybe what we think--- and what we have been taught about this issue,--- is all wrong? Maybe what we think happens to the tree in the Spring when we repot/transplant is not what we think it is ---and the reactions to it are a misinterpretation of observations and outcomes. I don't claim to know anything but I do know what has worked for me in the hundreds has got to say something. I believe you have stumbled on something as well. Good luck when you finally remove it from the ground.
That sounds like something I would do. I know in the past from my exposure to Manzanita, when I lived in California, almost no one had luck digging them up with the exception of some of the very young ones. I have always felt that many times the statement that it can't be done is really saying it can't be done the way it has always been done.
The standard time line for transplanting or digging anything up has always been early Spring at or before bud break. You virtually did this in the middle of the Summer and it seems that has worked. I have harvested a good deal of criticism for doing root work, on Mugo Pines and other things, in the Summer from the many who claim I am doing this wrong. There is an issue that I think needs to be addressed: Maybe what we think--- and what we have been taught about this issue,--- is all wrong? Maybe what we think happens to the tree in the Spring when we repot/transplant is not what we think it is ---and the reactions to it are a misinterpretation of observations and outcomes. I don't claim to know anything but I do know what has worked for me in the hundreds has got to say something. I believe you have stumbled on something as well. Good luck when you finally remove it from the ground.
Atrox
Mame
This poor little bundle of sticks was 'bout yanked from the ground in last Aug while I was working on another root cutting project. "No Soldier Behind" put it in a box of 1/2 pumice 1/2 bark and a few days ago I noticed this.
I am lucky to have many many to choose from in my patch of 1' of topsoil over granite, so for 2 years I have tried most every schedule/technique. No failures yet hahaha The big one in the post above was actively growing, note the blossoms, when root work was done. Now this is at 6,800' and the patch only gets about 1/3 of a day direct sunlight. I have an even larger one I dug in early April this year after the same treatment last year. This one surprised me with very little roots on the bottom with a good amount of natural ground layer roots further up. When I left the cabin 2 weeks ago, planted in the pumice mix, it was still green but hadn't bloomed. The county road plow has pushed a large berm of gravel onto one border of the patch. They seem to ground layer very! easily.
Now all this is my results with this species in this particular dig spot, not to in any way imply other species or conditions might respond the same. The one in the photo Jay posted looks like it is one of those I mark "photo only" like most manzanita of this size--no way! If I find a super trunk like that one I will! set off on a multi year project of getting it out of the ground. I'm an old dude and hate to kill stuff older than I hahah. I will try and post results found in the next few weeks up at the cabin. We have a slooooow connection but I'll try.
Off the species subject but here is a multi year project that will start next week.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Pinion Pine? Good luck. Another of the Mountian trees I would like to get my hands on.
The collecting window is shutting down here. I found these a few days ago on a FS dirt road. They have been repeatedly driven over, crushed and beaten. They are doomed at some point either from being repeatedly run over or when the road is regraded. The challenge with these was that where they were in the center of the road. The soil was very compacted. I didn't notice as many fine roots as other collections. Their recovery and survival may not be as good. This first one is already a nice bunjin in the making.
The largest collected that day.
Quite a bit of deadwood here.
The largest collected that day.
Quite a bit of deadwood here.
Atrox
Mame
The "bundle of sticks" shown above really likes living down here in Tucson, also crazy fast growth on this other one moved down here.Just a quick update. Here are some Greenleaf Manzanitas that were collected last year. Pushing new growth and looking quite healthy. Had a hard freeze down to 25f late this June. They came thru like champs. Next spring I plan to get into the rootballs a bit if they look good. I may try a couple of different things and see how it turns out.
Spring update. Here is a closeup of a Hairy Manzanita showing the fine hairs on the twigs and leaves. These occur on the west side of the cascades. I greenhouse these in the winter because I'm not sure they are that cold hardy in this climate.
My native Greenleaf Manzanita stay out. After the deep snows were gone, I saw a lot of black fungal growth on the upper leaves. Noticed this in the wild populations here too. Lower leaves deeper under the snow were not affected. I put off root work this season to see how how they recovered. All my outside Manzanita pushed growth later than usual. But it's very strong. 
My road smashed collection from last year pushing new growth. 
My big uprooted Manzanita was hit hardest by the fungus, but is responding just as well. 
Closeup of the juniper like veining these plants have. 
No new collected ones this year.
My native Greenleaf Manzanita stay out. After the deep snows were gone, I saw a lot of black fungal growth on the upper leaves. Noticed this in the wild populations here too. Lower leaves deeper under the snow were not affected. I put off root work this season to see how how they recovered. All my outside Manzanita pushed growth later than usual. But it's very strong. My road smashed collection from last year pushing new growth. My big uprooted Manzanita was hit hardest by the fungus, but is responding just as well. Closeup of the juniper like veining these plants have. No new collected ones this year.I thought I would discuss backbudding in Manzanita. This is species dependent. If you have a species that doesn't backbud, you can kill a entire branch or trunk if you prune below living leaves. Here is a new bud on old wood on a Greenleaf Manzanita,
This Hairy Manzanita, a west of Cascades species does not back bud
Another Greenleaf that backbudded. You may recall my preaching once(twice) about what happens when Manzanita leaves are regularly watered. This bud got hit every time I watered the tree. It failed.
A Greenleaf in the landscape that was pruned to bare twigs and trunks by Mule Deer... twice. Because it's a backbudder, it is recovering well. A Hairy Manzanita would have died.
The first 2 years after collection, there was no backbudding happening. Now all my Greenleafs are doing it.
This Hairy Manzanita, a west of Cascades species does not back bud
Another Greenleaf that backbudded. You may recall my preaching once(twice) about what happens when Manzanita leaves are regularly watered. This bud got hit every time I watered the tree. It failed.
A Greenleaf in the landscape that was pruned to bare twigs and trunks by Mule Deer... twice. Because it's a backbudder, it is recovering well. A Hairy Manzanita would have died.
The first 2 years after collection, there was no backbudding happening. Now all my Greenleafs are doing it.
