My first American Hornbeam

[M. Frary]

Just collected this hornbeam about 2 hours ago. Just bored ,needed some tree action. These are also all over. I actually have some more to get but I still have time.
I like collecting decidious trees for the simple reason you can bare root, cut roots and just brutalized them in general. The other thing I've learned is not all decidious trees will bud out of the top cut. An elm can be cut down to the height you need it. They come out of the cut without fail. Hawthorns maybe 50% of the time. Maples and hornbeams should he collected tall then cut back to the branches that grow the first year.
First pics are of the tree before I cut the roots back. Second set are after cutting them back.

 

[M. Frary]

In its new home for a year. These collanders I use are 12". That should help for size references.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Good trunk wiggle. Are you planning on cutting it down a little further once the branches grow out?

A friend of mine has collected hornbeams the last couple years from a spot that he had to give up this year. I found some while I was mushroom hunting today. They had already budded out though. Plus it was an area I'd have trouble getting permission to collect on.

 

[SimonDuval]

I know you probably have a lot of experience with collecting, but if I could give you a trick, try to plan deeper in the colander. You will find that you can get a lot of roots production from the nebari itself, and those big lateral roots too. If the nebari is exposed, or covered by a minimal layer of soil, new fibrous roots will dry. I usually like to plant collected hornbeams with at least an inch of soil over the nebari, then two years after when I do my first root work, I can decide wether or not I want to bring it up more or not.

 

[M. Frary]

Good trunk wiggle. Are you planning on cutting it down a little further once the branches grow out?

A friend of mine has collected hornbeams the last couple years from a spot that he had to give up this year. I found some while I was mushroom hunting today. They had already budded out though. Plus it was an area I'd have trouble getting permission to collect on.

Oh yeah. A lot shorter.

 

[M. Frary]

I know you probably have a lot of experience with collecting, but if I could give you a trick, try to plan deeper in the colander. You will find that you can get a lot of roots production from the nebari itself, and those big lateral roots too. If the nebari is exposed, or covered by a minimal layer of soil, new fibrous roots will dry. I usually like to plant collected hornbeams with at least an inch of soil over the nebari, then two years after when I do my first root work, I can decide wether or not I want to bring it up more or not.

Moss on it does the same for me. It gets the moss tomorrow.

 

[discusmike]

Nice trunk line,muscles growing!!

 

[SimonDuval]

Moss on it does the same for me. It gets the moss tomorrow.

But moss interferes with the control you want to have on your watering. They need water but also lots of oxygen and a bit of dryness in order to produce lots of roots. I've tried moss but always preferred to have a visual on the soil at all time. Anyway, good luck!

 

[Giga]

I meant to get one this year but totally missed my opportunity this year so I'll have to wait till next. Yours look like a nice find though!

 

[M. Frary]

But moss interferes with the control you want to have on your watering. They need water but also lots of oxygen and a bit of dryness in order to produce lots of roots. I've tried moss but always preferred to have a visual on the soil at all time. Anyway, good luck!

Oh ,I control the watering just fine. Every day. Rain or shine. I collected a hops hornbeam last year and treated it the same way. They like it a little drier than these. It grew good and is doing fine. It's collander btoke this spring when I moved it. It has filled the container already. The roots get their oxygen through the watering. When you pump water through you also pump air in.

 

[M. Frary]

Good trunk wiggle. Are you planning on cutting it down a little further once the branches grow out?

A friend of mine has collected hornbeams the last couple years from a spot that he had to give up this year. I found some while I was mushroom hunting today. They had already budded out though. Plus it was an area I'd have trouble getting permission to collect on.

Yep. Sometimes getting a bud to pop out at the top of a cut doesn't happen. So I cut it way tall. Ideally I would have cut it off just above the bend.

 

[Cypress187]

I love hornbeams, collected about 10 of them last year (pal of mine wanted to pave his lawn to park his car ) and they are doing great. I like the natural non-straightness most of them grow.

 

[Waltron]

M Frary, would you care to take a moment to speak on what you plan to do differently than what you did here, if anything, this year with hopes of better hornbeam collection results? How did this one ever turn out? do you ever soak in superthrive? do you use just napa and grit? ever add bark, clay oil dry, pumice or lava rock to your mix?

 

[M. Frary]

Never seen superthrive. Probably wouldn't use any after reading all of the rave reviews here.
Just DE and grit,no organics ever if I can help it. I pre chopped some in the ground last spring when I collected these. I just checked them recently and they sprouted up the trunk. Perfect. A couple of brutes. I'm going to leave them another year and then collect them.
I try to have a fall back plan when all else fails. I've been working with trees all of my life. Mainly killing them but for 3 years I worked at a landscape nursery. I know trees.

 

[Waltron]

ah ok, damn I should have done some chops on the ones im prospecting. I've done some pre work, mostly root work though I didn't chop any like I should have. whats the knock on superthrive? I just mix a bucket with water and let the tree sit in it while im prepping my container and then water in with it. Had great success with it, the only tree that didn't really work out was my hornbeam, and even it didn't die.

i did a severe trunk and taproot chop on a crab apple that bounced back pretty well, not to say that it was the superthrive, but I didn't have high hopes for this one, but it worked out.

 

[M. Frary]

It's an apple. Almost as tough as elms.
Search superthrive here and find out for yourself. Lot of good reading. Members used be more brutal to each other here.
I would be more apt to soak them in a concentration of miracle gro.

 

[Waltron]

ok I'll have to read up. everything I've read elsewhere seems to be positive, and that peter adams book on maples refers to vitamin b pretty regularly. while I have your attention, have you ever collected an oak in Michigan?

 

[M. Frary]

ok I'll have to read up. everything I've read elsewhere seems to be positive, and that peter adams book on maples refers to vitamin b pretty regularly. while I have your attention, have you ever collected an oak in Michigan?

We only have 2. Red and white. Reds are junk. Whites grow way too slow. Both have long internodes and petioles.
I also don't collect red maples for the same reason. Eastern White pine is out too. Because of needle length.

 

[aml1014]

ah ok, damn I should have done some chops on the ones im prospecting. I've done some pre work, mostly root work though I didn't chop any like I should have. whats the knock on superthrive? I just mix a bucket with water and let the tree sit in it while im prepping my container and then water in with it. Had great success with it, the only tree that didn't really work out was my hornbeam, and even it didn't die.

i did a severe trunk and taproot chop on a crab apple that bounced back pretty well, not to say that it was the superthrive, but I didn't have high hopes for this one, but it worked out.

I work at a landscape nursery and when we have people bring back completely dry and withered trees that should die, we soak them in superthrive until they bud out, which they always do. I've also had 100% success on out of season collections when I soak them in super thrive for about 2 days then treat them as I would any other one of my trees. I can't scientifically proven its the superthrive but I would use it everyday if I could afford it just off my experience plants that get it are much happier then those that don't. To each their own I guess though just gotta figure out what works for you.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

In its new home for a year. These collanders I use are 12". That should help for size references.

How's this one progressing? Very interested to find out where these can be in 3 years.