Thanks. I'm hoping I can get enough of the root ball this spring that I don't kill it. The tree has been replanted once, so the root ball should be relatively compact, but you can never know until you get in there, and pines really hate having their roots chopped back too hard. I'll defininitely need to use an oversized temporary pot to let the roots recover.
Definitely.. that root-mass vs. mortality rate comparison is a real “nail-biter”
And conifers are SO passive aggressive.. they can take years to die from the point where you effectively “killed them”.. if enough is stored.
Pines also will often show little, even NO flush growth in the growing season following collection.. giving the IMPRESSION that they are CTD (circling the drain)...
So be patient, VERY slow to “act/perform” on him/her until you are SURE... Your tree will thank you.
And if you THINK it’s “on it’s way out”... just be patient... I’ve (others also) HAVE been surprised.