Time to collect a couple elms....

Tieball

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I'm interested in seeing how all the trees develop and send out buds....always fascinating....to see a chopped stump begin to regrow. Post tree progress!
 

Bonsai Nut

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Last week I was given permission by the forestry supervisor for the city to collect in the Albuquerque bosque. I'm free to take elms, tamarisk, Russian olive, mulberry, basically anything non native to the area (invasive species only).

You bastard! I mean... congratulations! :)

Seems like you are helping out the forest AND getting some kick-ass trees. It's a win/win!
 

aml1014

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I'm interested in seeing how all the trees develop and send out buds....always fascinating....to see a chopped stump begin to regrow. Post tree progress!
Definitely will keep up with their progress.
You bastard! I mean... congratulations! :)

Seems like you are helping out the forest AND getting some kick-ass trees. It's a win/win!
Totally a win/win. They are so invasive here it's crazy, I was nice enough to give my 3 bonsai buddy's the inside tip, so now we all have a gold mine.

Aaron
 

aml1014

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Any special treatment after collecting? Did some good fine roots come with the tree collection?
Not really any special treatment needed. I treat them just like my repotted trees. If we are expected to go to 30°f or lower I stick them in the cold frame until the for asthma gets better. The bosque is a swampy type environment so the soil stays moist to completely soaked year round so there has been good fine roots with every tree so far. In my experience, they don't really need any more then just a couple roots to survive collection. Tough elms for sure!

Aaron
 

Waltron

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nice work man, I got a few nice elms I have my eyes on too, tempted to get them today but I have time with elms, more concerned with more difficult finicky deciduous this early in the season. I've collected elms bare root, prob 90% root reduction, bare stump as late as mid June and still had them grow over a foot on multiple shoots in the first season.

Its some crazy weather going on out here.. its been 60 degrees all week literally record highs, we have migratory birds coming back already, i've been jumping woodcock all week, its way early for them, mosquitoes hatched last night.. i saw a hop hornbeam with nutlets on every branch yesterday.. got a cold snap coming this weekend and a 35 degree temperature drop predicted on saturday.. but then back up in the 50's next week.. im not sure what to do ive already gathered quite a few trees, im waiting on the best ones as I think its not quite time yet here.. I hope the trees can figure this one out and not get tricked into getting themselvs all messed up.. I think natives have a 6th sense with the way of the universe through photoperiod and the movements of the earth and sun as some type of safety mechanism, but then again maybe that same mechanism is telling them to adapt to the new day..
 

aml1014

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nice work man, I got a few nice elms I have my eyes on too, tempted to get them today but I have time with elms, more concerned with more difficult finicky deciduous this early in the season. I've collected elms bare root, prob 90% root reduction, bare stump as late as mid June and still had them grow over a foot on multiple shoots in the first season.

Its some crazy weather going on out here.. its been 60 degrees all week literally record highs, we have migratory birds coming back already, i've been jumping woodcock all week, its way early for them, mosquitoes hatched last night.. i saw a hop hornbeam with nutlets on every branch yesterday.. got a cold snap coming this weekend and a 35 degree temperature drop predicted on saturday.. but then back up in the 50's next week.. im not sure what to do ive already gathered quite a few trees, im waiting on the best ones as I think its not quite time yet here.. I hope the trees can figure this one out and not get tricked into getting themselvs all messed up.. I think natives have a 6th sense with the way of the universe through photoperiod and the movements of the earth and sun as some type of safety mechanism, but then again maybe that same mechanism is telling them to adapt to the new day..
Thanks.
I've also had success with heavy root reduction during collection all the way into mid summer and they always do fine. That gives me a solid 4 more months to keep at it.
Temps here have been all over the place, for the last month we've been having several days where it's in the 60s during the day and 30s-low 40s at night, then every 4 or 5 days we get a cold snap and drop below freezing for a couple nights. I've just been tucking them in the cold frame if it looks to dip under 30f. I'm definitely keeping my eyes peeled and am saving the best to be collected around mid April.

Aaron
 

Tieball

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Not really any special treatment needed. I treat them just like my repotted trees. If we are expected to go to 30°f or lower I stick them in the cold frame until the for asthma gets better. The bosque is a swampy type environment so the soil stays moist to completely soaked year round so there has been good fine roots with every tree so far. In my experience, they don't really need any more then just a couple roots to survive collection. Tough elms for sure!

Aaron
Moving from a constantly moist ground...swampy as you say....Do you put the trees in a coarse well draining mix? (Which in my mind is well away from what you mention as a swampy environment and would be considered very dry compared to swampy.) Just wondering more about your after-collection procedure....because it's working well for you.
 

aml1014

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Moving from a constantly moist ground...swampy as you say....Do you put the trees in a coarse well draining mix? (Which in my mind is well away from what you mention as a swampy environment and would be considered very dry compared to swampy.) Just wondering more about your after-collection procedure.
Good question, all of these trees are in unsifted soil. I ran out of my mix with Akadama pretty quick so now it's pure unsifted pumice which holds quite a bit of water but still drains very quickly.

Aaron
 

Tieball

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Good question, all of these trees are in unsifted soil. I ran out of my mix with Akadama pretty quick so now it's pure unsifted pumice which holds quite a bit of water but still drains very quickly.

Aaron
Sounds like a good transition environment! Nicely done. Excellent tree material....and I really do want to see what happens with growth as Spring and Summer unfold.
 

aml1014

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Stop while you still can! Seriously, nice Elms.
Thanks, I'm having a lot of fun collecting them. It's nice alone time down by the river with the geese and the trees. My kind of relaxation (even if I work a lot collecting lol)

Aaron
 

sorce

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One of those pics is wrong....

And one should be in the beer thread.
So much so....it shouldn't have appeared here are all!

Sorce
 
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