Collected Maine Pitch Pine

[yashu]

Never wired and not touched since collection last season. A few low twigs that were under the leaf litter were removed at the time of collection but no “styling” of any sort yet. This was the biggest empty pot I had at the time (16”X12”) and was far larger than the rootball so I just packed my regular potting mix around it. The tree was growing in leaf and pine litter, moss, lichens and granite crumbs on top of granite bedrock so the tree and entire root system were able to be lifted and removed without damage and the root system is naturally flat. It has pleasant old cragly bark and the trunk is pretty There is visible back budding and all the branches are pushing candles for this coming season. I plan to leave it alone for another season before doing anything significant to it. I think is has good potential.

I have another that is a little smaller and more sparse but with very nice movement. Removed from the same type of environment and similarly placed in the only other oversized container I had at the time. That one was potted a few days ago after I tripped over and broke the vessel it was placed in after collection. Note to self; build more boxes.

If the weather holds then there should be more collecting in the next few weeks or so!

 

[penumbra]

Great bones, I love it.
Let it grow out a full year before you do anything more.
Seriously, I love that little tree. Wish our Virginia pines would grow like that.

 

[yashu]

Thanks! I definitely intend to just let it do it’s thing and let it get as much vigor as possible. I find it nice enough as is that I’m not very tempted to jump the gun.

 

[parvae_arbores]

Nice one, have you thought about how you are going to set the initial structure on it?

 

[Colorado]

Nice pine!

 

[yashu]

Nice one, have you thought about how you are going to set the initial structure on it?

Yes, I have thought about it… but that’s about as far as I’ve gone. It will still be another year plus before I do anything so I really haven’t made any solid decisions. As it sits now that first photo will more or less be the front. I posted the same photos on r/bonsai on Reddit and someone there suggested compressing everything back and working it into a shohin sized tree and I really like that idea. There is a good amount of backbudding so I think over the next two growing seasons I should have some more shorter/smaller branches closer to the trunk to choose from so I haven’t committed to any one structural plan yet.

All that said, I’m completely open to hearing peoples thoughts.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Very nice tree . As it recovers the more you look at it the better your ideas for it will get . . The species has the ability to bud from old wood very rare in a pine . Very rare here in Canada . There is a story that when the British came to North America . They cut down all the tall pitch pine . They liked them for ship masts . Unsure how much truth there is to that . On some if the 1000 islands area in the St Lawrence river between USA and Canada . There are some incredible . Yamadori twisted and stunted . Apparently genetically all that is left of the original tall trees . There all protected . I can’t even find a seed source . Great tree you have there

 

[yashu]

Very nice tree . As it recovers the more you look at it the better your ideas for it will get . . The species has the ability to bud from old wood very rare in a pine . Very rare here in Canada . There is a story that when the British came to North America . They cut down all the tall pitch pine . They liked them for ship masts . Unsure how much truth there is to that . On some if the 1000 islands area in the St Lawrence river between USA and Canada . There are some incredible . Yamadori twisted and stunted . Apparently genetically all that is left of the original tall trees . There all protected . I can’t even find a seed source . Great tree you have there

I don’t know what the legality is or if they would make the trip unmolested but I’d be happy to throw a handful of seeds in an envelope and put them in the post to you. They literally line the roads in my town and the surrounding towns. Most are straight and tall but there are tons of seedlings and saplings beneath them.

I have some acreage, basically unused fields, and I have a plan to start pulling the saplings on the easement for the power poles (they just mow it every few years anyway) and transplant them to my field. I can throw some wire on them and twist up the trunks for interest and let them grow for a few years and see what happens. Could be the start of a reliable stock of cold hardy trees for us in the northern latitudes.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Very cool! The pitch pines that I've found on Cape cod have been growing like to the ground. It looks like this one has been weathered. Where did you find it?

@Tidal Bonsai , what kind of trees do you find in Jersey?

 

[yashu]

Though I have a ton of these near my home in the western portion of the state, this one was actually found in coastal Maine near the Schoodic Peninsula. A friend works for a wealthy business owner who allowed us to take a few trees from his property. No tools were used and the trees collected were basically able to be lifted from the rocks with their entire root mass and the substrate they were growing in intact. We were able to simply take the whole thing as a unit, lay it in an oversized pot and fill around the root mass with my regular potting mix. Here are a couple photos immediately after collection.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Nice work and thanks for sharing your experience. I've found that pitch pines are very hardy species and can take the abuse that someone who has no clue what they are doing accidentally inflicts. What I mean is that I'm getting better at caring for trees and the ones I've collected would have died if they were any other type of pine.

 

[yashu]

So… the more sparse one pictured there basically had an emergency re-pot last week. Unfortunately I tripped over the container it was in and in the process smashed it to bits a scattered the soil all over the place. It looks nice right now as it’s in a decent pot in new potting soil but I fear it’s survivability has taken a hit since the roots were disturbed in a pretty major way and part of the mass was still frozen so we’ll have to see what happens with that one. I’ll post some photos tomorrow when I get a chance.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

I don’t know what the legality is or if they would make the trip unmolested but I’d be happy to throw a handful of seeds in an envelope and put them in the post to you. They literally line the roads in my town and the surrounding towns. Most are straight and tall but there are tons of seedlings and saplings beneath them.

I have some acreage, basically unused fields, and I have a plan to start pulling the saplings on the easement for the power poles (they just mow it every few years anyway) and transplant them to my field. I can throw some wire on them and twist up the trunks for interest and let them grow for a few years and see what happens. Could be the start of a reliable stock of cold hardy trees for us in the northern latitudes.

that’s very kind of you . I sent you a Pm of my name and address . It is perfectly fine to mail seeds across the USA Canada border . Trees are a different matter . Unsure of exactly what is needed for trees . Trying to get local nursery. Guy to get me some bristle cone pine in his normal order from . The USA north west . He told me last fall good luck he can’t even get his stock during covid

 

[BonjourBonsai]

I bet it'll be ok. It's got healthy looking needles and I think you said all of its roots? Baby it for a month and I'm sure you'll see some signs of vigor. After all, these trees are programmed to throw new growth from seriously old wood.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

The ones I've collected have been in sand and leaf litter. They usually have a long tap root at the end of which are the only fine roots. It sounds like the roots you collected are in better shape. I look forward to watching how this tree develops.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

When sumner ever gets here . I’ll plan a trip to the 1000 islands . And get pics of the stunted o Ed there . Post them here . I would think the main dwarfing factors are . Sparse pockets or cracks in rocks . And wind . The area is on the river close to Lake Ontario . I have fished near there . Blows pretty good . Must be harsh in the winter .

 

[parvae_arbores]

The ones I've collected have been in sand and leaf litter. They usually have a long tap root at the end of which are the only fine roots. It sounds like the roots you collected are in better shape. I look forward to watching how this tree develops.

Have you gotten any to survive where you have tap roots?

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Have you gotten any to survive where you have tap roots?

1 out of 2 but that's probably because I couldn't keep my hands off of the one that didn't make it and styled it at the same time I collected it.

 

[parvae_arbores]

1 out of 2 but that's probably because I couldn't keep my hands off of the one that didn't make it and styled it at the same time I collected it.

Got any pictures on the collection?

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Got any pictures on the collection?

Here the one that survived. I'll update the thread with new photos this weekend.

Thread 'Pitch Pine (pinus rigida) wiring and styling - thoughts please' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/pitch-pine-pinus-rigida-wiring-and-styling-thoughts-please.40429/