Doing crimes (Russian olive thread)

[JoeWilson]

I have this Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), which is invasive as all hell, that my wife wants me to get rid of. The previous owner seemed to have cut down a number of mature Russian olives shortly before we bought the house. Luckily for me, he left the logs, and there were some nice chunks of burl that I’ve turned into a few bowls. Anyway, one survived, or maybe a shoot from one of them did, and I’ve been letting it grow for a couple of years. My wife finally got her way by telling me I could plant anything in the world in its place if only I rip the bastard out (maybe a bristlecone, I dunno yet). Problem is the roots look evil, and I’m mildly concerned there’s a huge stump that this has grown from (I ground a bunch of these already).

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to dig it out and get it into a pot. Naturally, I’ve been looking into how easy it is to propagate them. Seems like very easy is the answer. So I’ve cut off most of the branches and slammed the new growth into cups of water. I’ve got a bucket filled with 1-2” branch and stump chunks as well. Is propagating Russian olive a crime in Colorado? Maybe. Am I an idiot, and will all of my cuttings fail? Probably. But the feds will have to pry the scissors from my cold, dead hands.

 

[JoeWilson]

I don't think working Russian olive wood is a crime, but if it is, they've got me dead to rights. Anyway, you can probably see my hesitance to cut one of these down. At least before it's big enough to make a decent bowl blank

 

[dallin_hubb]

I don't think working Russian olive wood is a crime, but if it is, they've got me dead to rights. Anyway, you can probably see my hesitance to cut one of these down. At least before it's big enough to make a decent bowl blank

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Dude, amazing woodworking, and more importantly, amazing ability to not let what you have go to waste!!

 

[leatherback]

Hm.. Not sure what you think the trunk size could be. I am aware that for some a 4 inch trunk is a beast. For others, that is the minimum needed to even consider digging. In any care, anything can be dug with time and patience.

Problem is the roots look evil

So.. take your time. Invite a mate. Get the gril going and have a few cold ones nearby. Then just do a perimeter dig, undercut the rootball and pully it out. Slide in a custom-made box. In 2 years do a proper repot (invite the same mate, he should be out of hospital from back surgery by then) and reduce the rootball & remove all the old soil.

I do not have experience with the species, so not sure what time of year is best. For most species that would be spring around budbreak or just before. True olives mid-summer. I doubt this will behave like a true olive but you never know.

 

[SeanS]

I suspect Elaeagnus can be dug out anytime of year based on my experience with pungens

 

[rockm]

Russian olive is an invasive species in the western U.S. it can also make very good bonsai. This “silverthorn” (eleagnus pungens ) is at the National Bonsai and Penjing museum. It was donated to the Japanese collection. It’s the same or similar species to the Russian Olive.

The photo doesn’t do this tree justice. It has multiple trunk under the foliage and silverfish rough bark

It’s also LARGE like almost three feet across and weighs about 40-60 lbs. drought tolerant and tough.

Bottom line you can probably get a large Russian Olive out of the ground relatively easily in the early spring

Getting rid of Russian olive trees can be a challenge

Gardeners and homeowners often look for new and interesting plants to bring beauty and interest to their landscape, and farmers often utilize a variety of tree species to create good

www.farmtalknews.com

 

[JoeWilson]

Dude, amazing woodworking, and more importantly, amazing ability to not let what you have go to waste!!

Thanks! Yeah, I was so excited when I found the pile of burl. When we first moved here, I didn’t have a dedicated shop space, only had a bandsaw and a lathe set up in the garage for the first year, but there’s a lot you can do with just those. There was a half-dead boxelder tree that we took down as well, lots of nice burl from that one too.

 

[JoeWilson]

Hm.. Not sure what you think the trunk size could be. I am aware that for some a 4 inch trunk is a beast. For others, that is the minimum needed to even consider digging. In any care, anything can be dug with time and patience.


So.. take your time. Invite a mate. Get the gril going and have a few cold ones nearby. Then just do a perimeter dig, undercut the rootball and pully it out. Slide in a custom-made box. In 2 years do a proper repot (invite the same mate, he should be out of hospital from back surgery by then) and reduce the rootball & remove all the old soil.

I do not have experience with the species, so not sure what time of year is best. For most species that would be spring around budbreak or just before. True olives mid-summer. I doubt this will behave like a true olive but you never know.

I'm going to start digging out a little around the root base and see how bad it is. A bit more context when I say I'm concerned about the truck, one of these I took out had a trunk about two feet wide (that trunk I posted in the stand forum that was too wide to fit on the bandsaw), and the root system would have been impossible to get out without heavy equipment. I'm hoping this one grew as a runner and didn't come back from one of the mature ones the previous owner took down (or one that I stump ground). But we'll see. I'll take a photo when I pull some of the dirt back. I'm going to try to get it out for sure, though.

 

[JoeWilson]

I suspect Elaeagnus can be dug out anytime of year based on my experience with pungens

Yes, I suspect you're right. I've been reading some of your posts here, and it has encouraged me to try!

What is your take on the best way to propagate them? Am I wasting my time trying to get them to root in water? Should I put them in potting soil or some other mix?

 

[JoeWilson]

Russian olive is an invasive species in the western U.S. it can also make very good bonsai. This “silverthorn” (eleagnus pungens ) is at the National Bonsai and Penjing museum. It was donated to the Japanese collection. It’s the same or similar species to the Russian Olive.

The photo doesn’t do this tree justice. It has multiple trunk under the foliage and silverfish rough bark

It’s also LARGE like almost three feet across and weighs about 40-60 lbs. drought tolerant and tough.

Bottom line you can probably get a large Russian Olive out of the ground relatively easily in the early spring

View attachment 607548

Getting rid of Russian olive trees can be a challenge

Gardeners and homeowners often look for new and interesting plants to bring beauty and interest to their landscape, and farmers often utilize a variety of tree species to create good

www.farmtalknews.com

Yes, I'm very excited to try. When they get a little older the bark gets really gnarly and cool, and I love the leaves. They grow like weeds out here, and if I can't manage to get this one out, I won't have to look far to find another one (or a few million).

I'm starting to pot up a few of the even more invasive buckthorn as I clear it from my yard (I've taken out probably over 100 of them already). They're mostly removed from our property, but the neighbors on one side don't manage their yard, and there are dozens of large ones hanging over the fence. So I have an unlimited supply.

I've been potting up some of the not necessarily invasive but vigorous growers that like to volunteer as well. Mainly cherries, I have hundreds of choke cherries that need thinning, a bunch of nanking cherries that like to show up, and a few other cultivars (Prunus mahaleb and Prunus serotina, I think, plus one or two that I haven't ID'd yet).

I'm excited about the potential for all of these. The Russian olive and buckthorn are practically indestructible, so I think they'll do well. And I've been growing nanking cherries in pots for a couple of years, and most have survived.

 

[JoeWilson]

It's out, and it only took about an hour. Luckily, it was a shoot from an old root, so it wasn't too bad. If it lives and starts developing some nice roots, I'll build a wood grow box for it.

I'm kind of dumbfounded about what to actually do with the thing now that it's out, though. Everything will get chopped back more later, but should I trim back the trunks further right now? They're about 16" or so right now. Should I keep all three trunks? I figured I should for now, just in case one or two of them die back...

 

[dallin_hubb]

Thanks! Yeah, I was so excited when I found the pile of burl. When we first moved here, I didn’t have a dedicated shop space, only had a bandsaw and a lathe set up in the garage for the first year, but there’s a lot you can do with just those. There was a half-dead boxelder tree that we took down as well, lots of nice burl from that one too.

Man...wish I could just find some sick burl laying around, haha!