Fall collection for larches

[Tim.E]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for more information regarding possibly collection tamarack during this fall once the needles turn yellow and the tree goes dormant. I've read a few articles stating that fall collection is possible and is perhaps even preferable.

Does anyone have any experience with collecting tamarack in fall and if so, what type of aftercare do I need to provide to get it through the winter in one piece?

Thanks everyone!

Tim

 

[LanceMac10]

Why the rush? Will it not be there come spring? If you have more questions than answers, why not wait? Why give yourself something else to worry about over winter?

 

[Tim.E]

Why the rush? Will it not be there come spring? If you have more questions than answers, why not wait? Why give yourself something else to worry about over winter?

Chances are I'm not going to have very much time to collect in spring and I'm unsure as to whether I'll be able to collect at all next year.

I was looking to see if it was therefore possible to have a go in the fall. Here are two sources both advocating for fall collection as well.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...ggeMAI&usg=AFQjCNHYw774X1gwYPNHGavAN9E-Q_XH1g

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...ggcMAE&usg=AFQjCNELZIxlaE04cNJoaF8-KTIIiDR9ZA

 

[amkhalid]

A big factor is how old are these larches and what soil type are you collecting from?

If you are collecting non-ancient larches from bogs, fall collecting is known to be effective. Lenz advocates it but largely for practical reasons i.e. lower water table.

If you are collecting very old larches from dry soil, I would definitely wait until the spring.

 

[Tim.E]

A big factor is how old are these larches and what soil type are you collecting from?

If you are collecting non-ancient larches from bogs, fall collecting is known to be effective. Lenz advocates it but largely for practical reasons i.e. lower water table.

If you are collecting very old larches from dry soil, I would definitely wait until the spring.

It would be collecting from bogs with relatively young larches. Not any yamadori from upper elevations or living in extreme conditions.

 

[mattspinniken]

I have had the same survival rate with spring and fall with Larch collection. I believe best time is just when they start to change color, giving them more of the fall root growing season to recover before winter. Late fall is a bad idea.

 

[Giga]

Another good thing that may help is to protect them from really low temps- Any tree I collect in winter or fall I keep very well protected from below 32 temps and wind

 

[aml1014]

I collect pretty much all year except winter with great success. With my fall collections this year I'll be doing what I read in a article, which is pot the tree up and just bury it for the winter. In the past I've stored the trees in my cold frame. I'm doing it mainly so I don't have to worry about them as much.

Aaron

 

[Waltron]

great questions, i plan to dig a larch this weekend..if i can find the right one. I have had success but, as others have mentioned depends on a variety of factors.. the main one being in my opinion, are you going to be chopping the trunk? if so, probably want to wait, if not, I would say give it a go. will you be potting in bonsai soil in a small pot? how much roots and native soil are you able to get? how will you overwinter? I plan to not disturb the roots much, as little as possible, take a big hunk of ground and roots all at once, dig a whole protected from wind, mulch it in, and either grow out there, or repot in spring.

 

[Giga]

I collect pretty much all year except winter with great success. With my fall collections this year I'll be doing what I read in a article, which is pot the tree up and just bury it for the winter. In the past I've stored the trees in my cold frame. I'm doing it mainly so I don't have to worry about them as much.

Aaron

yeah though Canada may have slightly colder temps the NM - even a cold frame may not be enough - spring may be the best option

 

[Tim.E]

I have had the same survival rate with spring and fall with Larch collection. I believe best time is just when they start to change color, giving them more of the fall root growing season to recover before winter. Late fall is a bad idea.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I have a week off the last week in September and will go collect them at that point.

 

[Tim.E]

yeah though Canada may have slightly colder temps the NM

The only good news is that larch are insanely hardy and i can give good protection from wind during the winter via my garage

 

[Tim.E]

great questions, i plan to dig a larch this weekend..if i can find the right one. I have had success but, as others have mentioned depends on a variety of factors.. the main one being in my opinion, are you going to be chopping the trunk? if so, probably want to wait, if not, I would say give it a go. will you be potting in bonsai soil in a small pot? how much roots and native soil are you able to get? how will you overwinter? I plan to not disturb the roots much, as little as possible, take a big hunk of ground and roots all at once, dig a whole protected from wind, mulch it in, and either grow out there, or repot in spring.

I will be chopping when I collect as the trees are roughly 6-7' tall. I will be doing a test of disturbing some of them and doing some root reduction into an oversized training pot with bonsai soil and also digging some directly into the ground in a covered location. I think it will be a good experiment to see which ones fair better

 

[Waltron]

ok sure, tests are good. me personally, I would hold off on a fall collection of a trunk chopped 7 footer.

 

[Tim.E]

ok sure, tests are good. me personally, I would hold off on a fall collection of a trunk chopped 7 footer.

Yeah I'm going to have a go at them and see. There are some seedlings as well that I'll dig up and those shouldn't need to be chopped heavily

 

[Diolated]

I collect pretty much all year except winter with great success. With my fall collections this year I'll be doing what I read in a article, which is pot the tree up and just bury it for the winter. In the past I've stored the trees in my cold frame. I'm doing it mainly so I don't have to worry about them as much.

Aaron

I do the same thing and have had very good success rates. I shelter them with some fencing and cover with mulch, critter wire, and then bury in snow. Seems to work fine and I live in upper Michigan where it gets pretty cold in the winter.

 

[Waltron]

one method I read about for fall collecting deciduous, from andy smith, dig the plant, dont really bare root it or anything just get it home and bury/plant it in mulch for the winter, then pot it in spring. haven't tried it myself, but he said he has good success that way, and I wouldn't be afraid to try it.

the larches I collected this year were done at late august, they are all rooted now and doing well, lost quite a few needles on 1 of them, and actually I did lop off the top 2 ft of a 5 footer and its fine, buds clearly alive.

 

[Wilson]

So did you end up collecting a few? If you ever need a bunch of saplings( 2') for a planting, I can bring them in the spring when I visit family your way.

 

[Cloudsgrow]

How do you guys think about trunk chopping a larger tree in early spring, leaving it alone to recover for a year or two then digging it up early spring? I wonder if it would be more or less stressful for the tree.. i imagine it being easier for the tree to recover with its original root mass but worry that the tree would be struggling during collection.