Field Collecting Lodge Pole Pine

[wireme]

Yep, that's what I was after, thanks.

 

[Vance Wood]

I've been telling poeple for years that I Summer repot Mugos, Scots Pines, and I have mentioned Spruce and here's another: Hinoky Cypress, lest we forget the Junipers.

 

[wireme]

I've been telling poeple for years that I Summer repot Mugos, Scots Pines, and I have mentioned Spruce and here's another: Hinoky Cypress, lest we forget the Junipers.

Yes, its entirely due to your posts that I chose to repot the Scots pine last summer, it gave no indication that anything happened to half the roots, it's looking good. I repotted the spruce at the same time as I noticed W.P. repotting his on his blog, late Aug maybe? It also fared well and apparently he's been doing that for years too.
To the original question here, if I had a killer lodgepole located right now I would still follow the timing recommended by Dan. We all have our ideas that may or may not be right but the old springtime as buds are swelling is backed by more practical experience than any other time for now I believe.

 

[garywood]

Yes, its entirely due to your posts that I chose to repot the Scots pine last summer, it gave no indication that anything happened to half the roots, it's looking good. I repotted the spruce at the same time as I noticed W.P. repotting his on his blog, late Aug maybe? It also fared well and apparently he's been doing that for years too.
To the original question here, if I had a killer lodgepole located right now I would still follow the timing recommended by Dan. We all have our ideas that may or may not be right but the old springtime as buds are swelling is backed by more practical experience than any other time for now I believe.

Wired, there sees to be a lot discussion lately on potting\re-potting and you really nailed it. All the importers of bonsai in the country start bringing in trees from Nov. thru Mar. By law they have to come in bare rooted and clean. I've personally delivered 100 year old white pine grafted on black pine stock to the National Arboretum that came this way. They quarantined 2 years at Brussell's and I only delivered them but I have first hand knowledge. To think you could do this in summer, dunno, your choice of thinks ;-)

 

[Vance Wood]

Wired, there sees to be a lot discussion lately on potting\re-potting and you really nailed it. All the importers of bonsai in the country start bringing in trees from Nov. thru Mar. By law they have to come in bare rooted and clean. I've personally delivered 100 year old white pine grafted on black pine stock to the National Arboretum that came this way. They quarantined 2 years at Brussell's and I only delivered them but I have first hand knowledge. To think you could do this in summer, dunno, your choice of thinks ;-)

There is a big difference between being bare rooted and fumigated, which is what I assume you mean by clean, and just repotted in the summer. In the day; when I was concerned about this kind of stuff I researched it and found that the trees not only had to have all of the soil removed they also had to go through a fumigation process. I guarantee that you probably did not deliver trees that were just off the boat, but I could be wrong. I would assume that the trees had been cleared by FDA for delivery and that's when you got your hands on them.

Would this be better carried out during the summer??? I don't know, I can only attest to that which I have done or rely on the testimony of others who have done likewise. I suspect that the reason these trees are done Nov. through March, as you have pointed out, is because of the temperatures involved being optimum and---- just plain old "Flat Earth" thinking, simply put; this is the way everyone has always done it so this is the way we will do it. After all, if the world were round we would all fall off of it. LOL

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I also believe there is a big difference between "mid-summer" in Michigan and Alabama. JBP candles in my yard are 1" long now, and yours would be frozen to the ground.

I cannot engage Vance in this debate yet, but I plan to test the mid-summer repotting theory in AL and will report results. Vance, please post a photo of the mugo candles/shoots as they look precisely at the time you recommend repotting.

 

[Vance Wood]

Brian: As I have mentioned before I wait till the candles turn into shoots and the needles start to open out. When we get to that point here I have every intention of documanting this. In the video I did last summer that became such a controversy I actually show the stage where I do this.

 

[crust]

I theorize, based on my one experiences, one reason Spring transplantation is less effective in northern climes, at least partially has to do with erratic and nasty Northern spring weather. Spring freezing, prolonged cold, wildly see-sawing temps, dry winds, have always been my bane upon early transplanting. If I was to heat-matted and green house the freshly TPs I bet they would be fine.

 

[Vance Wood]

That still does not account for the abundance of people claiming they cannot repot Mugos or grow Mugos. It is interesting to me that the tree does fine up to the point when the tree is repotted for the first time. I believe it is also an issue of water but we will discuss that at another time. I understand the hot summer argument and I am not sold on that, it get hotter than the seventh level of Hell around here during the summer. I have repotted Mugos when the temperatures have been in the triple digits with no problems. I have dug them from a growers bed when the temperatures were in triple digits.

 

[James H]

Wow thanks everyone for your replies and information. I will post up some photos of the tree that started all of this discussion once we actually stay warmed up and I get it potted up. Where I live we get around 3x the snow that denver gets making it hard to know for sure when spring is here and when the best time for collecting will be. I will keep watching the tree and hopefully be able to collect it this year.