Happy oak

Atrox

Mame
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Tucson AZ most collecting in SW NM at 6'700"
Just returned from 3 weeks at the cabin in NM. Loads of happy bonsai in training, in the ground and in the deer pen in boxes. This Oak I have been working on for 3 years. First year "styled" the top removing branches that had grown way out of proportion to what I imaged for the finished top. Second year cut all major roots. It is growing in about 18" of decomposing granite on top of a sloping nearly solid rock. All looked good, most main roots went up or down slope on the rock. This spring trenched all around, put my metal adjustable stove pipe around the root ball, tightened up the strings,drove the flat shovel underneath and was ready to bring her out. Upon confidentially lifting --a 3/8" root that I had missed stopped me short and dislodged a lot of soil out of the bottom of the stove pipe. All stop! eased her back down into the hole cut the root, opened the stove pipe some and backfilled all around. Mulched and watered. Sounds excessive, 'spose, but this "soil" is mostly 1/4" decomposing granite and trees can completely bare root on ya in a flash. I have been collecting 4 years now up there and have lost my share of pinion, juniper and oak. Success has come from keeping the extremely loose soil in tact. The tree in my avatar was an early loss due to missing a root and disrupting the rootball, went ahead and boxed her up but lost her that winter.

So, "happy oak" here is the tree yesterday! acorns all over, looks happy to me. Collect next springP1010107.JPG happy.JPG
 

aml1014

Masterpiece
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Albuquerque new mexico
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Collecting here in NM can be pretty fun for sure. That's a nice little gray oak you got there, should make something interesting one day.

Aaron
 

Atrox

Mame
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Tucson AZ most collecting in SW NM at 6'700"
Have I shown my stove pipe? Well here it is- A piece of galvanized duct the dia ya need allowing a little over lap. Wrap it around the root ball after ditching all around, tighten up a wrap or 2 of rope to hold the soil together, slide your flat shovel under, or in this case a scoop I made, and lift her out. You folks collecting in nice clay/topsoil need not apply hahaha.P1010002.JPG P1010007.JPG
 

Arcto

Chumono
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Very interesting and creative. How large diameter root ball do you think you can collect with it? Gotta ask where you found it.
 

RKatzin

Omono
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Grants Pass, Oregon, USA
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Nice Oak! I've been doing some digging here in SW Oregon. The trees are in mostly rock, clay, and several inches of forest loam and compost. Fairly easy to pick out the rocks and cut all big roots, lifting the trees with most of the small roots. I have them heeled into a raised mound of the forest floor sweepings, compost, decomposed bark and wood. I'll let you know how they do.

I thought I had Canyon Live Oak, but I now believe that they are Interior Live Oak. I need to see an acorn to be sure.
 

ghues

Omono
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Campbell River BC Canada
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Very nice looking tree and very ingenious way of collecting......it's great to see how others collect. Just wondering...in your transfer to the grow pot, why not leave one side open, sliding in the tree and stove pipe?
G.
 

Atrox

Mame
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Tucson AZ most collecting in SW NM at 6'700"
I have one for up to about 14" dia and another up to 20" dia. I am collecting in NM at about 6,800" ghues, like minds! here is the current system. The grow box bottom wire is protected by a folded piece of flashing. A piece of removable stop sign is placed in the bottom of the box and after checking with a flat shovel the whole works is pushed under the banded root ball. When back to the shack, pull out the stop sign, screw in the missing side of the box, remove the stove pipe work in ( in my case pumis and bark) where needed. One can also easily wash some soil off the root ball and out the side before the bottom metal is pulled out. Also if Ya miss judged and need some mix under the roots Ya can lift the plate add the soil over the wire underneath, lower back down ta protect the wire.JPG under the root ball.JPG
 
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