Why in the world would you chop a tree in the woods, then expect it to be able to survive with 95% of its foliage gone and all that shade overhead? Your success rate with hawthorns should be 90% plus. But that means you lift them in late winter, chop roots way back and seal the top chop. Easy. Now, hawthorn has tough wood so if you go out with a shovel then you get what you deserve. A handsaw at minimum, but the cordless reciprocating saw is God's gift to bonsai collectors.
Well, I'd respectfully ask how many years of experience you have in pursuing this technique and what are the survival stats? As Mark pointed out, you harm the balance by chopping the top and leaving the tree to attempt to recover. Now turn this concept around: you'll chop half the roots and leave all the canopy. There's a huge problem with this, and it's all about where the tree is getting its water and nutrients. We know from research that a tree's roots extend far past the crown's profile, and this means that trees are "foragers" for lack of a better term. When you chop those roots back, even half of them, you effectively kill off half the tree's ability to feed itself. Is all that crown going to survive this? If you're talking woodland, forget it. If the tree is in full sun, expect those chopped roots to die. Now, if you can control the immediate area and ensure good soil and timely watering up near that trunk, it can make it. But ... if you can visit this tree daily to care for it, why not just lift and take it to the house?
Things are different for conifers. Stepped collection of roots will work with them, as they tend to be touchier with their roots. DECIDUOUS trees are more resilient and amenable to being dug and chopped all at once.Thanks for the good information. I guess I was thinking of how I had read about getting an old juniper and cutting the roots while in the ground. I cannot remember the term used, but now that I think of it, you were to do one side, wait a year and do the next, but not cut the top. I figured since trees do better in the ground, this would be a really good idea. But as Zack and RockM have explained, cutting the top and roots at the same time left it nothing to grow. I thought it would have full small roots .... with as many as are growing there it did not hurt to try, but I don't want to kill a tree no matter how many are there. Guess I will just collect and bring home.
Hack Yeah, if you read the first post I used a hand saw and wore me out. The next time I borrowed a reciprocating saw, much easier.... plan to buy one in the future ... will keep you in mind if I need one before then
Not really correcting you. Collecting Conifers and deciduous trees are two different ball games.
Sure, if you're developing the trunk using the grow and chop method. I do this all the time when field-growing trees. Remember, when you lift a tree the trunk thickening stops.
Toshi, the best of the 2 died, I may have already posted about that. The 1 that did make it is doing ok, slower grow than I would like but it is alive. It got some yellow / gold spots on it soon after it leafed out. Per Sorce suggestion I removed the leaves with the most damage. It still has spots and no new growth. I did spray with Daconil but it did not seem to help. I had just given it a good soaking before I took these pictures.
