Is this normal?

Gr8tfuldad

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First, is it normal to see this and think, can I get it in a pot?
 

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Mikecheck123

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First, is it normal to see this and think, can I get it in a pot?
What you have to keep in mind is that the effort involved in collecting trees increases exponentially with trunk size.

Thus, the difference between digging out a 5 inch tree versus a 10 inch tree is enormous. Here's some math:

Assume that you want to dig out a roughly half sphere of dirt having a radius that is three times the radius of the tree.

That means digging out

1/2 * (4/3 * pi * r^3) OR

2/3 * pi * (1/2 t * 3)^3

For a 5 inch diameter tree, that means about half a cubic foot of soil, or roughly 40 pounds.

But for a 10 inch diameter tree, that means 4 cubic feet of soil, or basically 300 pounds.

You can do a similar calculation for the surface area of the thing you're digging out, a rough proxy for how many roots you'll be cutting.
 

Eckhoffw

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What you have to keep in mind is that the effort involved in collecting trees increases exponentially with trunk size.

Thus, the difference between digging out a 5 inch tree versus a 10 inch tree is enormous. Here's some math:

Assume that you want to dig out a roughly half sphere of dirt having a radius that is three times the radius of the tree.

That means digging out

1/2 * (4/3 * pi * r^3) OR

2/3 * pi * (1/2 t * 3)^3

For a 5 inch diameter tree, that means about half a cubic foot of soil, or roughly 40 pounds.

But for a 10 inch diameter tree, that means 4 cubic feet of soil, or basically 300 pounds.

You can do a similar calculation for the surface area of the thing you're digging out, a rough proxy for how many roots you'll be cutting.
Wow. You know your maths. 😁 impressive.
 

Gr8tfuldad

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What you have to keep in mind is that the effort involved in collecting trees increases exponentially with trunk size.

Thus, the difference between digging out a 5 inch tree versus a 10 inch tree is enormous. Here's some math:

Assume that you want to dig out a roughly half sphere of dirt having a radius that is three times the radius of the tree.

That means digging out

1/2 * (4/3 * pi * r^3) OR

2/3 * pi * (1/2 t * 3)^3

For a 5 inch diameter tree, that means about half a cubic foot of soil, or roughly 40 pounds.

But for a 10 inch diameter tree, that means 4 cubic feet of soil, or basically 300 pounds.

You can do a similar calculation for the surface area of the thing you're digging out, a rough proxy for how many roots you'll be cutting.
I’m a plumber in one of the most affluent areas in NJ. Carrying cast iron tubs up three flights of stairs make that look like child’s’ work 😂 That’s after installing 3” cast iron pipe 12’ in the ceiling all day.

I’ve dug up one or two trees in my day (now I feel old saying it that way) I know what’s under there and how much sweat equity it takes to remove it. Ask me about the 20 year old privets I had to move at my house and mulberry trees I dug up 😂

all joking aside it was more a joke seeing it and first instinct of … bonsai 😂
 

Gr8tfuldad

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Now for more lessons. If we collect in dormant season, can we worry less about dirt and bare root collect?
 

Forsoothe!

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What you have to keep in mind is that the effort involved in collecting trees increases exponentially with trunk size.

Thus, the difference between digging out a 5 inch tree versus a 10 inch tree is enormous. Here's some math:

Assume that you want to dig out a roughly half sphere of dirt having a radius that is three times the radius of the tree.

That means digging out

1/2 * (4/3 * pi * r^3) OR

2/3 * pi * (1/2 t * 3)^3

For a 5 inch diameter tree, that means about half a cubic foot of soil, or roughly 40 pounds.

But for a 10 inch diameter tree, that means 4 cubic feet of soil, or basically 300 pounds.

You can do a similar calculation for the surface area of the thing you're digging out, a rough proxy for how many roots you'll be cutting.
I agree with everything you say, except, 3 times diameter is really, really optimistic. That's a best case assumption, and I've never had a best case nothin'.
 

rockm

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Not worth the effort. Straight trunk no real interest, other than its REALLY BIG. You will have a considerable job ahead carving this one out, or ten or fifteen years waiting on a new leader to get large enough to even approach the lower trunk's diameter. This also looks to be on some kind of public easement. Can you get permission to dig it out? That big of a job will require at least a couple of hours to get it out, and the cops may arrive in the meantime if you aren't supposed to be digging there (public easements and parking lots, etc. can have cable lines, gas lines and other stuff buried too...A pain in the ass any way look at it for a boring trunk...
 

Gr8tfuldad

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Not worth the effort. Straight trunk no real interest, other than its REALLY BIG. You will have a considerable job ahead carving this one out, or ten or fifteen years waiting on a new leader to get large enough to even approach the lower trunk's diameter. This also looks to be on some kind of public easement. Can you get permission to dig it out? That big of a job will require at least a couple of hours to get it out, and the cops may arrive in the meantime if you aren't supposed to be digging there (public easements and parking lots, etc. can have cable lines, gas lines and other stuff buried too...A pain in the ass any way look at it for a boring trunk...
That sounds like sound advice, thank you.
 

HorseloverFat

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Keep your eyes open for others, and don’t be discouraged, wanderer. The Woody Dwarves would like me to inform you that there is much to learn, much room to grow.. here, in the Tiny Forest.

Soak it all in.. this place is a wonderful, barter-based/free-for-all Farmer’s market of knowledge/experience...
sample what you like.... give away what you know.

Pleasure to make your acquaintance..

Nice Nickname! How many lil’uns d’ya got?
 

HorseloverFat

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Thank you 😊

We like to consider the job done at 4 😂 They are teens now and I thought the toddler age was hard 😂
Hehe.. i got three Boys (well two BIOlogical and one is Robin to my Batman.. but they all get treated the same ;) ).. each exactly 5 years apart... it’s..... not the SIMPLEST thing..
🤓
 

Gr8tfuldad

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So you can relate to the sanity at times 😂

We went fast and furious, 4 within 4 years of each other. Needless to say we were done at 2, but 3 & 4 were pleasant surprises.
 

HorseloverFat

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Y’know.. Sigmund believes that personalities have their “framework” all mapped out by the time an individual is 5 years old...

...so 4 was pretty close! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

(I’m a Jungian in belief, however)
 
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