Jack pine yamadori in distress

[smlat]

I collected this jack pine tree from Downeast, Maine. It was growing out of a split rock. It had very long roots, three which I had to cut in order to collect it. I made cuts on three major structural roots, about a 1/4 inch thick (as seen in photo 3). It was doing well the first couple weeks after bringing it to north-central Massachusetts, but it has since rapidly declined. I'm at week four now, and the needles have turned crispy and have started browning in places and falling off. There are some green, firm buds in places, some of which have pushed out since collection, but mostly it's looking very stressed. I had to repot it because after a very sunny day, it started browning, and I responded anxiously by overwatering it. The previous substrate (80% compost soil, 15% native soil, and 5% akadama top dressing, which I know is not ideal, but it was all I had at the time of collection) was waterlogged and the roots weren't sucking up the moisture. I repotted it into a seven gallon fabric grow bag in a faster-draining substrate (60% pumice, 35% perlite, and 5% akadama as a top dressing, plus a little bit of mycorrhizal inoculate). I'm very worried that it has gone beyond the point of no return and it will continue dying. I scratch-tested the cambium, and it is still green, but the amount of dry, brown, falling needles makes me think this tree is dying. The bark is also kind of dry and flaky, but it was already kind of like that when I collected it. It has a few spots along its trunk that have dry, flaky sap with little red spots in it. I picked these spots off, exposing fresh, gooey sap underneath, thinking that the red spots might indicate a fungus or something, but then again they were only occurring in the dried sap, nowhere else on the tree. Is there anything else I can be doing for this tree? I'm bringing it inside on very rainy/windy days and days above 85 degrees. I have a grow light and a fan setup inside, so it does okay while it's indoors, but I do believe outdoors is better for it, since it gets more fresh air, natural sunlight, and so on. I've come to love this tree, and it would sadden me deeply if it died.

 

[ursus]

Sorry to say that the tree was likely doomed when it was bare rooted during collection. I learned this the hard way. Repotting it without allowing roots to grow for a year or two sealed its fate.

 

[smlat]

Sorry to say that the tree was likely doomed when it was bare rooted during collection. I learned this the hard way. Repotting it without allowing roots to grow for a year or two sealed its fate.

Bare-rooted during collection? Or during repotting?

 

[darzuo]

First of all, it's the wrong time of year to collect. Collection and transport of a tree is stressful enough as is. That stress, combined with the stress of a repot and the hot spells we've been having probably killed it. If you still plan on collecting in the future, make sure it is at the right time, and prepare everything you need for the tree before going and collecting it. Bare-rooting conifers is also not a great idea, I would try to leave the rootball mostly undisturbed when collecting. I also wouldn't move it indoors at all, find a good spot (shaded or morning sun), and leave it there. The tree is used to being outdoors, it can take some rain and wind. The moving back and forth and forcing it to readjust would stress it more. I haven't worked with jack pines, but it looks to me like it may be too far gone, but leave it outdoors, shaded and properly watered, and just let it be if you hope to save it.

 

[Dav4]

That looks like a spruce, but I digress.

A few thoughts….
- I suspect your timing was off for collection. Early spring would be the best time for collection as opposed to high summer.
- bare rooting is controversial when collecting… better to retain much of the native soil within the collected rootball and remove it at subsequent repots.
- pumice would be a highly recommended soil for recently collected conifers
- it’s a bad idea to move your trees inside… ever.
- It’s a bad idea to move recently collected trees in general. Even very slight movement or jostling of the pot or tree can damage developing roots and weaken the tree further.
- Your tree is dead.

 

[smlat]

That looks like a spruce, but I digress.

A few thoughts….
- I suspect your timing was off for collection. Early spring would be the best time for collection as opposed to high summer.
- bare rooting is controversial when collecting… better to retain much of the native soil within the collected rootball and remove it at subsequent repots.
- pumice would be a highly recommended soil for recently collected conifers
- it’s a bad idea to move your trees inside… ever.
- It’s a bad idea to move recently collected trees in general. Even very slight movement or jostling of the pot or tree can damage developing roots and weaken the tree further.
- Your tree is dead.

Bad to move inside even during 100 degree weather? Even with green cambium and new buds, it's dead? As you can tell, very new to this, so I'm here to learn. Thanks for the insights!

 

[Dav4]

Bad to move inside even during 100 degree weather? Even with green cambium and new buds, it's dead? As you can tell, very new to this, so I'm here to learn. Thanks for the insights!

Yes, it's bad to move it inside for several reasons. There isn't a tree on the planet that wants to be inside your house. While you might be comfortable there, your tree isn't adapted to be in there and would suffer, even if healthy, which it wasn't. Your tree is adapted to be outside 365 days a year, through the heat of the summer and the worst cold of the winter. Depending on the species and your micro-climate, you might need to provide protection of some sort, like afternoon shade in the summer or mulch on the roots in the winter, but the tree should remain outside. As someone already pointed out, newly collected trees should be placed in a shady area outside and watered very carefully, but not moved if possible. Their root systems have been severely traumatized by the collection process, can't transport much water, and any movement can set back its recovery. Fwiw, even doing the collecting at the right time of year and with the right post collection care won't always result in success. Living things die all the time, and for less than what your little trees experienced. I assume your tree is dead based on the history and the browning foliage. I could be wrong, but I suspect not. I'd put it in a mostly shady spot outside and leave it alone other than watering which should be minimal. If the needles dry up and fall off, call it a learning experience.

 

[smlat]

Yes, it's bad to move it inside for several reasons. There isn't a tree on the planet that wants to be inside your house. While you might be comfortable there, your tree isn't adapted to be in there and would suffer, even if healthy, which it wasn't. Your tree is adapted to be outside 365 days a year, through the heat of the summer and the worst cold of the winter. Depending on the species and your micro-climate, you might need to provide protection of some sort, like afternoon shade in the summer or mulch on the roots in the winter, but the tree should remain outside. As someone already pointed out, newly collected trees should be placed in a shady area outside and watered very carefully, but not moved if possible. Their root systems have been severely traumatized by the collection process, can't transport much water, and any movement can set back its recovery. Fwiw, even doing the collecting at the right time of year and with the right post collection care won't always result in success. Living things die all the time, and for less than what your little trees experienced. I assume your tree is dead based on the history and the browning foliage. I could be wrong, but I suspect not. I'd put it in a mostly shady spot outside and leave it alone other than watering which should be minimal. If the needles dry up and fall off, call it a learning experience.

Thank you for your wisdom! I appreciate it.

 

[rockm]

Sorry to say it started dying the second you cut it out of the rock. It’s been in decline e ever since. Pines can take a long time to show they’re dead

Pine collection requires as many fine roots as you can get and the soil around them to survive. They cannot survive such drastic root reduction.the extended roots are primary reason such rock bound trees are mostly skipped by serious collectors. They understand the vast majority of trees in that situation are un collectible

Also. I hope you sought permission to collected this tree and didn’t pull it off of a rock ledge in a public park. If you didn’t goood for you. If you did you’re making life difficult for the rest of us

 

[smlat]

Sorry to say it started dying the second you cut it out of the rock. It’s been in decline e ever since. Pines can take a long time to show they’re dead

Pine collection requires as many fine roots as you can get and the soil around them to survive. They cannot survive such drastic root reduction.the extended roots are primary reason such rock bound trees are mostly skipped by serious collectors. They understand the vast majority of trees in that situation are un collectible

Also. I hope you sought permission to collected this tree and didn’t pull it off of a rock ledge in a public park. If you didn’t goood for you. If you did you’re making life difficult for the rest of us

Good to know. New to this. I thought I had done enough research beforehand, but I guess not. Yeah, it was on private land, with permission.