More collecting fun

[andrewiles]

Continued my collecting efforts, this time with some trees at the tree line yesterday. Here in Washington that's around 7000' in the eastern Cascades. I wanted to get some small but rugged trees from ridgelines, so plenty of hiking involved. This time I was looking for sub-alpine larches, sub-alpine firs, mountain hemlocks and white barked pines. Found all but the hemlocks. I haven't transplanted or grown any of these before, so we'll see how it goes.

Example of the trees on the exposed ridges:


White barked pine. Many of the trees I saw show evidence of blister rust . I'll keep a close eye on it. No obvious cankers on this one.


Sub-alpine fir. I think this is basically a Christmas tree . But this one has some character from growing on an exposed ridge.


Sub-alpine larch. I have some Western larches from earlier collecting efforts. Sub-alpine larches are very similar, but only live at the tree line.


Bonus! Sub-alpine larch clump. These trees often grow in clumps with one main tree. I think the child trees form from ground layered branches that over time grow their own trunks. This one was painful to get down the mountain...

 

[Enfield Snapper]

That Sub-alpine Fir is my favorite.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Did permit require pay for each tree? All trees have potential so good job of choosing. Be interesting to see what develops in time with these.

 

[Agriff]

I'm curious, how did you get these down? Were these multiple trips? And did you like, carry them soil and all in your hands, or did you have like a backpack and a plastic bag?

 

[andrewiles]

Did permit require pay for each tree? All trees have potential so good job of choosing. Be interesting to see what develops in time with these.

It seems to depend on the ranger district. This was in the Methow district, which does charge $5 per tree under 4 feet. I had a permit earlier in Naches and they didn't charge me anything.

 

[andrewiles]

I'm curious, how did you get these down? Were these multiple trips? And did you like, carry them soil and all in your hands, or did you have like a backpack and a plastic bag?

Yeah, getting these trees is not for the couch bonsai enthusiast. I'm out hiking quite a bit though, so the main difference is carrying down a lot of additional weight.

These require a backpack and some way to strap them on. Too heavy to carry by hand. I can usually get 2 down in one trip, so it pays to choose wisely . But yeah, dig them up with as many roots as possible, and at least some original soil around the base. Duct tape them tightly in a plastic garbage bag, tie to backpack, and have a long slog through scree back to the car.

Due to permit restrictions and the logistics of where the tree line is and the roads are, it's very hard to get close enough for it to be feasible. Hart's Pass in the Methow valley of north-central Washington is about the only place right now. And even that's limited as it borders a wilderness area.

I don't think it's worth the effort for most folks but right now it's helping me get in shape for summer. And it sure beats nursery material.

 

[Rivian]

If they die on you its a tragedy. Virtually ready made bonsai.

 

[BobbyLane]

nice material, you have a good eye.
if they die its not a tragedy, its a learning curve. just simply get more!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Isn't the Larch going from bone dry to the wettest place on earth?

 

[Colorado]

The sub alpine fir is amazing!!!

Great finds. Wow!

 

[andrewiles]

Isn't the Larch going from bone dry to the wettest place on earth?

I can't find much info on sub-alpine larch in cultivation, so it'll be a learning experience. I think there are several challenges, though water is probably not the hardest.

• First, and I think most critical, they don't seem to be able to take heat. So any zone that gets above 85 F frequently in the summer is likely out. Here we do get above 85, but not often. Can probably manage with shade on those days.
• Second, they spend 9 months of the year dormant. Some of the highest I saw are just beginning to show green at the tips, and they turn yellow in early September. So 90 days max. I'm not sure what a much longer summer will do.
• They can take extremely cold temperatures and spend more than half the year under snow. Very different than our winters.

If you're referring to wetness during the summer, I don't think it's a problem. PNW is fairly dry during the summer, and the upper mountains somewhat wet. If you're referring to wetness during the winter, then yes, that's something I'll need to experiment with. I'm thinking that at a minimum I'll have them in a dry, dark place during dormancy. I'm most worried about the lack of deep freeze. For the small one above, I'll maybe experiment by sticking it in a little freezer over the winter . I need to find out if anyone in the local club has tried these...

 

[mattspinniken]

Yeah, getting these trees is not for the couch bonsai enthusiast. I'm out hiking quite a bit though, so the main difference is carrying down a lot of additional weight.

These require a backpack and some way to strap them on. Too heavy to carry by hand. I can usually get 2 down in one trip, so it pays to choose wisely . But yeah, dig them up with as many roots as possible, and at least some original soil around the base. Duct tape them tightly in a plastic garbage bag, tie to backpack, and have a long slog through scree back to the car.

Due to permit restrictions and the logistics of where the tree line is and the roads are, it's very hard to get close enough for it to be feasible. Hart's Pass in the Methow valley of north-central Washington is about the only place right now. And even that's limited as it borders a wilderness area.

I don't think it's worth the effort for most folks but right now it's helping me get in shape for summer. And it sure beats nursery material.

This post really rings true. Its the same experience I have in Michigan. Getting good trees around here requires a ridiculous amount of work and logistics, at least it has for me. YOU HAVE COLLECTED SOME AWESOME STUFF!!!!!

 

[andrewiles]

• First, and I think most critical, they don't seem to be able to take heat. So any zone that gets above 85 F frequently in the summer is likely out. Here we do get above 85, but not often. Can probably manage with shade on those days.

So about that .

Here in Seattle we are about to break our daily record high by something like 15 - 20 degrees. And set an all time high, since records began over 150 years ago, by over 5 degrees. Around 110 degrees F on Sunday and Monday. Seattle has only had 2 days above 100 F in its recorded history. Incredible.

Sadly, I can't do much for the trees above but keep them in shade and misted frequently. To say this is not the best situation for a subalpine larch is a bit of an understatement. Fingers crossed.

 

[Crawforde]

Those are great and look to be well worth the effort.
the last clump is beautiful. I hope it lives and you can keep its character while developing it.
excellent selection.

 

[andrewiles]

Started working on the first Western larch I collected, way back in 2021. A bit ealier in May, and lower in elevation, than the trees above. This was by the side of a forest service road in almost pure sand. It's fun to finally move from keep-alive mode to style-mode.

Collected and bare rooted in spring 2021:


Summer of 2022 I cut partway through the apex to help with callousing before later removing the top third or so. Seemed to help I guess:



Just now finished cutting off the top, leaving a small jin. Then some basic styling. Still a ways to go, but rewarding progress:


Next year I'll bare root it to start nebari development. I forgot to take a photo of the roots but I suspect it's not pretty. But based on my post-collection experience I'm now pretty confident I can work the roots agressively.

One thing to say about larches: they can take branch bending like champs. Said after fearfully wiring a bunch of nursery stock japanese maples...