My Ponderosa in Georgia.

Ponderosa backbudding

To give you an idea of the kind of backbudding you can get on ponderosas from doing the terminal bud technique outlined in Larry Jackel's book, here is a picture taken a few days ago of one of my ponderosas that I performed the technique on last fall.
 

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Dav4 said:
Yeah, but I probably would have kept the last branch the tree lost:(. The tree isn't very good at styling, I'm afraid.
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Just trying to think positively. Is this your only ponderosa? Do you know if they don't do well in MA in general?
 
Dav4 sorry to hear your troubles with the tree, I know how attached we can get to trees we have cared for only to watch them decline. I know most people will caution you of the effects on trees without a winter dormancy period and I just lost a super Birds nest Spruce to the Florida heat last winter. Then I see examples of trees growing in Fl. that defy explanation, there is a guy in S. Central Florida who has a line of about 15-18 Blue Spruce trees that are easily 50 feet tall, he also has the last 21 years of live Christmas trees he bought growing on the same property! Its really weird to see these trees flourishing in that heat, he is in Polk county between Orlando and Tampa. I asked him about the trees and he mentioned the different species , I honestly only remember that one was a Canadian something pine and this tree may see 5 days a year near freezing while most its life is spent in very hot and humid weather.

Another guy near Ocala which is anout a hundred miles NW has several White Oaks these things produce acorns that are almost as big as a baseball, I am not kidding you can barely close your hand around one. I had a picture of six he gave to me we just picked up a few years back that I lost in my computer files permanently, he told me they were dangerous when they started to fall as they would raise a welt when they hit you. he said he brought them with him when he moved from either Mass. Or Maine many years ago as a young man adding his wife loved those trees and wanted to try and grow them down here when we moved. Ocala gets maybe 10-12 days near freezing but is just as hot and humid as the rest of the state in the summer months. I assume its growing in the ground they benefit from.

ed
 
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Hope it decides to turn the corner for you. Looking at those long needles, could it be not enough sun, or too much water? Mine are really thirsty trees...when they are full.
 
I agree, I hope the tree comes around.

I was wondering the same about sun...(here in WY these take full sun most of the day at a much higher elevation). I don't know if yours is the Rocky Mtn, version.?..but lots of sun is very important for them...not sure about the other ones. The other thing might be temperature fluctuation on the roots. The pondy's here hate goin hot to cold or cold to hot very much, very fast. You said it gets failry cold...but is it consistent? Do you do anything to protect the pot/roots from extreme heat and frequent fluctuations in temperature? Sometimes we insulate the pot with reflective material or even sink it into rocks and/or pine needles.
 
Brian Van Fleet said:
Hope it decides to turn the corner for you. Looking at those long needles, could it be not enough sun, or too much water? Mine are really thirsty trees...when they are full.
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Yeah, I've wondered about that since moving here. The tree gets direct GA summer sun from 11AM to 3PM, dappled shade otherwise. All my other trees, including various junipers and pines, have the same exposure and do fine. I am going to be a bit more cautious with water this year.
 
Dan W. said:
I agree, I hope the tree comes around.

I was wondering the same about sun...(here in WY these take full sun most of the day at a much higher elevation). I don't know if yours is the Rocky Mtn, version.?..but lots of sun is very important for them...not sure about the other ones. The other thing might be temperature fluctuation on the roots. The pondy's here hate goin hot to cold or cold to hot very much, very fast. You said it gets failry cold...but is it consistent? Do you do anything to protect the pot/roots from extreme heat and frequent fluctuations in temperature? Sometimes we insulate the pot with reflective material or even sink it into rocks and/or pine needles.
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I'm pretty sure I lost several trees last year, including a collected lodgepole pine and several imported azaleas, because of rootzone problems related to heat and perhaps overwatering, even though I only water once daily. I've got some white landscape cloth and some old bedsheets that will end up wrapping the pots of some of the trees this year and hopefully minimize any issues with the sun on the pots. As far as winter cold goes, did anyone have consistent cold last winter? My backyard hit 18F 2 or 3 times last winter, otherwise lows were usually in the 30's and up, which is warm even for here. For what It's worth, my Rocky Mountain Junipers are growing gangbusters this year.
 
Well, the tree lost another small branch in the apex, BUT...it has the biggest, fattest buds I've ever seen on this tree. A good sign.
 

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I'm glad it's showing signs of improvement! :)
 
Hi Dav4,
I am glad you brought this thread back up and happy to see those fat buds on your Pondy. I have been asking questions about these and got some good advise from Eric R.
I have two that I've had for just over a year so have seen two spring cycles, and they went into bonsai pots in March. They seem to be doing well here in S.E. Virginia and this years growth appears tio have hardened off. I started their fertilizer yesterday and plan to keep it heavy over the rest of the summer and the remove the terminal buds in September to cause backbudding.

Bob O
 
Thanks Bob. I've read about that technique (I've got Larry Jackel's book) and was planning on using it on my other, stronger ponderosa just prior to moving to GA...that pondy stayed in MA. I am still concerned about this tree's strength (and survival, honestly) so I wont be pruning or pinching anything this year. We'll see how it pushes next spring. Good luck with your trees.

Dave
 
Dav4 really good looking buds .... great signs of improvement .... excellent wiring work there too .... nice and tidy!

Bob O thank you for the compliment ... I hope to see the results of your efforts !!!
 
Ang3lfir3 said:
Dav4 really good looking buds .... great signs of improvement .... excellent wiring work there too .... nice and tidy!

Bob O thank you for the compliment ... I hope to see the results of your efforts !!!
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Thanks Ang! By the way, anyone want to guess how long the wires have been in place?:cool:
 
Dav4 said:
Thanks Ang! By the way, anyone want to guess how long the wires have been in place?:cool:
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Well they are still there ... so at least 3+ years :p ..... you will be able to remove them faster once it gets stronger ....
 
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