chrisbotero
Sapling
I collected this pine (dont know exact species, 5-needle) near Mt Adams last summer and Im hoping to reduce the large roots over the next year or two so he can be placed in a reasonable sized pot. As you can see, (sorry about the order of the pictures) there are two main roots shooting off in both directions and a few other smaller roots requiring a box about 4 feet long. He has done really well over the winter and there are a ton of new buds this spring so Im thinking some root work might be in order this year.
My thought, considering the girth of the 2 main brances and their obvious importanct to the health of the tree, is to ground layer both of these near the trunk creating enough new roots over the year to eliminate those large roots. Im assuming I would treat this as any other layer stripping a deep ring on the roots close to the trunk and applying rooting hormone before planting back in this pot. Then, hopefully, it will develop many new roots over the following year and the main root can be cut back.
I guess Im looking for a little guidance here. I think this tree has great potential and I would hate to mess it up. At the same point, those two roots really need to be shortened. Any guidance you could give me would be wonderful concerning the process (although I know the basic layering process), timing, etc.
Thanks!
My thought, considering the girth of the 2 main brances and their obvious importanct to the health of the tree, is to ground layer both of these near the trunk creating enough new roots over the year to eliminate those large roots. Im assuming I would treat this as any other layer stripping a deep ring on the roots close to the trunk and applying rooting hormone before planting back in this pot. Then, hopefully, it will develop many new roots over the following year and the main root can be cut back.
I guess Im looking for a little guidance here. I think this tree has great potential and I would hate to mess it up. At the same point, those two roots really need to be shortened. Any guidance you could give me would be wonderful concerning the process (although I know the basic layering process), timing, etc.
Thanks!