Ponderosa Pine (from Golden Arrow Bonsai)

Adair M

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Indeed! Unlike present company.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, you don’t use any. And compound that with your limited use of words, that brings the amount of information in your posts down even further.

Why do you even bother to post?
 

Shogun610

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I got these two trees from golden arrow as well in March.But alas, I think the larger one isn’t doing so hot, I have it in the shade when it’s over 80, and only watering once a day. The roots weren’t touched except dirt to free from the B&B compaction, the buds aren’t even opening. The smaller one has buds popping. Any advice from the group that may help? I didn’t fertilize either tree except for small cakes after a month. Not sure if that affected the tree negatively. They’re both sitting in mostly pumice with some lava rock, akadama.
 

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Colorado

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Put it out in the sunniest spot in your yard before it’s too late!

And leave it there, even with temps in the triple digits. I don’t know that there is a more sun-loving and sun-tolerant...sun-NEEDING...tree than a Ponderosa Pine.

Definitely do not water as much as you would, say, a Black pine or a spruce or a deciduous tree. But also don’t let it get bone dry by any means.

Good luck!
 

Colorado

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If you feel like the soil is staying too wet, you can tilt the pot to help with drainage.
 

Potawatomi13

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In '16 got a BB tree from Andy. Was a slow starter but is robustly healthy today. Andy said may have been because of dry preceding Winter. As long as drainage is great H20 very important and dryness kills. Use chemical fertilizer for quicker results. Also have found foliar fertilizing(spray bottle)helps regardless of naysayers but suggest to do in evening or cooler days so evaporation is somewhat retarded and absorption better.
 

Moridin

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Not to hijack the thread but I was interested if Ponderosa's can do well in my climate here in Norcal?
 

Shogun610

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Put it out in the sunniest spot in your yard before it’s too late!

And leave it there, even with temps in the triple digits. I don’t know that there is a more sun-loving and sun-tolerant...sun-NEEDING...tree than a Ponderosa Pine.

Definitely do not water as much as you would, say, a Black pine or a spruce or a deciduous tree. But also don’t let it get bone dry by any means.

Good luck!
Even if it’s collected ?
 

Colorado

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Yes. Randy Knight advocates for getting collected trees into full sun as soon as practical. If you got the tree in March, I’m assuming it was collected the year before and should be totally ready for full sun.
 

Shogun610

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Yes. Randy Knight advocates for getting collected trees into full sun as soon as practical. If you got the tree in March, I’m assuming it was collected the year before and should be totally ready for full sun.
I dont know it was burlap so i think it was recently collected this year.
 

Potawatomi13

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I dont know it was burlap so i think it was recently collected this year.
Indeed. Believe Andy collects BB trees and sells in less than 2 months because of roots unpotted condition. Likely sooner. As long as roots not too hot or dry needle solar panels much needed to feed roots and speed recovery.
 
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robert gardner

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Well thanks to fat fingers I get to start over. I own several of Andys ponderosa's and they areall doing great. They all range from 100 to 60 years old and this year everyone put forth
candles. I applied a mild fert. last fall and it seems to work great. no needle plucking at this time, will start to wire with copper wire soon. Also used this fert. on all my other pines jbp.mugo
red pines and white pines. this is the first year of having every pine that I have candle out (that is one for mother nature) I have been working on pines for about 20 years now and that
has never happened to me. So just use a mild fert in the fall and keep fingers away from buds and needles.
 

jevanlewis

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Hey there. How is your ponderosa doing this spring?

As you know, it was a rough winter (which I expected the tree to handle just fine), but the tree came out of winter with a faded green color. The pot hasn't been draining well since I received it, but I wanted to wait to pot it until it was more established. But, given the poor needle color, a couple few weeks ago I repotted in pumice and lava (60/40). When I took the tree out, the existing soil was pretty hard, and there weren't many fine feeder roots.

Since the repot, the color isn't deteriorating any more and might actually be improving slightly. And, the buds are starting to swell, which I take as a good sign. It's not guaranteed to thrive or even survive, but I am optimistic its health will improve dramatically this year because it will be able to establish much better roots.

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As you know, it was a rough winter (which I expected the tree to handle just fine), but the tree came out of winter with a faded green color. The pot hasn't been draining well since I received it, but I wanted to wait to pot it until it was more established. But, given the poor needle color, a couple few weeks ago I repotted in pumice and lava (60/40). When I took the tree out, the existing soil was pretty hard, and there weren't many fine feeder roots.

Since the repot, the color isn't deteriorating any more and might actually be improving slightly. And, the buds are starting to swell, which I take as a good sign. It's not guaranteed to thrive or even survive, but I am optimistic its health will improve dramatically this year because it will be able to establish much better roots.

It seems like the repot may have been your best bet. I keep reading ponderosas need as much sun as they can possibly get, but I had a second-year collected pinyon that looked about like this last spring, and I wonder if it would have pulled through if I had put it in the shade. Good luck!!!
 

jevanlewis

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It seems like the repot may have been your best bet. I keep reading ponderosas need as much sun as they can possibly get, but I had a second-year collected pinyon that looked about like this last spring, and I wonder if it would have pulled through if I had put it in the shade. Good luck!!!

I'm aiming to do some collecting of pine this summer. I know Pinyon's are particularly difficult because of their long roots that grow in pockets of sandy soil.
 
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