Tsuga Canadensis study group

Sorry no photo yet . Crappy home internet . I’ll load tomorrow . If there is interest . But so far a one summer experiment of sorts . 2 3 gallon trees . Purchased from a reforestation nursery . Spring sale to Kate to repot . So left in the nursery soil . Experiment was light related . One in let’s call it shade ( say 25 percent light ) back of my normal part shade bench somewhat behind other trees . The other in ( say 3/4 sun ) not full sun which is at a premium for me . Both watered the same . Which amounts to the shade tree watered when the sun tree was due . So always wet in the shade . Both fairly heavy fert the exact same . Fish emulsion and miracle gro . Results are somewhat expected the sun tree is shorter has slightly tighter growth . And is let’s say leaning to light green colour . The shade tree has more elongation . Is about 30 percent taller. And what I would say nice dark green colour . As for trunk size development an argument can be made that the shade tree might be larger . But both basically the same . Both started out the same . Colour and size . Both trees received zero . Trimming
 
Finally collected stick in a pot eastern hemlock . Found 2 springs ago to late to collect . First year trimmed back fert spike added . Second year more fert and some close to trunk excavation. Between large roots . Replace soil with 50 50 absorbent and composted pine bark . Tree was growing out of the corner of a fallen tree root stump . Hard to tell very rotten but don’t think it was hemlock . In middle of what was once a beaver . Flooded area . Dry for 3 years . Absorbent added for concern of moisture . After collecting this seems to have been effective . Area is full of roots . Collecting involved . Sawing the corner off the root ball . And taking what I could carry ( not doing that again only thing I have collected that big was thuja which is much lighter ) there is no doubt in my mind tree was wounded and healed over in the past . Possible beaver . Largest root 1/4 size of trunk has 38 rings . Core native rooted stump soil left around base untacked. Medium is mixture one part each . Hard crushed granite . Black pumice . ( lava grip ) oil absorbent . This is a standard non organic mix I make as a base to add to . In this case it’s
 

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Frozentreehugger said:
Finally collected stick in a pot eastern hemlock . Found 2 springs ago to late to collect . First year trimmed back fert spike added . Second year more fert and some close to trunk excavation. Between large roots . Replace soil with 50 50 absorbent and composted pine bark . Tree was growing out of the corner of a fallen tree root stump . Hard to tell very rotten but don’t think it was hemlock . In middle of what was once a beaver . Flooded area . Dry for 3 years . Absorbent added for concern of moisture . After collecting this seems to have been effective . Area is full of roots . Collecting involved . Sawing the corner off the root ball . And taking what I could carry ( not doing that again only thing I have collected that big was thuja which is much lighter ) there is no doubt in my mind tree was wounded and healed over in the past . Possible beaver . Largest root 1/4 size of trunk has 38 rings . Core native rooted stump soil left around base untacked. Medium is mixture one part each . Hard crushed granite . Black pumice . ( lava grip ) oil absorbent . This is a standard non organic mix I make as a base to add to . In this case it’s
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2 parts in organic 1 part composted pine . With about 50 percent of the pine larger sized .
 
Frozentreehugger said:
Finally collected stick in a pot eastern hemlock . Found 2 springs ago to late to collect . First year trimmed back fert spike added . Second year more fert and some close to trunk excavation. Between large roots . Replace soil with 50 50 absorbent and composted pine bark . Tree was growing out of the corner of a fallen tree root stump . Hard to tell very rotten but don’t think it was hemlock . In middle of what was once a beaver . Flooded area . Dry for 3 years . Absorbent added for concern of moisture . After collecting this seems to have been effective . Area is full of roots . Collecting involved . Sawing the corner off the root ball . And taking what I could carry ( not doing that again only thing I have collected that big was thuja which is much lighter ) there is no doubt in my mind tree was wounded and healed over in the past . Possible beaver . Largest root 1/4 size of trunk has 38 rings . Core native rooted stump soil left around base untacked. Medium is mixture one part each . Hard crushed granite . Black pumice . ( lava grip ) oil absorbent . This is a standard non organic mix I make as a base to add to . In this case it’s
Click to expand...
That is more than a stick in a pot. That is a honking trunk. And a nice amount of roots too. Give it 2-3 years of unrestricted growth to strengthen it in it’s new environment. Down the road. I would consider some self grafts to compact the structure. Could be a stunning tree down the road.
 
MrFancyPlants said:
That is more than a stick in a pot. That is a honking trunk. And a nice amount of roots too. Give it 2-3 years of unrestricted growth to strengthen it in it’s new environment. Down the road. I would consider some self grafts to compact the structure. Could be a stunning tree down the road.
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Thanks my friend . From the get go . Grafting is in the plan . ( most likely approach grafting young potted native stock for reforestation is easy to come by here . ) but first let’s make it live . Some would say I’m being to conservative at the start . But I’ve been burned before . And to most one of the drawbacks of the species. As you know is difficulty of finding good wild stock . I don’t want to squander . The material .
 
Some other spring info may be of interest . Found a beaver pond near my cottage with freshly chewed down . Hemlock may be interesting to see if they re sprout . Also looks like my experiment to chop back in the wild other than the above collected tree failed . To recap . Fairly drastically cut back trees leaving green growth . One without light condition change . The other 2 were growing out of a nursing dead stump . A storm felled large tree openend up the canopy . To light to the south . Fert spikes were added when trimmed last spring . All three were struggling as if the fall and seem dead this spring . The one without the light change seemed the healthiest in fall .
 
Frozentreehugger said:
Thanks my friend . From the get go . Grafting is in the plan . ( most likely approach grafting young potted native stock for reforestation is easy to come by here . ) but first let’s make it live . Some would say I’m being to conservative at the start . But I’ve been burned before . And to most one of the drawbacks of the species. As you know is difficulty of finding good wild stock . I don’t want to squander . The material .
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Sounds like a plan, but I’ll resuggest the self-graft. With the genetic variability in stock, it would stink to put in all the work and then have different branches expressing themselves differently. And the length and flexibility of Tsuga growth should make it easy to approach to itself.

Get it healthy first, by all means.
 
I recently dug the one I put in the ground after collection because I had almost no roots and questioned it's survival. It had put out a lot of healthy new roots.
1713788184445.png1713788231758.png


Put it in a grow box of pumice, lava, crushed brick and pine bark.
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Underdog said:
I recently dug the one I put in the ground after collection because I had almost no roots and questioned it's survival. It had put out a lot of healthy new roots.
View attachment 541738View attachment 541739


Put it in a grow box of pumice, lava, crushed brick and pine bark.
View attachment 541740View attachment 541741
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Very nice it also
Looks like it was wounded at one time . What kind of enviro conditions did you find it in . From the fairly vertical growth looks like it was in a fair amount of sun
 
Found on the weekend up a slop from a beaver pond . Most likely will be a collection possibility next spring . The negative is it’s telephone pole straight . Positive it’s on a fairly flat pice of granite . With very shallow roots under trunk . May have some long roots . But has killer plated bark and that nice low branch . It checks several boxes . For those looking . It was wounded one ( creating the low growth . It’s in good light . And looks like collectable roots . Up here the granite outcrops offer trees that are never coming out or the deep cracks
 

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It is a nice tree. How long ago was it collected?
The second branch on the left is a bit more distracting to me than the first, if you remove that then also remove the bottom left branch, but that doesn’t leave you with a whole lot.

I don’t know if it is necessary, but I’ll plant the idea that self-grafts could really compact the tree, so that straight sections could be removed later.
 
MrFancyPlants said:
It is a nice tree. How long ago was it collected?
The second branch on the left is a bit more distracting to me than the first, if you remove that then also remove the bottom left branch, but that doesn’t leave you with a whole lot.

I don’t know if it is necessary, but I’ll plant the idea that self-grafts could really compact the tree, so that straight sections could be removed later.
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I collected about 2020
When I did, the thick branch to the left was a competing leader, so I shortened it, and began its long slow process of being pulled down. I haven't ever considered removing it, but you are correct. The thickness is distracting.

Just above that, where the tree moves right, was another considerable branch, where in hind site, I should made the thick one a jin, and pulled the other down to fill in.
I'm a little locked in now though (short of grafting).
I shortened the lowest left significantly last spring, and it responded well. I'm thinking of just chasing the foliage back to the trunk a bit and tightening up the proportions.
Maybe wire this weekend, and I'll repost next week.
 
WinstonWolfe said:
View attachment 550403
Im looking for opinions on whether to keep as is, jin, or just shorten the first branch to the left... also, general input is welcome as well.
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My bro @MrFancyPlants . Has self grafting on the brain this year . 😂😂😂 . First it’s your tree you need to make choices on style size . Intended goals . As is it’s tall thin fairly straight trunk ( with some age characteristics) if left in that basic style . It needs growth closer to trunk to rebuild the branching structure . And foliage pads . And yes my Bro 😎 . Has a good idea with self grafting . Considering there wound healing abilities . If you stay that rout you need something elegant maybe no Jin or short Jin’s . A tree exists maybe 2 . Option . Air layer the top off . Above the branch 1/2 way up . Coming towards the front. N my making a much shorter tree . Use the air layer as a second tree or . Use it to approach graft to the shorter tree . I would be very tempted to do this . Shorter version . Lean everything to the left . As a windswept is possible . But I love windswept 😎😎. I think sone sort of condensed shorter tree is best single tree version . If it’s going to stay tall. Make a good forest tree . Or at least a couple more to fill in lay it down as a raft is also a nice idea dead wood . Roots like a old blow down just some ideas . Tall elegant foliage close to trunk . Would be less dramatic
 
WinstonWolfe said:
The thickness is distracting.
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Yes but we work w/what we have. If you can get a replacement started by cutting back...
WinstonWolfe said:
I'm a little locked in now though (short of grafting).
I'm thinking of just chasing the foliage back to the trunk a bit and tightening up the proportions.
Click to expand...
Yes from me on this. If it's healthy I'd cut back hard to force back buds. I have had good luck getting new buds on older wood.
>>>>wire this weekend
wait until fall IMO
 
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