Internet Bonsai Club
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Fall Collecting

3 posters

Go down

Fall Collecting Empty Fall Collecting

Post  Michael T Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:36 pm

Rummaging through a nursery I ran across two 10 to 15 foot tall amur maples (acer ginnala) that were previously balled, but have now grown into the ground. They've been there awhile. I paid the the nursery for them and am now trying to decide whether it's ok to lift them this fall.

They have 10 inch bases (possibly bigger) and separate into four,/five to six different trunks within a foot from the base. They taper very nicely within the same span. Each trunk is between 2 to 3 inches in caliper. The nebari spreads all the way around the base uniformly (very nice and really why I bought them). The nebari, however, extends away from the base, off the top of the old ball and then are completely exposed a few inches before they finally go into the ground. I suspect they are the principle roots feeding the tree. It's still in full leaf.

I cut the multiple trunks down to about three to four feet about two weeks.

My questions: is it possible to lift these in the fall? Should I wait til leaf drop? If so, will that give them enough time to send out new feeder roots? Does it matter if they are dormant when I do it? How far back can I cut the principal roots radiating from the base of the trunk. I'd hate to cut them too far and have them die off in favor of the roots running under the trunk, but in the same breadth if I cut them closer to where they go int he soil, I'm going to have some pretty big rootballs?

Our winters here get pretty cold late October to mid-November. Most trees are dormant by then.

And I get the feeling the nursery owner wants me to go ahead and lift them now as opposed to waiting til late winter early spring. Although if I pressed, she'd probably let them stay til then.

Thoughts?

Incidentally, I successfully lifted a much larger amur (think twenty-twenty-five feet with 16+ inch base) two years ago that is doing very well. We had to use a fork lift to put it in the truck. I've done this before, just not in the fall. I pulled the first one when you should just before the buds broke.

The ones I bought are very similar in appearance just a smaller.

Michael T
Member


Back to top Go down

Fall Collecting Empty Re: Fall Collecting

Post  mr treevolution Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:52 pm

I would wait until late winter, but if needs must and the nursery owner is keen to get shut then go for a lifting session in the fall!

mr treevolution
Member


Back to top Go down

Fall Collecting Empty Re: Fall Collecting

Post  Jim Doiron Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:24 pm

Hey Micheal, I have collected/lifted a few trees in the fall and had fairly good success with it. At the time, though, I did it because I had to (moving/trees were being pulled out of a landscape) or because I was ignorant to the fact that you couldn't (because I was ignorant). A couple of boxwoods I have were even ripped from the ground with a truck in late August and I managed to get them in the ground and they came back ok. Good luck whatever happens. If you need a hand moving them I think I'm close by or if you decide to use the truck method I have one of those too.
Jim Doiron
Jim Doiron
Member


Back to top Go down

Fall Collecting Empty Re: Fall Collecting

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum