Black Pine HELP!!

Today I received a shohin black pine that I purchased. Unfortunately the boxed traveled upside down and almost all the soil fell out of the pot!!! It seems that this tree was repotted in the fall since there are not many roots. Tree however appears to be very healthy. I placed all soil back and watered it and put it outside. My question is can this tree survive the oncoming winter?? What can I do to help it?? I am pretty experienced with deciduous varieties but not so much with pines in general.

Please advise and thank you!

l

Ouch!

If the box was small, and well sealed (and didn't have to travel too far and too long), perhaps the roots didn't lose too much moisture. The next few days will tell.

It's late in the year for much new growth, but keep it in the warmest, most protected-from-the-cold location you can find until really cold weather kicks in. If the needles haven't yellowed and fallen off by then, there may be hope. Put it where you normally over-winter your trees and wait until spring. Do not over water in "compensation."

...and contact the seller. It doesn't sound like they did an adequate job preparing the tree for shipping.

Dave Murphy wrote:...and contact the seller. It doesn't sound like they did an adequate job preparing the tree for shipping.

Oh, yes! Do that. NOW! Was there a "This side up" message on the box??????

JimLewis wrote:Ouch!

If the box was small, and well sealed (and didn't have to travel too far and too long), perhaps the roots didn't lose too much moisture. The next few days will tell.

It's late in the year for much new growth, but keep it in the warmest, most protected-from-the-cold location you can find until really cold weather kicks in. If the needles haven't yellowed and fallen off by then, there may be hope. Put it where you normally over-winter your trees and wait until spring. Do not over water in "compensation."

Thank you Jim! The entire tree was wrapped loosely in plastic so I think it retained it's moisture. Yes my worry is that it's very late in the year so I am worried. I real shame since it is a really nice shohin pine Will follow your advice and hope for the best

Dave Murphy wrote:...and contact the seller. It doesn't sound like they did an adequate job preparing the tree for shipping.

Yes! Most definitely and I took pics of it as well! This seller is very good though and he packs incredibly well. Is just that somehow the label was placed on bottom of box and that's how it traveled

Sounds like they did a crap job of packing the tree. When you ship a tree, the first thing you do is wrap the soil/pot so that none of that can fall out even if it does travel upside down the whole way.

I think they may owe you a healthy tree. Let them know.

Ed

If I keep it outside in a well protected area it means it will freeze now and then overnight. Should this be avoided?? Should I place it in a cold frame like the one in the pic for extra protection until it gets really cold outside??

I think that would be overkill. It is a pine. Pine can take colder weather than New Jersey is gonna throw at it, and you'll know if it is going to survive well before the real winter sets in. It's likely to be kept too warm in a cold frame.

Ok thank you Jim. So again, it's ok if it does go through some mild freezing even in it's present condition? Sorry, just trying to do all I can to save this little guy!

Yup

Thanks again Jim. Most appreciate it and wish me luck!!

Assuming the roots didn't dry out in the box, I think you should treat this tree as if it has been repotted. This is not a good time to be repotting pines as there is unlikely to be any new growth before the winter. Pines can withstand the cold but only if they have good roots. If the roots have been disturbed, the important thing is to ensure they are kept frost free over the winter. A cold frame / greenhouse is not the best solution. If you can keep the tree inside in a light airy place over the winter that would be fine. The window cill in a frost free garage would be good, particularly if you could place the pot in a polystyrene box. Even better would be some gentle bottom heat to stimulate root growth. If the roots did dry out in transport, it may take a few months before you know that the tree has been lost. In the meantime nothing ventured - nothing gained.

Thank you Peter for your reply! I will venture and say that I don't believe the roots dried out in transport due to the fact that the tree was shipped in a styrofoam box and wrapped with plastic around it's base. After placing all original soil back in the pot, I decided to place it in a bigger pot and filled it with akadama in order to preserve some moisture while allowing it to drain well. Also I think this may help with keeping the soil around the roots a bit more insulated and warmer. I do have a frost free (but cold) garage where I place pretty much all my trees for the winter. I'll try and put it close to a window and hope for the best. Right now I am getting very light freezes at night but it's fairly mild during the day so right now I have placed it in a nicely protected and sunny corner of my garden.

EdMerc wrote:Sounds like they did a crap job of packing the tree. When you ship a tree, the first thing you do is wrap the soil/pot so that none of that can fall out even if it does travel upside down the whole way.

I think they may owe you a healthy tree. Let them know.

Ed

I agree wholeheartedly. The soil needs to be contained in the pot so that it can survive being upside down at some point in the journey. I use plastic bags and tape. Even with a label there is no guarantee that the box will remain upright.

Aside from wrapping and taping the pot to keep the soil in place a good shipper will place moist paper on top of the soil and most importantly WIRE the damn thing into the bottom of the box on top of bubble wrap. The knuckle heads at UPS, FEDEX and USPS don't give a crap about "this side up" labels. Wiring the tree into the bottom of the box allows it to be turned upside down with no problems. Of course this only really works with shohin.

Ultimately its the shippers responsibility to ensure it get to you safe and sound.

Now, unfortunately its your responsibility to make sure the tree lives after a rough journey.

A reputable seller won't sell you a very recently repotted pine either....at least not until he's sure its in good shape.

My two cents.