Witch's brom_larch

Well, this topic is not about my success in cultivating  bonsais from a witch's broom.  Sorry.  But maybe it is a first tap on my head to look for new direction.  

I have waken up in a beautiful sunny morning today, so it was not a difficult decision making process what I should do...  Visit to the local woodland with the idea to make a few shots of birches for a planned article on my blog.  So instead of spending the day with my eyes pointed at the ground I have changed the direction and spent a few hours with my head turned up.  What  a change.  Feeling like a stranger on places that are just a few miles from my home and I thought I knew them quite well

Witch's broom on larch - 1 m wide.  How can I get a few grafts?

Climbing gear and an air layer. I know tamarack will layer so other latches might too.
I've not seen a witches broom on larch around here. Just pines.

The top is far too thin for my liking, Mike. I think I will get a rifle to shoot some branchlets for grafts...

Kidding.

Vlad wrote:The top is far too thin for my liking, Mike. I think I will get a rifle to shoot some branchlets for grafts...

Kidding.  

It would probably work well.

I have found this little larch seedling not far away the larch with the witch broom.   Just a coincidence but it looks quite different from the other seedlings in the area.  
1. It is still in full swing while the other seedlings in the area were either yellow or without needles.
2. Contrary to the other seedlings this one looks very, very compact.  

Larix d. compacta?  

Height: 10 cm
Needle: Normal size


As you can see the little guy has join me on the way back home.  Curious to see its development within next 2-3 years.

[url=https://servimg.com/view/18612061/186]

Vlad wrote:I have found this little larch seedling not far away the larch with the witch broom.   Just a coincidence but it looks quite different from the other seedlings in the area.  
1. It is still in full swing while the other seedlings in the area were either yellow or without needles.
2. Contrary to the other seedlings this one looks very, very compact.  

Hi Vlad, how far do you live from Tchernobyl?...



Kidding (though...)

Joking apart, this is a very nice find. Take good care of it.

AlainK wrote:

Hi Vlad, how far do you live from Tchernobyl?...

Well, if I start to think about that probably much closer than I thought

Look at this.



This one is even bigger


Four of them over 1m and some other ones in the making.  The same forest as the witch's broom.  

The seedling I have collected is NOT Larix but Pinus strobus.

Just in case anybody is interested to have it - it is available for free. In case of shipment - the cost of postage to be covered by the new owner.   The offer is open till the end of Sept.  Then I will return the seedling back to the woods.

It still looks like a witch's broom of strobus, worth hanging on to I think. Regulations would probably not allow to ship across the pond or I would take you up. Is strobus a common tree over there? I know they use it for forestry worldwide, but surprised it would have naturalize to have seedlings around. We have sylvestris planted around many of our highways, but I don't know that I've ever seen a seedling.

The growth does look course like a strobus, but shorter needles and way many more internodes(witches broom).

Those mounds are creepy. Any idea what they are from?

David

There are no other five needle pines in our region so it should be P. strobus. And the woods close to my place is quite full of it including naturally spread seedlings. Introduced to our country at the beggining of 19th century. In some areas - nature reserves - is labeled as invasive as it takes over the space previously occupied by sylvestris.

Ant's hill - mainly needles & twigs & sand.