Is the right time to collect Podacarpus

Hi All ,

Long time reader on the forum . and enjoy all the post on this forum very much.This is my first post and the first question .Is this time of the year still OK to collecting Podacarpus in Southern California. any advise will be very helpful Thanks.

Martin Lau

The only large one I've collected was at Christmas in Florida, but I do most of my repotting at the warmer end of spring. Since it's not native to California, it's hard to say exactly. It may depend on how large the tree is and how hard it is to dig.

I think it's a good time. I've collected them from Jan. through the end of April and have had 100% success. I gotten at least 15 or so from various gardens. They seem to not mind being collected to much.

Jim / Bob
I also have a large prodacarpus to collect. I have two questions if you will. First how much green is needed on the stump. Second how large of a root ball is needed. I have never collected one and inexperienced on this specie. Any other helpful hints ?

Thanks Mitch

I've only collected this one tree, and it was surrounded by sidewalk and a building foundation, so I got very little fine roots. It's still alive in a pot 7 years later (though it has yet to pan out as a bonsai). I left a lot of foliage, 90 percent of which has since disappeared.

The tree was at least 50 years old and 9 feet tall before I chopped it to the size above with my then 4-year-old granddaughter.

You should leave some green on any branch you want to keep, but I generally keep quite a bit until I know where I'm going with it. As for roots they seem to not need all that many, but you probably want to get as many as possible. All the one's I've collected have had more fibrous roots then big ones.

Thanks Jim / Bob
I'll have my work cut for me, it's a large tree about 6" in diameter.

Mitch

Mine has/had a 9-inch base.

Jim
Yea I can tell it's a monster! I'll bet it was a hell of a battle getting that one out of the ground. Is that your daughter, she is a cutie pie. My grand daughter is my shadow when I'm in my garden. Thanks for the reply.

Mitch

Granddaughter. The tree was at her house in st. Pete Beach, FL. In fact it came out of that spot between the house wall and that white kerb behind her.

Bob Pressler wrote:I think it's a good time. I've collected them from Jan. through the end of April and have had 100% success. I gotten at least 15 or so from various gardens. They seem to not mind being collected to much.

Bob,

Thanks for the information i will go ahead to collect the tree some time this weeks

JimLewis wrote:The only large one I've collected was at Christmas in Florida, but I do most of my repotting at the warmer end of spring. Since it's not native to California, it's hard to say exactly. It may depend on how large the tree is and how hard it is to dig.

Hi Bob

Thanks