Greetings all,



I am seeking advice on the timing of a collecting run.



A developer I know is planning on clearing some home sites on the East side
of the Cascade Range, near Bend, Oregon. This area is thriving with
Juniperus Occidentalis. I have received permission to collect, in front of
his bull dozer any of the smaller trees that I can carry. My question is
one of timing.



When could I collect them and be sure of the best chance of survival?



Once collected, the trees will be removed from the high desert environment
and moved to zone 7 (Portland, Oregon) - Much warmer winter, lots of rain,
etc.



While visiting this summer - in the height of the desert heat - I took the
opportunity to rescue 4 trees that were going to be flattened. Those trees
are not thriving, but they did survive, and all 4 have maintained some green
(see posting on IBC web
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ga...pic.php?t=2129 ).



The question remains - What is the best time to collect this species, and
from this environment?



Thanks,



Tony Ashton

Portland Oregon.






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Tony, good to see you here again!

I am seeking advice on the timing of a collecting run.
A developer I know is planning on clearing some home sites on the East side
of the Cascade Range, near Bend, Oregon. This area is thriving with
Juniperus Occidentalis. I have received permission to collect, in front of
his bull dozer any of the smaller trees that I can carry. My question is
one of timing. When could I collect them and be sure of the best chance of
survival?
Once collected, the trees will be removed from the high desert environment
and moved to zone 7 (Portland, Oregon) - Much warmer winter, lots of rain,
etc.
While visiting this summer - in the height of the desert heat - I took the
opportunity to rescue 4 trees that were going to be flattened. Those trees
are not thriving, but they did survive, and all 4 have maintained some
green
(see posting on IBC web
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ga...pic.php?t=2129 ).
The question remains - What is the best time to collect this species, and
from this environment?

Several comments. I tend to feel that spring tends to be the best time for
collecting these trees, but if it is late enough in fall, you should have a
good success rate with good after-care.

I spoke with Dan Robinson this year at Elendan Gardens about western
junipers. He commented that some junipers he had collected from east of the
Cascades often lived several years but slowly declined (I think I recall him
saying that a few were peculiar and did well in the lower, moister climate,
probably due to odd genes).

My own personal issues with junipers around here is that they usually have
root systems that go on for yards and yards with no appreciable feeder roots
near the trunk. Several people including Dan commented that if I found an
exceptional tree that should be collectable, I should consider digging under
the main trunk and placing a mass of soaked sphagnum moss under the
trunk/root area. Keeping the moss damp will tend to cause a lot of
opportunistic roots to emerge. Great idea, but I don't think I could manage
to drive out into the desert regularly to keep one of these projects
watered. (wrapping the moss and that area of roots with plastic would help
a lot).

For after-care in the Willamette Valley I would have to advice you use a
very free draining soil, and perhaps even put plastic over the soil to keep
your relatively incredible amounts of rain from keeping the soil too wet.

Another usually overlooked issue is that some trees collected at high
elevations decline when moved to lower elevations because they actually need
higher levels of UV light. Not sure if this is much of a real issue
though.... I've talked to forest biologists who have commented that some
varieties of manzanita found at high elevations do seem to be sensitive to
UV light, and decline without enough of it.

Ultimately though, any tree you may collect may not survive, but that
bulldozer will give them zero chance, so I would go for it. Collect as much
root as possible, take material, plastic/burlap, whatever to keep the root
ball slightly moist and under control for transport.

I probably shouldn't talk though....the tree I carefully collected over a
couple months died almost instantly once I got it home. One I very
foolishly pulled out of the ground (growing on a thin layer of soil in a
quarry) just to see how the roots might run is alive and thriving 2-3 years
after the fact.

Sam Crowell
Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA

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In a message dated 10/8/2004 11:21:03 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
The question remains - What is the best time to collect this species, and
from this environment?
Tony:

The tree on the site is under severe stress and appears to be failing. What
does the cambium look like on the drying branches?

The best time to collect Juniper is unequivocally in the spring. If this is
not possible given the threat of destruction by the bulldozer, dig large root
balls, place the trees in nursery containers, and apply full-strength doses of
Roots with Mycorrhiza. I would then apply a Mycorrhiza innoculant one week
later. In the spring, hit the trees hard with the Roots product.

If you need a source, let me know and I will post a site.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Boon Manakitivipart++++
************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++