The next generation

[Kveldssanger]

That's what I like to hear.

 

(I prefer the pine, however - lovely tree!)

[jomoco]

Container grown seedlings, unless planted very skillfully?

 

Have a tendency to not develope lateral support roots as vigorously as natural seedlings.

 

I have guyed enough container grown Torrey pines in the process of falling over in commercial settings to confirm it's a manmade problem, and somewhat common.

 

Good stuff Mr. Humphries, very educational, as usual.

 

Jomoco

[Spruce Pirate]

Do you know when the others in the sketch came down David?

 

Also do you know how long you expect the remaining tree to last? I love to see the replacement, but can't help wondering if it should have been done ten, twenty, thirty years earlier? Sorry, that sounds really negative, and I don't mean it as a criticism, just wondering.

[David Humphries]

The other trees haven't been there for at least thirty years that I've known it.

 

I have absolutely no idea how long the old pine will stay standing.

It has Phaeolus schweinitzii throughout the stem and Heterobasidion annosum in the roots.

The tethers we placed on it will keep it standing longer than it would have without them. The secondary woodland that's grown up around it will (to some degree) also protect it from strong gales.

 

Yes I agree, replacements should have already been on the go, but better late than never.

 

 

 

.

Edited January 19, 2017 by David Humphries

[David Humphries]

Container grown seedlings, unless planted very skillfully? Have a tendency to not develope lateral support roots as vigorously as natural seedlings.

I have guyed enough container grown Torrey pines in the process of falling over in commercial settings to confirm it's a manmade problem, and somewhat common.

 

That's an interesting observation Jon, thanks for sharing.

 

I teased the soil away from the roots before planting it just to see how they had developed as it had been about a couple of years since I last took a good look at them at the last repotting.

They were fairly well developed, but you're right that artificial establishment is no substitute for the real deal.

 

 

 

.

[jomoco]

My container established seedling transplants have been few and limited.

 

But what little hands on experience I've had?

 

Have made me a believer in gently washing away the soil of a gallon container sapling, and planting on a conical mound, with the roots arranged radially, in a hole wide enough to accommodate them in a straight line.

 

Amateur observations admittedly, but a well intentioned attempt to mimic nature on my part.

 

Jomoco

[David Humphries]

the Human disorder, a strange affliction that makes individuals do pointless things at the expense of others good intentions.........hmmmmmm.

 

 So after 7 years of nurturing and planned succession, someone decides to destroy those best layed plans on a whim.

 

Frustration is one word that begins with an F that comes to mind, there are others........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[daltontrees]

That saddens me, outof all proportion to it being just one tree. But now I am thinking, it was such a nice sapling that maybe someone stole it and it is growing quite happily in a garden somewhere. Not as far fetched as all that, since I had a decent-sized japanese maple stolen from my front lawn a couple of years ago.

 

About 25 years ago, I decided to guerrila-forest a bit of waste ground across from my flat. I was doing a lot of hillwalking all over Scotland in those days, and over the course of a  few months I collected about 15 seedlings, each from a different glen, so they were all individually named. A lot of scots pine, birch and rowan, but I promise I only took the wild seedlings from the edge of plantations, the ones that wouldn't have survived in roadside/trackside spots.  Point is, with a spade and a carrier bag it wasn't that hard to get them out and home.

 

The whole lot were starting to get quite established, then I came home form work one day and the Council had devegetated the bit of ground, for no apparent reason. There was a thesaurus-full of F words.

 

Let's hope yours has survived, even if stolen.

[Martyn Honey]

I have just read the whole thread, unbelievable after 7 years of work, what is the world coming too!
What happened to the other seedlings? Hopefully they are growing somewhere and you can replant?
Martyn

[Gary Prentice]

57 minutes ago, daltontrees said:

 with a spade and a carrier bag it wasn't that hard to get it out and home.

A confession, M'Lord!

 

I agree with Martyn, probably planted somewhere else, in an entirely unsuitable position. On the plus side, if someone's taken the time to take it, hopefully it will be nurtured in its new home.

 

I have no idea how you'd go about establishing something without it being pinched. I've heard of fencing, trees/shrubs and even turf being 'lost' off of landscaping schemes.