Collecting Jack Pines

[M. Frary]

I have access to perhaps a million Jack Pines. I would like to try to collect some. I've read through the past threads and see that these are hard to collect. Well not hard to dig up but don't like being dug up.
Has anyone on here collected one successfully?
I will try collecting in spring like everyone else does.
And in summer.
I want to try summer because maybe they may be like a mugo and resent roots being fiddled with in spring.
Any thoughts,warnings,cautions or experiences are welcome.

 

[sorce]

A million?

Dig one now too. And fall!
Maybe even 2

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

There is an endangered bird who nests only in jack pine forests 7' to 15' tall. Only only in one place in the world. I live smack dab in the middle of it. The DNR plants acres and acres of jack pines each year.
If it were possible to get a shovel in the ground right now I would have one kickin' it with the rest of my trees. Lol.

 

[sorce]

Bucket not shovel!

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Elm Clump!

Busy spring!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

That one is going to be real fun to dig up! Under a foundation. What the hell am I thinking?

 

[BrianBay9]

Any place you can find where they grow in pockets on rock? Or thin soil over a rock base? I'd be looking for an area where strong winds blow over trees with some regularity - no chance to get roots going too deep.

 

[Vance Wood]

As far as I know no one has successfully dug one up. You might want to try as early as you can get a shovel in the ground. If you have access to more; try one a month till you discover which one works. When you break ground on something like this you sometimes break your back side doing it.

 

[M. Frary]

Any place you can find where they grow in pockets on rock? Or thin soil over a rock base? I'd be looking for an area where strong winds blow over trees with some regularity - no chance to get roots going too deep.

This is Michigan dude! Hardly any places like that here. Maybe along the edges of the great lakes...... and most places you can get to there are national lake shores. I'm going to have to check.

 

[BrianBay9]

This is Michigan dude! Hardly any places like that here. Maybe along the edges of the great lakes...... and most places you can get to there are national lake shores. I'm going to have to check.

Sorry, haven't spent much time in Michigan. But I'm really interested in what you learn about collecting these guys. If I have any success here in Wisconsin, I'll let you know.

 

[M. Frary]

Looks like we'll be finding out. Good luck in digging.

 

[crust]

Jacks have been collected for many years. Some from the NJ pine barrens. Some from the rocks of Canada. Some from here and there. The Canadians have some very fine Jack pine bonsai. Collecting them is not really the problem--its finding one worth collecting that is. I have a couple developing in my collection. They have many good traits for being bonsai like small needles, strong growth and a fairly crusty mature bark. On the negative side they can be temperamental to collect from the wild, have twisted needles and old specimens are rare. I have collected thirty over the years--only two remain. For me, I have discovered that latent collecting dirt makes them unhappy and I remove as much as I dare and more and start them in a course pumice and # 3 Perlite mix.

 

[M. Frary]

As far as I know no one has successfully dug one up. You might want to try as early as you can get a shovel in the ground. If you have access to more; try one a month till you discover which one works. When you break ground on something like this you sometimes break your back side doing it.

Its already broke Vance. We'll there is that large crack in it.

 

[crust]

Here is a Canadian stringy one

 

[M. Frary]

Yours Crust?

 

[twarawa]

I collected one last spring. It came from a powerline right of way. The ground was still frozen when I took it out. It was in very sandy soil. It is a young tree, about 2" diameter trunk, so things may be different for an older specimen. I took as much roots as I could carry and only cleaned up the larger roots sticking out with no fine roots attached.

Planted in the ground and it didn't skip a beat. New growth started shortly after the wild ones started and it seems to be in good shape now. I think the challenge will be to get it into a pot as there is a lot of root ball to remove in the future.

No special treatment in the first season. Just regular fertilizing and morning to later afternoon full sun.

I mostly collected it to see how it would fare as there is nothing special about it. A good place to start before butchering some better stock.

 

[crust]

Yours Crust?

No, this is one, I think, was collected by the famous Canadian tree robber Jerry volchek(sp) of whom I once went collecting jack pines with on a mysterious submerged mountain top up by Quebec City many years ago. Mine are OK but I have no showable photos of them right now. Montreal Botanical garden had at least one pretty good one in the American exhibit even if it was grossly over fertilized--but then thy probably killed that too. I believe the Torontans have a few sweeties

 

[crust]

Personally I think the species is hardly worth collecting just as a tree. If there is fine detail, bulky dwarfing or eccentricities present then go in for it.http://torontobonsai.org/archive/Archives/horticulture/jackpine.htm

 

[Vance Wood]

Here is a Canadian stringy one

 

[Vance Wood]

This is good to hear. Do you know any details as to time of year and stage of growth when tree was moved. These things are critical.

 

[Vance Wood]

There is an endangered bird who nests only in jack pine forests 7' to 15' tall. Only only in one place in the world. I live smack dab in the middle of it. The DNR plants acres and acres of jack pines each year.
If it were possible to get a shovel in the ground right now I would have one kickin' it with the rest of my trees. Lol.

Kurtland warbler