Collecting window for your area

[Joe Dupre']

Just curious on everyone's collecting window. Spring? Summer? Fall? Winter? What's your success rate for these odd collection times?

I normally do all my collecting from late winter into very early summer. I have, on occasion, collected smaller trees at almost all times of the year. I have not been too successful on bigger trees with minimal roots collected in summer. Sometimes you have to try when an opportunity presents itself, though.

It seems Cajunrider has successfully collected BC and Mayhaws at non-traditional times of the year and has been successful. I have a buddy that collects BC around Thanksgiving and it works well for him. Local guys collect water elms in the dead of summer because of the draining down of Lake Catahoula.

 

[Cruiser]

All year, with a few exceptions.
Success rate is 95.6%
Aftercare is everything.

 

[Cruiser]

All year, with a few exceptions.
Success rate is 95.6%
Aftercare is everything.

I should specify that this applies to evergreen conifers. Pacific yew, various true firs, Sitka and Engelmann spruces, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, and western red cedar.

 

[RaginCajun]

Late December thru late January here. Everything starts waking up around here in February. I collected a couple trees in late November once and they didn’t survive. The trees I have collected in late winter just before the trees start waking up have all survived.

 

[Shibui]

Depends on the species.
Most Aussie natives - in my area: late Spring through Summer. In slightly warmer areas: all year round.
Olives - All year round.
Azaleas - All year round.
Deciduous - From leaf drop through to leaves open. Younger seedlings all year round if necessary. Have not tried Autumn transplant yet but I'm told it is possible.
Conifers - mid winter through to late Spring. Have not tried Autumn transplant yet but, as mentioned by @Cruiser I'm told it is possible.

 

[The Barber]

I collect anytime during dormancy here in Kentucky. Those include American beech, American hornbeam, any elm or oak species, honeysuckle, privet, and others. I collected maybe 80 trees last year and almost all of them survived. The ones that did not were because of lack of feeder roots when they were dug. Even 2 out of 4 of the Virginia pines I collected in soil that was so poor it fell off the roots when collected survived (decomposing shale).

 

[baldone]

Ragincajun
Do you chop the trunk before you dig

 

[The Barber]

Do you chop the trunk before you dig

I usually leave more than i plan on keeping, especially on American hornbeam. If the tree has minimal feeder roots I will go back after extracting a tree and remove all branches (leave a stub) as well so that when it doesn't have a large mass of leaves that the roots cannot support. I've had a couple hornbeam die back all the way to the base on one side of the tree. To avoid that i leave about twice as much trunk as I plan to keep, or more. When it branches out I go back later in the summer before fall growth starts and cut the trunk where I decide I want it, preferably at an angle leaving a branch at the bottom of the 45ish degree angled cut. Also leaving the cut a bit more convex will heal more natural looking that a flat or concave cut. Some trees are less prone to die back, beech I haven't had any issues with, and I make my cuts where I want them at the time of collection. Always, always seal trunk and branch wounds on collected trees, this also helps to reduce dieback.

 

[Cajunrider]

Do you chop the trunk before you dig

No. I leave the entire top on and use the top weight to lean the tree in any direction I want. Once the tree is toppled, I chop the trunk and trim the roots, leaving a good bit of margin for error and for protection during transport. Final trim is done at potting time.