Dumpster Trees

[pandacular]

On a walk through my neighborhood, I found three little seedlings, bursting with new growth, shoved haphazardly into a 4" nursery pot, sitting on a dumpster. I did what I had to do and took them home with me (I left the succulent and monstera cuttings for someone else). Upon repotting them, I found that there was practically no soil in the root masses of the seedlings, so I'm guessing whoever gave these away had a few too many bareroot seedlings on hand.

After repotting, I put a bit of wire on them to get them shaped a bit more nicely. premature? probably, but it was fun practice.

I suspect that they are coast redwood, based on the leaves--alternate growing, look about right, two stomal bands on the underside--as well as the vigorous growth. Let me know if you think it's something else though!

I also found a small bonsai pot in a different trash location, and it feels fitting to use for one or all of these tree someday, but who knows if it will be a good match once these things have grown.

 

[Scorpius]

Yew

 

[PowerTap]

The growing tips don't look like what I'd expect on a redwood.

 

[pandacular]

why a yew over a coast redwood? I don't really know what to look for to differentiate them.

I shouldve noted that I pinched back most the growing tips by the pics where they are repotted/wired.

 

[PowerTap]

Is this what the tips looked like before you pinched them? If yes, then I might change my vote.

Picture is my coast redwood for reference.

 

[pandacular]

Hmmm, not quite. Yours looks more like a spiral growth coming out of the branch. Actually the first picture is before I did anything to them.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

They are yew.

 

[Paradox]

yew have yew

 

[pandacular]

Thanks for the help everyone! Given that there was basically no soil grown into the roots--they basically barerooted themselves as soon as I pulled them out of the nursery pot--is it likely that they were planted from bareroot seedlings? The timing seems to lineup with the arbor day trees potentially.

 

[Topdec]

You can't beat free material, even if they don't make it you get to practice techniques without risking more mature/expensive trees.

 

[pandacular]

I did use them to practice, and learned a valuable lesson: if you try to wire branches too young they'll just die. A corrolary lesson: if you kill too many branches, the tree will die too!

So anyway, I'm down to two of these. The largest one has died of unknown causes that I had nothing to do with. I removed the wire from the other two, as they didn't look happy. One has bounced back a ton, the other is still making it's way back.

 

[jaimezpr]

They are yew

 

[Paradox]

I did use them to practice, and learned a valuable lesson: if you try to wire branches too young they'll just die. A corrolary lesson: if you kill too many branches, the tree will die too!

So anyway, I'm down to two of these. The largest one has died of unknown causes that I had nothing to do with. I removed the wire from the other two, as they didn't look happy. One has bounced back a ton, the other is still making it's way back.

When did you wire them?

 

[pandacular]

Right around when I picked them up, in early June. On the one I killed, I can say for sure that the wiring harmed it. I discovered what is meant by a "teeter totter" branch, and definitely harmed the wood while trying to apply wire. I've since read that most people avoid wiring pieces of yew that are still growing foliage along the length, particularly on trunks/leaders.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Agreement with possible Yew however also see possible lowland Hemlock.