Help saving these (Huge) trees that were going to get thrown out at work

[JP740]

Hi Guys,

I am very new to Bonsai, but these beautiful trees were going to get thrown out at work so I picked them up hoping to save them! Can y'all help me out?

From what I can tell this is not an ideal time to repot. I am in the Pittsburgh area I think zone 6? Just want to make sure I can do everything I can to get them through the winter! Also, can someone help me identify them?? Thanks!

Any other suggestions are welcome as well in terms of what would be good after winter, obviously they are huge...

 

[Paradox]

They look like mugo or scots pine to me (leaning toward mugo) and Id get them back in the ground ASAP
Do not trim the roots any more

beautiful trees, I hope they make it

 

[JP740]

They look like mugo or scots pine to me (leaning toward mugo) and Id get them back in the ground ASAP
Do not trim the roots any more

beautiful trees, I hope they make it

What’s the thought process with planting them in the ground, over potting them? They both have very shallow roots and lots of them with lots of small fibrous roots

 

[BobbyLane]

you got more roots than most get, when they dig stuff out the ground. on that alone id say they have a good chance in suitable containers with good free draining soil. maybe pots full of pumice. wouldnt take off any more root but find containers large enough to accommadate.

 

[Underdog]

In Pittsburg in October X2 for in the ground until spring. I've done this a couple times. Lots of mulch/straw on top roots and pot up in Spring.

 

[Paradox]

What’s the thought process with planting them in the ground, over potting them? They both have very shallow roots and lots of them with lots of small fibrous roots

Are you prepared to pot them right now without having to reduce the roots more or jam them into the pot?
Do you have containers large enough and enough pumice to put them in
Putting them in soil in pots will not work
Do also have a protected area to put them for the winter?
Leaving them out after repotting this late is a huge risk
While I agree with Bobby you have more roots than most trees just dug out of the ground to dispose of, they are still compromised at this point
You can put them in the ground without reducing the roots more
Also in the ground, the roots will be more protected from colder temps

 

[JP740]

Are you prepared to pot them right now without having to reduce the roots more or jam them into the pot?
Do you have containers large enough and enough pumice to put them in
Putting them in soil in pots will not work
Do also have a protected area to put them for the winter?
Leaving them out after repotting this late is a huge risk
While I agree with Bobby you have more roots than most trees just dug out of the ground to dispose of, they are still compromised at this point
You can put them in the ground without reducing the roots more
Also in the ground, the roots will be more protected from colder temps

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for the clarification. Looks like I have my task for the day! Any other thoughts or suggestions in anticipation for spring?

 

[BonsaiNaga13]

Mulch lots of mulch

 

[Paradox]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for the clarification. Looks like I have my task for the day! Any other thoughts or suggestions in anticipation for spring?

what Bonsai Naga said, mulch them heavily

Also you might consider leaving them in the ground next year and potting them in spring 2024.
They might not be too strong next year and you dont want to push them over the edge and kill them by potting them too soon.

These are really nice trees and you dont want to kill them with impatience.

 

[JP740]

@Paradox These trees have made it through, and I am planning on potting them soon, hopefully they will make it through that as well. Unfortunately, I can't leave them in the ground because I will not be living at the house for another year so I need to pot them this spring. I was wondering if you (or anyone else who sees this) could help me out with the pot.

From what I have read the pot should be 2/3 the width of the tree if the tree is taller than it is wide. Each of these trees is about 5.5 feet wide, so would that mean a pot that is approximately 3.5 feet (42 inches) wide? Does that sound right? Are there any considerations I should be making since these trees are so big?

Also, for what is worth, when I got these trees, even thought they were in the ground, it appeared that they were in pots that had been planted. When I first got them, I really did not have to do much digging, and I didn't chop any roots. The trees just pulled right out. I thought that info might be helpful.

Any suggestions or pointers as I am exploring wanting to successfully repot these guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[eugenev2]

@Paradox These trees have made it through, and I am planning on potting them soon, hopefully they will make it through that as well. Unfortunately, I can't leave them in the ground because I will not be living at the house for another year so I need to pot them this spring. I was wondering if you (or anyone else who sees this) could help me out with the pot.

From what I have read the pot should be 2/3 the width of the tree if the tree is taller than it is wide. Each of these trees is about 5.5 feet wide, so would that mean a pot that is approximately 3.5 feet (42 inches) wide? Does that sound right? Are there any considerations I should be making since these trees are so big?

Also, for what is worth, when I got these trees, even thought they were in the ground, it appeared that they were in pots that had been planted. When I first got them, I really did not have to do much digging, and I didn't chop any roots. The trees just pulled right out. I thought that info might be helpful.

Any suggestions or pointers as I am exploring wanting to successfully repot these guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Normally the ratio for pots is 2/3 the height of the tree, which is basically the size of the root ball in the first picture you shared. There is no proper scale provided but if i should guess that root ball looks like about a foot wide, so i would suggest about a inch or 2 wider than that.

 

[JackHammer]

You could look into a mica pot. Wigerts sells them. That might buy you some time until you can find a nice pot.

 

[Colorado]

If it were mine, I would build a box for it and pot it in pumice for a couple years before transitioning to a bonsai pot.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

How many trees are there total? I would recommend some grow bags with a bunch of pumice with just a tad of long fiber spaghnum worked in. Then you don’t need to be careful about removing any soil or replanting when you get where to the new place.
You can plant the trees as low as you can while messing with the roots as little as possible.

Amazon.com

These specific ones aren’t available (but I do have 3-4 extra.) And there are more of you want to get the sizing right. I bet you could sink ‘em in the ground for winter and cut them down to get the height just right. Ideally measure to get a tight fit on the radius per tree.

Edit: custom boxes would be better for fit and more rigid, but bags in a pinch or time crunch.

 

[Maiden69]

I do agree with bags, but not those cheap ones from Amazon... ever. Buy a decent bag that will last and work by pinch pruning instead of air pruning. The only two on the market that I have tried and still use are the Rootpouch and Root Maker brands. Rootpouch come with handles as well, and if you buy the Grey you can use them to plant the tree in the ground when you "repot" it now and remove it when the time to move comes, or you can just leave them above ground and they will be fine. Since you are in a colder area I would suggest the Root Maker if you are leaving them above ground, as the sides are covered and will protect the roots from colder air coming winter time.

Root Pouch

Root Pouch Grey Fabric — Root Pouch

Root Pouch's Grey fabric is the perfect balance of strength and function.

rootpouch.com

Products

The Original Root-Pruning Container System.

myrootmaker.com

12

10" Tall, 12" Diameter. 1,018 Cubic Inches. Prevents root-circling by root-tip-trapping, which stimulates root branching. The white outer coating greatly reduces container temperature. Water exit is slowed to conserve water. Double stitched reinforced top.

myrootmaker.com

18

10" Tall, 18" Diameter. 2,290 Cubic Inches. Prevents root-circling by root-tip-trapping, which stimulates root branching. The white outer coating greatly reduces container temperature. Water exit is slowed to conserve water. Double stitched reinforced top.

myrootmaker.com

 

[Paradox]

@Paradox These trees have made it through, and I am planning on potting them soon, hopefully they will make it through that as well. Unfortunately, I can't leave them in the ground because I will not be living at the house for another year so I need to pot them this spring. I was wondering if you (or anyone else who sees this) could help me out with the pot.

From what I have read the pot should be 2/3 the width of the tree if the tree is taller than it is wide. Each of these trees is about 5.5 feet wide, so would that mean a pot that is approximately 3.5 feet (42 inches) wide? Does that sound right? Are there any considerations I should be making since these trees are so big?

Also, for what is worth, when I got these trees, even thought they were in the ground, it appeared that they were in pots that had been planted. When I first got them, I really did not have to do much digging, and I didn't chop any roots. The trees just pulled right out. I thought that info might be helpful.

Any suggestions or pointers as I am exploring wanting to successfully repot these guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I agree with @Colorado If you absolutely must put them in some kind of pot, I would build wooden boxes for them. You might be able to cut down the roots some but I dont think Id go more than 1/4 the diameter since they were just dig last fall and have not had the time to recover yet. Make the boxes with handles to make them easier to move. You will need at least one other person if not more to move them.

If you put them in too small a pot now, you have a high risk of killing them. The grow bags mentioned above are way too small at this point. I think most mica pots will also be too small and if you could get one big enough, they will be very expensive.

 

[JP740]

If it were mine, I would build a box for it and pot it in pumice for a couple years before transitioning to a bonsai pot.

I agree with @Colorado If you absolutely must put them in some kind of pot, I would build wooden boxes for them. You might be able to cut down the roots some but I dont think Id go more than 1/4 the diameter since they were just dig last fall and have not had the time to recover yet. Make the boxes with handles to make them easier to move. You will need at least one other person if not more to move them.

If you put them in too small a pot now, you have a high risk of killing them. The grow bags mentioned above are way too small at this point. I think most mica pots will also be too small and if you could get one big enough, they will be very expensive.

This is all very helpful. Building a box sounds like the move, but I appreciate the other input as well. The trees are 5.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet tall, and about 4 feet across. In building the grow box from wood, do the dimensions matter as much as they would in a bonsai pot? Does 42 X 24 X 8 seem about right?

 

[R0b]

Most likely you will reduce the canopy over time so the current size of the tree is not the best reference. I would build boxes that would comfortably fit the rootball as dug last year (I don’t expect a lot of grow to have occurred over winter). Any part of the box that isn’t filled with roots over time can be a problem. So bigger isn’t necessary better. Guessing from the pictures I wouldn’t go over half the diameter probably closer to 2/5.

love to hear what others think

 

[Paradox]

This is all very helpful. Building a box sounds like the move, but I appreciate the other input as well. The trees are 5.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet tall, and about 4 feet across. In building the grow box from wood, do the dimensions matter as much as they would in a bonsai pot? Does 42 X 24 X 8 seem about right?

The current size of the rootball is the critical thing when considering a container, not the overall dimensions

 

[JackHammer]

This is all very helpful. Building a box sounds like the move, but I appreciate the other input as well. The trees are 5.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet tall, and about 4 feet across. In building the grow box from wood, do the dimensions matter as much as they would in a bonsai pot? Does 42 X 24 X 8 seem about right?

This is a massive tree. I think that ikea bag is a good size, maybe just a little bigger than that? It doesn't have to be a rectangle and can be a square for a while if it gives you better flexibility. Wood is probably better but I have seen grow out trunks sitting in storage totes like 20×32. Those might work but would be a little deeper than you are looking for.