How much of this crape's tap-root can I cut-off now?

[SU2]

I just collected this guy, currently have him in a bag in my laundry-room (with the drier going )

It's leaves had gone almost fully dormant so figured it was ready to go, anyways upon extracting it I found it to have the most absurd tap-root ever, can I get-away with using my sawzall to remove that now, before it goes in its training box? Or is that too-risky?

First time collecting something dormant, am used to waiting 5-7d for buds to appear lol this will be interesting, keeping a bare 'stump of sticks' watered in a box til spring!

 

[Cadillactaste]

You're not being effected by this cold hitting everyone?

 

[just.wing.it]

Hmm, looks kinda rough....
I wouldn't cut anymore.
Good luck with it...
I guess spring comes sooner down there...

 

[GrimLore]

Cut the tap root off, plant it in substrate, cut the top branches down to 3 inches or so, water and wait until it wakes up in Spring. Down there it is incredible what they can take but substrate is "suggested"

Grimmy

 

[SU2]

You're not being effected by this cold hitting everyone?

I am, it was a now-or-never collection, and that trunk is gnarly!

Hmm, looks kinda rough....
I wouldn't cut anymore.
Good luck with it...
I guess spring comes sooner down there...

So you'd leave the tap-root? Even though it doesn't have feeders on it? Is it an energy reserve thing? I want it to survive but would (obviously) rather remove this before it goes in its training pot if I'm not taking any excessive risk in doing so!

Cut the tap root off, plant it in substrate, cut the top branches down to 3 inches or so, water and wait until it wakes up in Spring. Down there it is incredible what they can take but substrate is "suggested"

Grimmy

What do you mean by "substrate is 'suggested'"? FWIW I was planning to use my normal perlite/DE mix, with a 1" lava-rock bottom (in a training pot)

So you don't think I'm shooting myself in the foot taking that tap-root off? It doesn't have much for feeders so it'd only help insofar as 'energy reserves' but I've very little experience /w/ crapes :/
And have you and the poster directly above you saying opposite things Am unsure if I should cut it and hope for the best / call it a learning experience if it fails, or leave it and then deal w/ root-pruning in spring....ugh!

 

[Victorim]

With Grimmy here, remove all that tap. Yes you will be relying on feeders growing from stored energy. Keep it out of frost.

 

[GrimLore]

With Grimmy here, remove all that tap. Yes you will be relying on feeders growing from stored energy. Keep it out of frost.

So you don't think I'm shooting myself in the foot taking that tap-root off?

What he said - they are tough as nails, but need feeders. The Mix you described will work fine - I use the term substrate as a broad term, some use inorganic, organic, a mix of both... It just needs the ability to grow feeders.. To encourage that chop the tall stuff hardcore

Grimmy

 

[just.wing.it]

I suppose if you're in this deep already, might as well saw it flat.
Good luck!

 

[bonsaidave]

Yup chop it off. It will be fine.

 

[SU2]

You're not being effected by this cold hitting everyone?

Oh I am!! Just spent almost an hour moving everything into the patio, bougies are really frost-sensitive and the forecast says 33deg at ~5am so had to bring every last one in as a precaution!!

But you meant that in regards to this crape, can't say I'm sure why that'd be such a big deal? I thought it was collecting-while-dormant, in which case the fact that it's a bit colder shouldn't matter much right? Guess my thinking was that the coldness was far less relevant to a dormant tree, and that it's proper to collect bougies right now while dormant, so since it was a now-or-never I got it - if I had all the time in the world though, I'd have only waited a little bit, just 5-10deg warmer and I wouldn't have thought twice about the temp, still unsure it's much of an issue :/

 

[SU2]

I suppose if you're in this deep already, might as well saw it flat.
Good luck!

Yeah I did saw it flat, luckily I'd gotten a very timely reply from a pro that's kind enough to answer my pleas (I try not to bother them too much!) who told me to go for it so I did, it came off so fast & easy I don't think it was a tap-root it was almost like a continuation of the trunk(s) - I took birds-eye pics to show but this thing is hollow, not just in the dead-center (am unsure whether this was originally 1 specimen or 2....) but one just doesn't have a center at its base it's hollowed-out and lignifed fully-around, this continued all the way down that 'tap-root'... it was root tissue of course but the hollow was linear, really weird/neat.

Didn't have time to build a box (had to get all my trees inside, could hit freezing tonight/tomorrow morning) so jammed it in my largest plastic at an angle, will have to build a wedged-block for it so it grows properly & so the substrate hits the trunk/root right, as that fat surface root will surely look cool in whatever I make of this thing

Yup chop it off. It will be fine.

Thanks! Have had several confirmations it was the right thing, very reassuring considering that this'll just be sitting there in a pot, doing absolutely nothing, for months...my first yamadori experience went that way, spent several months watching the thing slowly die (had trunk-chopped something that, in hindsight, had 0.0% chance of survival lol)

 

[Cadillactaste]

Oh I am!! Just spent almost an hour moving everything into the patio, bougies are really frost-sensitive and the forecast says 33deg at ~5am so had to bring every last one in as a precaution!!

But you meant that in regards to this crape, can't say I'm sure why that'd be such a big deal? I thought it was collecting-while-dormant, in which case the fact that it's a bit colder shouldn't matter much right? Guess my thinking was that the coldness was far less relevant to a dormant tree, and that it's proper to collect bougies right now while dormant, so since it was a now-or-never I got it - if I had all the time in the world though, I'd have only waited a little bit, just 5-10deg warmer and I wouldn't have thought twice about the temp, still unsure it's much of an issue :/

You are in a different climate...we collect in spring here up north...and, depending on species...late fall. Never in winter... Just assumed with your cold spell...waiting until it pass...with it possibly not used to this cold spell...but, I don't know your climate...to know what is done there.

 

[milehigh_7]

Here is a little primer on this type of thing:

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/rootprsd.htm

@Brent is the man.

 

[bonsaidave]

You can pretty much put a crepe myrtle branch in a pot and have it grow roots. They are like Russian tanks. You almost can't stop them.

Root cuttings take easily too.

 

[GrimLore]

Yeah I did saw it flat, luckily I'd gotten a very timely reply from a pro that's kind enough to answer my pleas (I try not to bother them too much!) who told me to go for it

Why did you bother to ask here then, myself and others gave the same advice...

Grimmy

 

[defra]

Why did you bother to ask here then, myself and others gave the same advice...

Grimmy

I tought he ment you with that comment lol

 

[SU2]

What he said - they are tough as nails, but need feeders. The Mix you described will work fine - I use the term substrate as a broad term, some use inorganic, organic, a mix of both... It just needs the ability to grow feeders.. To encourage that chop the tall stuff hardcore

Grimmy

Wait you mean chop the trunks? I did take them to 2-4" but am unsure how that'd affect the feeders...it looks to have a decent amount of fine/feeder roots but was under the impression it'd do nothing til spring, would be interested and pleasantly surprised to know it was growing roots in there in the meantime! FWIW I used IBA on the roots before planting so hopefully that'll help a bit!

I've got it in 100% inorganic - I imagine it makes sense to have *some* amount of fertilizer, obviously if it's not growing it needs virtually nothing but I guess I'm just thinking I should toss some of my 3-3-4 time-release espoma granules ('garden tone'/biotone) granules on it, actually am upset I didn't think of mingling them throughout the substrate while making it yesterday as it's got microbial innoculants in it as well..Just to be clear though I'm talking a single, light application of timed-release, just so there's *something* in there besides air+h20!

 

[SU2]

Why did you bother to ask here then, myself and others gave the same advice...

Grimmy

I'd messaged someone w/o expecting a timely reply from them and always seek counsel of >1 person, I get conflicting advice all the time so typically try and verify something if it seems important

[edited-to-add: even if I had phoned them I'd still have wanted to hear you guys' advice, but the reality was that I wasn't even expecting such a quick reply - but regardless I would've wanted to hear it from others, there's just too-much variability in answers on some stuff and this seemed like it'd be one of them - luckily it was close to a consensus, think only 2 or 3 people suggested keeping the taproot!]

 

[GrimLore]

I did take them to 2-4" but am unsure how that'd affect the feeders...

You did fine, serious, we have some here up North we chop almost to the ground every Spring, where you are they can Easily handle it...

but regardless I would've wanted to hear it from others

Always a good idea

Thanks for the PM - all good

Grimmy

 

[SU2]

You did fine, serious, we have some here up North we chop almost to the ground every Spring, where you are they can Easily handle it...

That's very reassuring, thanks I wish I had someone local I trusted to hold it and keep it moist, I can already tell I'm going to have trouble keeping my eyes from searching for epicormal buds swelling lol!! These months will be loooong! Am unsure exactly when they'd start spring-growth, am guessing around late feb-->mid-march (avg high's in March are 75deg here, that's gotta be enough to get them going!)

Always a good idea

Yes it's definitely useful to get 2nd opinions especially on things you're VERY uncertain about! This was a first for me, I'd been collecting everything out-of-season (my whole collection was collected and/or propagated during spring-->summer....actually thought that was the right way lol )

Thanks for the PM - all good

Grimmy

Great thank you Your help here (in general, not just this thread; you help me weekly at least lol!) is hugely appreciated and would've hated you to think otherwise!