Page 29 - BSAM 2016 Q4

mycorrhiza, the presence of the species in a stable or self-perpetuating climax community and terrain that has allowed good rooting. Many enthusiasts have experienced easy germination of plants from certain places more than others. Identifying these favoured areas is the basic work to do in advance, even before the application of the technique itself. A remarkable and thorough scienti c knowledge or a great experience, allows to identify sites at the theoretical level. In the absence of this, experience and experimentation and tests are necessary. For example, if you encounter an exceptionally beautiful araki, but do not know the level of successful transplanting from those areas, you rst run an experiment by trying a few times and then decide how to proceed. Success with the yamadori technique is very di cult, for as much as you can collect a huge amount of plants, working on a low percentage survival rate, besides being ethically unacceptable, is a choice that does not allow the oldest and most beautiful plants to take root. If you are uncertain about successful transplanting from a particular area, it is better to desist.
2. The right season:
e best periods to collect in temperate climates are the two springs, that is, when the buds swell, but before they open. In northern Italy the periods are from March to mid-May depending on elevation, and early August. Remembering that survival of a tree without ne roots hardly exceeds three months, it is essential to collect the plants when they are pushing new roots or as close to this as possible. Harvesting trees in autumn or winter is good only for trees that take easily to transplanting. e Mediterranean species must be collected in February or March if they are kept in the same climate, and collected in summer if they are brought immediately into temperate climates.
3. Species:
It is known that some species take root more easily than others. Elms, birches, spruces, are examples that will easily transplant. Beeches, pines and black pine have an average transplant survival rate, whereas pines, larches, oaks and junipers are more di cult to re-establish. In addition a smaller, younger plant is much easier to take root that an old, larger one. e percentages quoted earlier in this article in Successful Transplanting, are an average among all species subjected to this method; transplanting elm reaches to 90%; that of a pine or a beech arrives at 70%; Scots pine or larch arrives at 30-50% for young and old plants. e result must then also be weighted according to the species, and the same application to the complex method must keep in mind the greater or lesser ease of transplanting. For example, an easy species to take root when young, does not require the application of such a scrupulous method, while in very di cult cases, it
is essential to follow every step. is interpretive key explains the variability of rooting that will be experienced between various collectors of araki.
4. Many roots:
The tree must be harvested with as many roots as possible. is statement is not as obvious as it seems, because care of the tree when extracted from nature requires special attention: if the soil is very hard or rocky, it is easy to damage the roots during extraction and a stripped, weakened or broken root is not worth anything; if the ground is so , the extraction may be rapid and summary because it will allow the extraction of healthy roots. It is very important to look not so much the number of roots, but to be sure that those present are in good condition. One must act with the skill of an archaeologist during excavation.
5. Removing the original soil:
In most cases, the soil dug up with the tree must be removed entirely, unless the tree has grown (a rare instance) in a soil with a cation exchange capacity greater than 20. When dislodging the soil using a water jet, pay close attention to not damage the ner roots. e original soil is hardly suitable, because many times this is the cause of miniaturization.
6. Exposure:
e collected tree shall be to put in the smallest pot possible, sited 70 cm from the ground and in full sun. In the most critical situations, one can resort to the use of a greenhouse and in- oor or under-bench heating to facilitate rooting. e main elements that help rapid rooting also result from placing the tree where the soil mass can achieve 25°C, thus quickly forming new root hairs, and an exact balance of water related to ambient humidity to avoid a total dehydration of the tree.
7. New Potting Media:
e potting media has to be the best possible, that is, have a high cation exchange capacity and not encourage root rot. e use of Akadama represents the top soil having a 35 CEC (cation exchange capacity) that is very high. As an alternative you can use volcanic earth, synthetic clays, vermiculites and pumice, however, ensure that the pH is not alkaline and that the substrate it very free-draining. e choice of potting media must be considered together with the type of container and the wind conditions of the site.
8. Pruning:
A part of the foliage must always be removed in order to balance transpiration, especially if the tree cannot be put in a sheltered environment. Ideally, branch removal should equal that of the roots removed. Many times this ratio can not be realized for the tree would not be le with enough leaves and branches to live. For deciduous trees the
The tree must be harvested with as many roots as possible, ...
it is easy to damage the roots during extraction. One must act with the skill of an archaeologist during excavation.
April/May/June 2017 | BCI | 27