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bengz6westmd

Longleaf pine seedling in stem growth

bengz6westmd
16 years ago

My best Longleaf pine seedling, ~18" tall, is in stem growth now -- two small "branches" hidden in there in addition to the central stem, & making more lateral buds.

Image link:

Comments (10)

  • greenlarry
    16 years ago

    Crikey I've never seen a pine with such long needles,very cool!

  • Pamchesbay
    15 years ago

    Hi beng - I'm curious about your longleaf pine seedling - how much has it grown since last year? Is it thriving?

    I planted 100 longleaf pine seedlings this spring. They are in the grass stage. I've read that stem growth starts when the branch collar is 1 inch in diameter. Is this consistent with your experience?

    I had more casualties than expected - probably lost 25% and I don't know why. About 50% are thriving, 25% are hanging on, and the remaining 25% lost all needles and appear dead. Some casualties are adjacent so this may be caused by conditions in that specific location. I have no experience with LLPs so I'm groping for answers.

  • pineresin
    15 years ago

    "Some casualties are adjacent so this may be caused by conditions in that specific location"

    Not necessarily; random distribution commonly includes apparent clusters.

    Personally, I'd suspect root damage when the seedlings were dug; it isn't easy to get enough of the taproot up with its important food store.

    Resin

  • bengz6westmd
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Sorry Pam, I hadn't looked in the gallery for a while.

    The change from last yr is amazing -- it's grown 3.5 ft this season! I'll post an updated pic here. I'm really quite surprised.

    Pam, don't be discouraged -- 2 others of mine the same age are still in grass stage, tho they seem determined to survive.

  • bengz6westmd
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Pam, yes, they need to get ~1" in diameter before stem growth starts. Another thing to notice is that they'll develop a noticable, thick, whitish terminal bud (also about 1" dia) before starting stem growth. Once in stem growth, terminal buds will be surrounded by several side-buds.

    I was eyeballing growth -- measured it and it's "only" 40" :) But it's still stretching alittle upward & not done yet. There are 3 growth flushes this season w/only a little supplimental water in August.

    One thing I noticed when I got them as tiny, potted seedlings, after inspecting the root-collar they did have little circling roots around it, and I had to cut or spread them out. Might want to check that -- I used an old toothbrush to gently brush off the soil to expose the root-collars.

  • Pamchesbay
    15 years ago

    Beng: You say the two in the grass stage seem determined to survive. The forester described LLPs as terrible competitors but tenacious survivors. In the wild, they may stay in the grass stage for years or decades, then take off when conditions improve.

    He recommended a book, "Looking for Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest" by Lawrence Earley. I got a copy but haven't read it yet. Too much work to do this time of year!

    Many thanks for your help and encouragement.

  • bengz6westmd
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Yeah, LLPs are tough, but they have little tolerance of shade/grass competition when young. I'll look at Amazon & see if I can find the book you mention.

    FYI, here's who I ordered the 'mountain' LLP seedlings from (I couldn't find the phone#, but that shouldn't be hard to find):

    International Forest Co.
    1265 GA Hwy. 133 North
    Moultrie, GA 31768

    Below's a website w/alot of info on Longleafs:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Longleaf Alliance

  • Pamchesbay
    15 years ago

    Thanks, Beng. I'll contact the supplier in AL.

    It will be great if we can get these trees re-established. After I learn more and am more successful, I'd like to educate other people and organizations in the area in hopes that they will want to participate.

    I'm looking forward to your 2009 update.

    Take care,
    Pam

  • VAsouthern
    11 years ago

    Hey,

    I am planting 50 longleaf pine seedlings this spring. I ordered them from the Virginia Department of Forestry, so that could be a source of seedlings if y'all are looking for a place to get more longleafs. I am trying to help restore the longleaf pine in SE Virginia. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the longleaf pines sold through the VAdof are from Virginia-native longleaf pine seed sources.

    Also, I've heard that pines are sensitive to how they are planted. Wherever the soil level was on the seedling when in a pot or in the ground, they must be planted at the same soil level. This could be why you had such a high mortality rate.

    Any updates?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    hey Va.. you are are in the GALLERY side of the conifer forum ...
    its not quite as active as the DISCUSSION side ... so your question might not get the traffic you wish ...

    and though we appreciate you searching for old posts.. sometimes its best.. to start your own post with a searchable title ...

    so why not start a new post over there ...

    there is no mystery to planting any tree .. of which conifers are.. and pine is one of the easiest ...

    ken

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