El Pinon

Pinus cembroides

Mexican Pinon Pine.


 
Collected: 3/19/2010.

Location: Edgewood, New Mexico

+35⁰ 3' 2.83"

-106⁰ 12' 32.26"

Watering every 3 or 4 days depending on weather

Fed on 4/25/2010 wait 4 weeks till next feeding.


 Found next to a trail about 6 feet wide, going around private property owned by my parents. Area was nearly full shade it was growing under a much larger Pine, and a juniper which also found in approximately the same density. Two needled pine with length of about 2.5". The crown was about 14" from the ground level.





 
The trunk itself is leaning hard to the south, after the first large branch the trunk is nearly parallel with the ground. It grew as if under glass and was forced to have a flat crown. Judging by the number of yearly whorls of branches this tree could be from 7 to 10 years old. Branches are long, skinny, and have many curves that grew parallel to the ground. Foliage appears a healthy dark green new grown is bright and dense.


 
Soil it was growing in was light and quite airy seems that the root system was growing in composted needles, that was lightly stacked about 13" deep. This made digging it out incredibly fast, less than 30 minutes of digging, as it was soft and light; there was also no thick taproot to be found. Once under cut and ready to be pulled the root ball began to fall apart, was ill-prepared as the burlap bag was to small to fit the root ball inside, I had to cut the sides to double its surface area.


 
Once it was collected I still had to get it home from Edgewood, NM to Thousand Oaks, CA. for 3 days it was held in a wheel barrow inside a bright garage with no direct sunlight or wind. Watered it on the first day. When it was time to pack it up for the road trip I had to put it in a large white nylon fabric bag with similar texture of burlap. Watered lightly before we left.


 
Made a grow box the day we arrived. Potted in a wooden grow box with a false bottom as to aid in removing it when it's time to repot. Made the grow box with 1 inch on each side of the size of the root ball as to not "over pot" the tree. Drilled an inch and a half hole on the bottom for drainage and aeration, lined the bottom with 1/4" wire mess and large lava rocks. Filled the rest of the box around the native soil with happy frog to encourage mycorrhizal growth.