"in the Southeast"

The Southeast of where? Toronto / Canada? I'd very much doubt that it would be hardy there.

Resin

Nikki, my Cathaya is pretty lanky and ugly too. The oldest needles have some brown tips but the new growth is fine. It was planted last year so I hope it will take off sometime. It is not very pretty right now. I'm just going to sit tight and let it do its thing. Just make sure you give it lots of water in that much sun as long as the soil drains well. With sandy soil and the heat it should not be a problem. Just check the drippers and make sure they're not plugged up, I stopped dripping for that reason something always seem to happen. I apparently planted mine adjacent to the field lines so it drains too well I think. When I put in irrigation I actually put an outlet just for it so I can simply turn a valve let it run for a while. Resin, nickki is in Charleston now- hence her location above: ChstnSC9a

This post was edited by fairfield8619 on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 17:20

@Fairfield. thank you. I don't think there are any issues with the drip irrigation and Lord knows we've had our share of rain this year. I will try to post a pic of it. I trimmed the dead side off and basically it is half of a plant now. I checked with the grower and it was seed grown so I assume given the fact I'm in the South that is a plus in that I've read it is sometimes grafted on larix or pseudotsuga which I cant imagine being conducive to growth in the South. Best of luck to you and your Cathaya. Its certainly an interesting plant.

Mine succumbed to Armillaria root rot unfortunately - so if you have that in your area, keep an eye out. There isn't much to be done if it become infected, however. I think we got ours from the same sources and mine was in a wooden box and waaaaay underpotted. Thus, the roots were in poor shape for a large plant. We really need to get smaller seedlings so they can establish easier.

I noticed the roots when I planted opened the box. It was quite the mass of roots for a 15 inch box.. I am trying to get another one that is in a bit better shape because I have a feeling that this is not going to last and I really want to utilize this plant. I also purchased a wollemia from this source which has done beautifully, but alas the Cathaya not so much. I am used to gardening in the north, thus I'm not familiar with all of the diseases that are common in the south or what to even look for though I'm trying to learn quickly. This particular plant couldnt have had better care with wonderful sandy soil, irrigation, and a fairly "mild" summer by southern standards.

Have you found a source for another? I'm looking too!

>We really need to get smaller seedlings so they can establish easierWhat is needed is for growers to stop sending out root-bound stock of all sizes.

A Cathaya that got planted in the ground at a garden center near here leaned over after awhile, due to settling of the soil it was easy to see its main roots going around like coiled wire. Sister seedlings for sale at the same outlet were priced at over 300 dollars each.

Would it be acceptable to ask top dollar for defective products of another type, like cars with frozen engines or chairs with 3 legs? Some wholesale plant companies have rather boastful promotional campaigns that talk up their special methods and high quality - while putting out quantities of plants with terrible root deformities. As the problem appears to be pandemic it seems the industry is not going to police itself, with perhaps no improvements being made until enough end consumers squawk about it - and the producers hear enough of this complaining via the retailers they sell to. Voting with the pocketbook will probably have no effect on this particular issue unless it is repeatedly and consistently made clear by numbers of people why the stock is being rejected.

Due to the tree's rarity I might have spent the money on one of the locally presented Cathaya - until I saw their roots going around. After that, not a chance. I've had shrubs grow for over 20 years, only to be laid flat by snow because their roots were knotted, could no longer support the weight of the tops.

This post was edited by bboy on Tue, Aug 13, 13 at 13:03

I have not come across another source as of yet, aside from the same source as from before but in a smaller size. I'm not sure if I should give a smaller plant a try or not? What I have noticed, many times, be it up "north" or down here is that there is NO possible way to replicate the perfect conditions these plants have out on the coast. Once they are back east and out of their osmocote filled root bound pots its a tossup if they survive.

Mine came from Fairweather gardens but it was in a 3gal not a box. It was not rootbound. This thread has made me re-evaluate where I have planted it, in the middle of the yard. I don't know if I'm being too hasty since this will be its first full year in the ground. It seems pretty healthy except for the browning on the old needles. It is just so UGLY!
Resin says that Pseudotsuga sinensis would be ok for grafting, I have one planted now, but finding small understock will be a problem. FF has gallons and I guess approach grafting might work? I have never grafted before so I would start with that I think.
I see no evidence of a graft union so mine must be a seedling- a very ugly one at that. I tend to be impatient so I should probably just let it be and see what happens. At least that's what I tell myself.

You looked at all of the roots? Often (with trees and shrubs from nurseries in general) there is a tight knot near the base of the stem, from when the plant sat too long in a band or small, narrow pot, that is not visible on the outside except in those instances where it sticks up out of the potting soil on top.

A common cause of floppy tops is bad roots.

Apparently some nurseries use rarity as an excuse to send out poorly grown plants. I saw about 6 or 7 at Rarefind a few weeks ago that had been ordered from a PNW wholesaler, which they declined to name. They weren't for near term sale, they were for stock plant use, I suppose.
They looked too recently grafted and a few had graft unions that hadn't survived shipment. Others had browning foliage for an indeterminant reason. Only 2 looked like they were going to make it.

I washed the soil and did not see any knot of roots- I guess it might just be a floppy one. I hope not. I know that this business habit is maddening for you and me also, but somehow I don't think it will get better. You will just have to b*tch about it when you get a plant like this and ask for a replacement. This seems to be the policy even at the better places. This seems like the way everything is handled nowadays.

Since the problem is general there has to be widespread thinking that it isn't necessary to produce stock with acceptable root systems. I am also seeing plants from a major player (who makes a big deal about their quality) that has been arbitrarily cut back using some kind of system that leaves ragged cuts - maybe a mechanized one. And of course turns the specimen into a hedged one.

Both at the retail and wholesale level it is pretty common to cut the tops of overgrown specimens back instead of potting them on.

Hello,
I'm thinking about growing a Cathaya argyrophylla in a part of the garden that tends to be very damp, not a bog, but not the well drained soil that general culture advices.
Has anyone had problem with this species regarding too much water? or anyone advise against it?
thanks

I would advise against it.
Generally speaking, not many conifers like wet soil. (though there are obvious exceptions like Taxodium)
It's native to limestone, mountain soils at around 1000-1800 m in elevation. China does have high rainfall in summer, but most of the interesting plants are up in the mountains (the plains having been cleared eons ago) and prefer similiarly well-draining soils.
Finally, it's in the subfamily Laricoideae, which also contains Larix and Pseudotsuga. Neither of which is known to contain many wet soil loving plants other than the most boreal, northern types of Larches. I have a persistent problem, for example, with more common larches dying from too much wet soil in summer.

Of course, it depends what zone 9 you are and what exactly you mean by damp. If you're along the PNW coast (or coastal western Europe), you could be zone 9 and your soils are probably very wet all winter, no matter how sloped or free draining. Wet soils in winter tend not to bother wet-summer plants as much as wet-summers bother wet-winter/dry-summer plants, for reasons I don't have time to go into.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Thu, May 15, 14 at 8:00