Are you trying to grow it indoors?

P.s. it is unwise to post your email on a public forum. I suggest you delete it.

I am growing it indoors, because I live in Canada. The tree will not be able to survive outside. I'm planning on planting it on the coast when it gets too big

Since it probably is geared for seasonalities (not knowing species I don't know that), it may well be unable to tolerate not having seasons indoors.

The only think I know about it is that its it's from California and can grow HUGE pinecones. Like 12-16 inches tall. At least that's the height of the cone the seed came from that the sapling grew out of.

Is there anyway to help it be more happy?

It's not gonna survive indoors either. I'm surprised it lasted this long!

Depending on where in Canada you live, the tree may have done very well planted outside. It's too far gone now to tell what sort of pine it may be.

I live in interior British Columbia in the rocky mountains. I figured that tree from California would not do so well where I live.

Is there nothing I can do to save it?

Unless you are very far north in the interior, it probably would have worked fine.

The tree is just hanging on to life by a thread. I seriously doubt you will be able to resurrect it and certainly not indoors.

I live around Cranbrook and Fernie.... it typically gets to -25 in the winter, between a zone 4 and 5.

If I was to try and save it what can I do?

If it was a really big fat cone...P. coulteri which wouldn't be hardy in Cranbrook. If a moderately big fat cone with really big seeds...P. sabiniana which would be borderline hardy in Cranbrook.. If a really long cone...P. lambertiana which would be fine in Cranbrook.

The first two, even if hardy, aren't well suited to heavy snow loads.

@Smivies (Ontario - 5b) it wasnt a long cone, it was more fat. And if I remember correctly it was around 14 inches tall. I honestly just assumed that it wouldn't be hardy because California is much much warmer than where I live. And we do get quite a bit of snow because we live in the mountains

Likely too much water and not enough sun. What kind of potting mix did you use and how deep is that pot? It looks overpotted.

tj

@tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱ I'm pretty sure its it's just a normal potting soil, and the pot is 10"× 10".

Should I repot the sapling then? I thought it needed lot of water because it comes from a more temperate climate, I haven't really let it dry out recently

There needs to be drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

Your media should be fast draining, like a Container growing mix or even a Cactus & succulent mix.

If when you water, the water drains through quickly and comes out the bottom within a couple minutes, you should be okay and I would not repot it.

If the water just makes the soil soggy, I would repot with one of medias mentioned above.

Start the sun slow, maybe one half to an hour a day for a few days then increase until it gets 4 hours of direct sun, then after a week or so you should be able to give it full sun (6-8 hours/day).

Your tree might come back but then it might not. If not, consider it a learning experience.

eta: let the media dry between watering, at least the top layer. It might take a while for you to figure out how often to water. A pot outside in the sun will dry out faster so might need water every couple of days but if you watch you'll be able to tell how often.

i cant see on the pix ... is there a viable bud .. if so ... then it will grow from there ...

it needs to go outside for summer.. if it buds out ... but harden it off properly .. full bright shade before slamming into sun.. and with that little pot.. i wouldnt ever put it in sun anyway ... [hot spit.. thats what bill said.. great minds.. lol...]

it also needs a bigger pot .. and media for trees .. rather than what you have it in ... but lets see if it buds before we worry about all that ...

if it doesnt work out.. you should still be pretty proud.. that you got it this far ... and i am sure you learned a lot .. so dont get all bummed out.. if this is the end ...

ken

Ken she said the pot it’s in is 10” x 10”. That’s plenty big if she switched to a better mix and too big for a moisture retentive mix like she has now.

tj

Yep, that pot is way too large for a sapling of that size!! With a moisture retentive potting soil - as what appears to have been used - it is pretty much a guarantee for root rot. A quart sized pot would have sufficed until it was around 8-10" tall

I really do not hold out much hope for this little guy....too much has gone wrong in its short life for a good outcome to be easily obtainable.

i was focused on it not having a drain hole.. and ergo.. needed repotting ... and agree with using better tree mix ...

and you dont put small pots in full sun .. in my experience ... its hard to keep them properly watered ... they are either sodden due to watering too often.. or immediately bone dry ... which trees dont mind in a larger pot ... but bone dry is bone dry ...

trying to teach a newb.. and arguing with experts .. lol ..no problem with that.. maybe she will learn from it ...

ken

I don't see where the OP says there's no drain hole. Can someone point me to it?

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

@tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

The pot I had it in actually did have a drain hole.

This morning I repotted the tree, her name is Mavis actually, and I looked at her roots and they seemed fine. I didnt see any root rot. But I replaced the soil. The pot that Mavis is in now also has good drainage. I was really surprised by how long the root system was!

The pot I put the tree in this morning is bigger, I figured that more room for growth is better than not enough. I also added some bone meal, to help with root growth

"The pot I put the tree in this morning is bigger,"

Did you not read what I wrote? Bigger is NOT better!! And especially with a highly retentive soil mix like you are using. You want a container that is only about an inch larger in diameter than the current root system. The length of the roots is not a concern. A larger wet or consistently moist soil mass surrounding the roots is just a recipe to promote rot.

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

I had already re potted my tree before you posted, and I am using a blend of potting soil and cactus soil, so the water retention should be ok.

The root system was about twice as long as the sapling its self so around 12 inches long .

Sorry but it doesn't exactly work that way. Growing trees - or any other woody plant - in a container long term is a pretty specialized process and requires a pretty specialized soil media as well. Personally I would never choose a blend of regular bagged potting soil and cactus mix, but if that is your choice, so be it.

(It's a lot more moisture retentive than you think)

Full sun (6-8 hours) from 7 am to 1 pm is not the same as full sun 1 pm to 7 pm. After noon sun is accumulatively hotter due to increasingly higher angle but I leave my seedlings out in thin plastic pots for this amount of time with no issues morning or afternoon. Giving them dappled shade before and after the 6-8 hours seems to be to their liking,

And as long as we are discussing horticulture, your plant is not really a 'she' but is 'monoecious'. You can look that up.

There is no such thing as overpotting, if a potting mix is too retentive or a plant is being watered too often those are the sources of difficulty. And not how big the pot is - commercial production nurseries pot small plants in big pots all the time. Instead of wasting time and money on bumping them up in small increments.

A pot an inch bigger than existing roots is going to result in roots reaching container walls and starting to be deformed very quickly.

"There is no such thing as overpotting "

Baloney!! Most commercial production nurseries use an appropriate, barked based potting medium. And they do not up pot as frequently as necessary simply because they do not have the time and manpower, so they do opt for larger containers. With a proper media, you can get away with that. They also have a degree of expertise that the average home gardener does not.

But that is very different from a home growing situation and with an inferior media. Before one is inclined to make preposterous statements, perhaps they should spend sometime on the Container Gardening forum and get some proper insight. Overpotting is a very real situation and one that can lead to very unfortunate results.

I'll have to agree with ken (dangit lol), if your tree set a 'winter bud' at the terminal end, or this can occur even along the stem, those buds, if alive, should begin to expand and get longer as the weather warms. It will be this seasons growth. If they don't begin to grow by say end of June or if they turn brown before that, then it's a goner.

Good Luck!