White Pine Visitation Rights

[Kid Proquo]

My mom's about to sell the house I was born in. I'm ok with the separation anxiety issues....except for one thing.

My family moved into the house when my mother was pregnant with me. In the process, they hired a sweet old Italian immigrant gardener to transplant some bushes from their old garden. One day, as this guy did one of many drives back and forth between the two properties, he spotted a baby white pine growing along the side of the road. He said that he felt that the pine called out to him and asked him to take it with him. He fell in love with it. And he stopped the car and dug up the tree and planted it in the new yard. And I was born immediately afterwards.

As a very small child, I was traumatized by an experience of being pushed into a pine tree - the stiff needles stuck into my skin. It gave me a fear of trees. But then someone introduced me to the white pine, with its soft needles. And I fell in love with it.

We both grew up, the tree and I, and though i'm not terribly superstitious or "woo woo" in any way, I've long had the feeling that the tree has some level of consciousness and is aware of me. I only heard the story of the gardener many years later, by the way. And everyone else I've shown the tree has also fallen in love with it. It's an amazing tree, what can I say?

The white pine is now quite tall and fully mature (I'm tall, too, though a bit less mature). And I'm wondering: what do I do, re: the sale of the house?

1. try to befriend the people who move in, so I get visitation rights

1. try to grow a branch from the tree somewhere else

2. get someone to transplant a very large and mature white pine.

I make good money, and could afford to dump $$$$ into extreme solution #3....if it's even a practical option. I don't know anything about trees, though. IS it practical? Is #2 practical? If so, can anyone offer detailed advice (or point me to some)?

thanks!

[norman]

Go buy one and plant it where you want it (it will have a better chance to survive the transplant). Or get several 'starts' off the current tree. If a 'tree guy' has confidence in the success of a transplant, then move the tree.

[trader4]

You neglect to provide the most important info, which is how tall the tree is. These can grow to 50-70 feet. If it's 25ft or under, it can probably be moved by a tree service. They have trucks with a spade type device that goes around the tree and takes it out with a ball. Trees of that size are moved all the time for landscape applications where they want a mature tree and are willing to pay for it, but it ain't cheap. You can call around to some tree services and get quotes.

Of course there is risk that the tree will die, there is no guarantee. You could also check with any local agricultural services, as they may have experience with how hardy that variety is to that type of transplant.

And obviously, if you're going to do this, I'd do it before the house goes on the market, or at least tell potential buyers you are gonna move it before closing, make sure it's in the contract, etc.

[Mack]

Does the pine have any cones? You could maybe start a new one from the seeds in the cones?

[Tomes]

I second the pine cone thought. I really do not think that one can propagate a white pine tree from a cutting (a brief googling on white pine propagation turned up only seedlings or trees). Maybe grafting it onto another stock, but then you might ask

I had a similar issue where the house I grew up in had many trees that I felt particularly close to, having spent lots of time up in them. When my mom died and we had to sell the property I did get visitation rights (that I use on occasion). (It was easy because we sold to a friend of my brother.) I have found that I rarely use it anymore as I have moved on pretty much now.

As for option #3, think of the tree. Would you want to take a real chance of killing it just to keep it with you? I am speculating that you are at least 20, likely more, and you indicated that the tree is the same as whatever you are. This is a pretty old enough tree that moving it has real risks.

I recommend learning how to create a new baby tree from the pine cones (It has gotta be on the net via a bit of googling... you may need to heat the cone or somesuch), and then do it for many cones so that one will actually survive to grow to a stable reality.

Let us know what you decide to do, and good luck. Tomes

[Tomes]

sent before finished, sorry - see added text inserted below in my first paragraph- Tomes

[Kid Proquo]

Thanks, all.

Don't want to chance harming the tree, so transplanting is not an option.

Cuttings and pinecones seem pretty involved, and....heck, the result will not be THE tree.

Guess I just need to suck this one up. Sad. But I really appreciate everyone's advice. Again, thanks.

[Ken Weitzel]

Hi...

In lieu of anything better, perhaps some nice pictures?

Maybe an artists rendition on canvas if the budget allows?

Or maybe one small limb carefully taken, to use in some fashion in your new home? Thinking along the lines of some of the nice things they do with driftwood and so on.

Maybe a few pressed leaves to add to your scrapbook or album?

Just thinking out loud...

Ken

[willshak]

Re. #3 How tall? How far to be moved?

[Pat]

$$$$$? Buy the property.

[Kid Proquo]

We're 40 years old. It's like 30 feet tall (I'm considerably shorter). Sounds like it's too iffy a move. Yes to the photos, I may hire a professional.

[- Tom -]

If there is any way of discovering the general location of the source of the Italian's white pine sapling then travel the area to scout for other white pines. Perhaps you'll find it isn't overly built up with recent construction and you'll find your very own sapling calling out to you.

Tom

[Tomes]

These are all very good ideas..... Tomes

[glyford]

I frequently get "volunteers" in my flower beds, for some reason they especially like growing out of "blue rug" junipers. The first one I found when I moved in was 6" high when I first saw it, and about a foot tall when I replanted it and is now taller than I and quite happy only a few years later.

Find another tree looking out of place (growing in a strange or inappropriate spot) and give it a better home, and by doing so remember both the first tree and the gardner who felt moved to plant it...

I also think you'll have better luck with a sapling than starting from seed. Spring and fall are the best times to move a tree, if you feel compelled to do this in midsummer then water it like crazy.

--Glenn Lyford