skip to main content

New Broom-Hunter!

monkeytreeboy15

11 years ago

Hello, everyone.

For my final project in my plant propagation course, I compiled a brief presentation on witch's brooms.

One student in particular found the idea of broom-hunting most intriguing. That very same weekend, at a golf course, she found not one but two brooms!

One was within reach: Picea abies 'Stephanie's Green Golf Ball'
{{gwi:672475}}

Stephanie with a piece of her broom:
{{gwi:672476}}

The other was most tantalizingly out of reach, but it was a nice Douglas Fir broom with many cones on it! We will reattempt to retrieve it tomorrow with the help of Doug Wilson!
{{gwi:672477}}

I imagine Stephanie will be finding many more witch's brooms in the future.

-Sam

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

PRO
David Olszyk, President, American Conifer Society
11 years ago
Hi Sam,

At this point, I'd be tempted to leave everything in place until next January. We always get a much better take with fully dormant scions. Looking around at all the fat buds and hints of green, I fear that our window of dormancy has now closed for this year.

BTW, great job instilling the passion! Next Stephanie gets to see how she likes sticky, sappy fingers. LOL

~Dave
gardener365
11 years ago
You best marry that girl, Sam ;-)

Dax
Related Discussions
How rare/prevalent are brooms?
Q
Comments (15)
The subject of witches' brooms in conifers is intriguing. When talking about the frequency of brooms should we count only brooms from genetic mutations or should we include those resulting from infection? For example in the west, witches' brooms in Douglas-fir (and Abies) can result from parasitation by the Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe. For brooms resulting instead from bud (genetic) mutations, it would be unlikely for there to be more than one per tree. And the older the tree, the more likely a witches' broom (as ken and hungrymind suggest). Some things which would affect the frequency of genetic mutations in conifers are the rate of cell division and the characteristics of the genetic sequence itself, including its length and the arrangement of the genes. So mutation rates would differ between different conifer genera. I found one reference that estimates the mutation rate in Pinus about one tenth of that of Cupressaceae. If that's true, why are there so many mugo pine cultivars (as dave mentions)? Here are some questions: 1. Can an experienced coniferite usually tell brooms resulting from genetic mutations from those induced by disease/pests/parasites? 2. Are almost all witches' broom cultivars (the ones we buy) the result of bud mutations, and not of disease? 3. Are brooms resulting from infections always just a physiological response to the insult (like galls) or can the disease process ever trigger genetic mutations? Any comments? I'd love to know more about this. -m
...See More
New Pinus nigra Broom!
Q
Comments (17)
Pretty cool Sam. I picture you running around campus and driving around Northern Oregon, bumping into things and hearing the hum of lane dividers on roads as your glance is stolen by tree after tree searching for broom. What a great start to your life, a job in a hobby you love and school where you can get a solid foundation to work with and discover brooms between classes. Life is good! -Will
...See More
New witchÂ´s brooms ...
Q
Comments (34)
Jan, looking back to your first pics of this topic, I see that most of the Picea abies witches' brooms are having another colour than the tree they're hanging in. Their colour is more blue-ish instead of green, I've seen this before at other brooms of this species as well. Do you know why this is? I hope you're not going to tell me that they're blue-ish to make it much easier on you to find them :0)
...See More
New Broom in south afrika ID? .
Q
Comments (3)
Hmm... the fact that the cones stay on the tree for so many years indicates that it may be P. attenuata.. But how many needles are in each fascicle? -Sam
...See More
hungrymind
11 years ago
Nice finds! I hope she is as lucky as I have been.
Rob
arceesmith
11 years ago
This is great! I love seeing this new generation of conifer loving broom-hunters. I was afraid that our passion would die off with us older folks.
alley_cat_gw_7b
11 years ago
lol Dax, Wow Sam, Make sure you hold her hand with that sharp grafting knife! You can never be too careful...;)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
dax beat me to it ...

my wife walks out into the yard.. once every ten years.. and says something along the lines of.. where did that come from ...

ken
botann
11 years ago
Ken, my wife is the same. The only time she goes out,
is to get in the car and go shopping.

Way to go Sam....again!
Mike
monkeytreeboy15
Original Author
11 years ago
You are all so funny!
Dave, I too was concerned about it being too late in the year, so I only took portions of each broom. :-)

Well, after a very treacherous climb into the large Douglas fir tree, we were successful in retrieving the other broom!

I climbed 10 feet (4 meters) with a ladder & was able to grab the closest branch 6 feet (2 meters) from the top of the ladder! (STRETCH!)
After climbing another 12-15 feet (5 meters), Doug handed me the pole pruner. I carefully grabbed the blade, hoisting it up above me another 8 feet out on a limb. This angled approach allowed me to successfully cut off half of the broom. Coming down was very tricky, as well!

The broom was very blue and it had bountiful cones!
We will be propagating both the broom and the seeds!
Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Mt. Angel Blue'
{{gwi:672478}}

-Sam
Simoni
11 years ago
Hi Sam!
Nice finds! As always......congratulations
L+M S
maple_grove_gw
11 years ago
Sam,

One of the characteristics of a leader of any movement is the recruitment of new enthusiasts. You're on your way.

How many brooms have you found so far this year...made it to double digits?

Nice finds by the way,

Alex

This post was edited by maple_grove on Fri, Mar 22, 13 at 9:22
alley_cat_gw_7b
11 years ago
Sam, Thats a good name!
monkeytreeboy15
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, we returned this weekend for another collection of Stephanie's two brooms.

This time, she had the camera to photograph the retrieval of the remaining broom.

The broom is quite high..about 40' (125 m)
{{gwi:672479}}

There I am risking my life, using a pole pruner in a tree..
{{gwi:672480}}
{{gwi:672481}}

Trophy shot with Stephanie and her helpful dad, lending his ladder and truck for equipment!
{{gwi:672484}}

Many scions available for trade if anyone would like to propagate this special Doug Fir!
-Sam
Simoni
10 years ago
Hi Sam, very nice broom from Pseudotsuga!
L+M S
severnside
10 years ago
Congratulations and well 'Jan Slama-ed' so precariously high up.
j0nd03
10 years ago
So, which is the trophy in that pic? The girl or the broom??? ;-)

That would make one hell of an engagement picture sometime down the road, too
alley_cat_gw_7b
10 years ago
Sam !!! If you get any closer.....i swear that broom is gonna break budI hehe
Congrats

Al
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
10 years ago
The things we do for love...

Great shots, Sam.

tj

@Al- gonna break bud...LOL
mesterhazypinetum
10 years ago
Good stuff. Stephanie finds and you propagate. Basics for a future nursery!
Zsolt

Related Stories

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen Recipes: Secret Ingredients of 5 One-of-a-Kind Cooking Spaces

By Sheila Schmitz

Learn what went into these cooks’ kitchens — and what comes out of them

THE HARDWORKING HOME Clever Ways to Rethink the Linen Closet

By Laura Gaskill

The Hardworking Home: Get rid of those toppling piles with these ideas for organizing bedding, towels and more

MOST POPULAR A Fine Mess: How to Have a Clean-Enough Home Over Summer Break

By Alison Hodgson

Don't have an 'I'd rather be cleaning' bumper sticker? To keep your home bearably tidy when the kids are around more, try these strategies

MOST POPULAR 20 Outstanding Outdoor Living Rooms

Why give up style and comfort just because you add fresh air? Turn any porch or patio into a sumptuous room by following these leads

GARDENING GUIDES Great Garden Combo: 3 Wonderful Plants for a Deer-Resistant Screen

Protect your privacy and keep deer at bay with a planting trio that turns a problem garden area into a highlight

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: From Shocker to Stunner in Houston

By Mitchell Parker

Once moldy and decrepit, this 1920s bungalow is now a neighborhood gem

HOUSEKEEPING Clean Up Your Cleanup Zones

By Laura Gaskill

Make chore time more pleasant by tidying up your laundry room and updating cleaning tools

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD Household Habits and Customs to Borrow From Other Countries

By Елена Амбросимова

Discover why salt may be the perfect house-warming gift, how to clean rugs in snow and why you should invest in a pair of ‘toilet slippers’

LIFE Houzz Call: Show Us Your Nutty Home Fixes

By Becky Harris

If you've masterminded a solution — silly or ingenious — to a home issue, we want to know

BUDGET DECORATING 14 Ways to Make More Money at a Yard Sale — and Have Fun Too

By Laura Gaskill

Maximize profits and have a ball selling your old stuff, with these tips to help you plan, advertise and style your yard sale effectively

Sponsored

J.S. Brown & Co.

77 Reviews

Columbus Leading Full Service Design Build Firm

More Discussions

My first online order.

38

What's next? small weeping white spruce (picea glauca pendula).

6

Table Mnt pine male cones

15

Some conifers of interest.

4

Ponderosa pine Montana champ

4