CARE INFORMATION, PART IV
This Page Last Updated: October 3, 2011
DIGGING TREES IN THE SPRING
Deciduous
1) In March or so,
before
the new buds have fully swelled and started to open, dig up the tree
and keep as much of the roots/rootball as possible. Oaks,
especially, need a lot of roots brought with them (still attached to
the tree, of course!) and put in a DEEP pot.
2) Put in a larger-than-usual pot or
collection box and be sure the plant is protected from the usual late
frosts which will severely injure any new growing roots.
Evergreen
1) In April or May,
before
the new buds have fully swelled and started to open, dig up the tree and keep as
much of the roots/rootball as possible.
2) Put in a larger-than-usual pot or collection box and
be sure the plant is protected from the usual late frosts which will severely
injure any new growing roots.
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MOUNTAIN-COLLECTING CRITERIA
Always collect for quality, not quantity -- a very few
excellent specimens are so much better for your time, energy, and display space than
a lot of plain and underdeveloped plants. Therefore, look for:
1. "Movement" or "action" (interesting
character) in the bottom 6" of the trunk. (Lack of such character at the bottom would
take very much longer to develop in a pot.)
2. Rootage on the same side of the tree as
the trunk and branches. (Rootage opposite (180°) or at right angles (90°)
from the trunk would initially require an out-of-proportion growing box or container.)
3. Trees that are relatively easy to move back-and-forth in the
ground.
(Shake several otherwise prime specimens and dig out the "loosest" -- the
longer you spend on getting a tree out of the ground/rock (especially after 10 or 15 minutes), the less likely
that tree is to survive.) Ideally, you want a tree that practically "jumps right into your knapsack."
4. Trees with a relatively large (c.90-100%) amount of rootball
that comes out.
HOWEVER, quality of roots is more important than quantity: a small but dense
matted rootball is better for the tree's survival than a large but loose mass of "spaghetti." (Include a
GOOD quantity of soil from each tree's collection spot along with the intact rootball. Most of these trees
NEED the whitish mycorrhizae already
growing among their roots to survive.)
--- Harold Sasaki, from an April 12, 2008 workshop for us.
(See the July 8 listing here.)
MOUNTAIN-COLLECTING GEAR
A whistle, hat, lunch, first aid kit, Rolaids® for altitude
assistance, sunscreen, layered warm clothes (nylon or Goretex, for instance, not cotton), and water -- one liter,
at least, brought with you and one left in the car for you. Also, please hydrate well the days before you go collecting!
We live around 6,000 feet above sea level. You'll be collecting up to perhaps 8,000 feet or higher elevation.
There WILL be lots of wind, the ground can be slick or slippery (mats of pine needles are slick!), and there might even be
snow around. Do NOT wear short pants or short-sleeve shirts. Wear treaded boots or climbing shoes.
A backpack or duffel bag, burlap and/or heavy-duty black plastic bags, rope or several straps, pry bar,
folding saw, gloves, hand pruners, rubber pad for your knees, hand trowel, short-handled shovel, plastic bag with
well-soaked sphagnum moss, small spray bottle with water for roots, a bit of sturdy rope to secure you if you want
to collect near a cliff edge. Towel and waterless hand cleaner. Pen and notebook for field notes, tape
measure, and digital camera or camera phone. Do NOT bring your good bonsai tools.
Bring your collecting permits.
Tell your family or friends where you are going and about when you will be back. There is not always
cell phone reception in the mountains.
You'll need to pot up every tree you collect with some of its original mycorrhizae soil when you get home that
same day/evening. Reserve yourself some time and energy for this important task. Do you have a
suitable-sized container available for every tree you collect? (That's why you bring along a tape measure
-- trees in the field look smaller than they really are.) Do you have enough proper soil mix to supplement
the soil you collect with each tree?
If you plan to collect Ponderosa pine, especially the first time, read this before you
go so that you will be familiar with that plant's needs.
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OTHER
PROPAGATION HINTS
When air-layering, you need to cut deep into the branch/trunk
in order to get the roots to start. Don't just scratch a little
under the bark.
PEST CONTROL
A recommended spray is Garden Safe® brand Fungicide3 by
Schultz. This is a combination fungicide, insecticide, and
miticide whose active ingredient is Neem Oil Extract.
A formula which can be made at home is one tablespoon of plain original formula Dawn liquid
dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of plain original formula Windex mixed in one quart
of plain water. Pour into a one quart capacity spray bottle and use.
WIRING HELP
1. Instead of raffia as an underwrap for wiring,
use Saran Wrap® or similar plastic. Cut off a long sheet and roll
it up. Cut this into strips less than 1" in width. Unroll the strip
as you wind it around the trunk or branch. It sticks better than raffia.
Use several layers.
2. Twist a branch while wiring -- this will
lessen the likelihood of the branch breaking.
3. Wire left on a branch or trunk too long begins
to be grown around by the bark and leaves a scar. This can be lessened by
using fine-grained sandpaper on the scar. The bark at that point might be
a different color than the surrounding bark, but the visual scar will be lessened.
--- Harold Sasaki, from an April 12, 2008 workshop for us.
PATIENTLY SHAPING TREES
A common misperception at the many bonsai groups around the state
is that "[t]hese people want to style their trees by finding fault
in plant material right from the start. Instead of emphasizing
the positive aspects of the tree, they want to get rid of all the faults
in one workshop or one sitting -- and they end up with
Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.
"In your haste to make a perfect tree, you cripple the plant
and it may never recover. Why make all the decisions at one time?
Be conservative. Remember that your eye and your experience
and skill will improve with time."
Too many members of bonsai clubs like ours "see a demonstration
of bonsai pruning and go home and kill a tree. You must get over
the mentality that if you don't cut it drastically it's not bonsai.
Take your time. Your best buddy is Mother Nature. The
person demonstrating has no ability to put buds on your tree where
you want them."
--- Harold Sasaki, from a May 13, 2000 workshop,
as quoted in our June 2000 club newsletter.
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