Any b-nut's in New Mexico?

[doc spring _work]

Currently traveling back to my hometown by Alamogordo new Mexico by white sands.

Wondering if anyone knows of good bonsai things to check out before I leave Sunday?

If there's nothing I'll probably find myself collecting some conifer seedlings around my grandfather's house.

Any residents suggestions appreciated especially since the closest nursery is an hour out lol

 

[Hartinez]

I’m in Albuquerque. 3 or so hours from Alamogordo. Las Cruces is closish, but I’m pretty sure there’s. Bunch of nothing bonsai related. I know at @BonsaiManic is near by there. But otherwise, NM is as much a bonsai island as you get in this country.

Awfully close to Alamogordo around Carizozo is one of the worlds largest lava flow sites. I’ve driven by but never stopped. Lava rock with the lichen that grows on it makes excellent bonsai slab material. It carves easy and doesn’t weigh much. Might be worth driving over and scouring the area for potential pieces to take.

 

[doc spring _work]

I’m in Albuquerque. 3 or so hours from Alamogordo. Las Cruces is closish, but I’m pretty sure there’s. Bunch of nothing bonsai related. I know at @BonsaiManic is near by there. But otherwise, NM is as much a bonsai island as you get in this country

Seems pretty similar to Utah in that regard then is this what it's like across the US or just mainly the Midwest?

 

[doc spring _work]

I’m in Albuquerque. 3 or so hours from Alamogordo. Las Cruces is closish, but I’m pretty sure there’s. Bunch of nothing bonsai related. I know at @BonsaiManic is near by there. But otherwise, NM is as much a bonsai island as you get in this country.

Awfully close to Alamogordo around Carizozo is one of the worlds largest lava flow sites. I’ve driven by but never stopped. Lava rock with the lichen that grows on it makes excellent bonsai slab material. It carves easy and doesn’t weigh much. Might be worth driving over and scouring the area for potential pieces to take.
View attachment 575477

Was already planning on grabbing a slab for planting before we drove out! Going up into cloudcroft which you can see in the pic appreciate you .. maybe I'll look for some interesting dead wood, my foot is pretty fucked up but I'll see how far along the trails I can make it,

Planning on stopping over by carrizozo and rock hunting for a bit

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Welcome back! I live on the other side of the mountains, by a big bat-filled hole in the ground.
From my (limited) experience, you are currently in a desert, and a bonsai desert. There aren't many people bold (crazy?) enough to attempt bonsai in this environment/climate. I think there might be a bonsai club or society in ABQ, but I don't think you'll find any "bonsai" nursery closer than that.
I have seen a member from El Paso a few times, but off the top of my head, I can't remember his username. He would actually be closer than I am to Alamogordo.
As @Hartinez said, New Mexico is pretty isolated from the rest of the bonsai world.

 

[doc spring _work]

Welcome back! I live on the other side of the mountains, by a big bat-filled hole in the ground.
From my (limited) experience, you are currently in a desert, and a bonsai desert. There aren't many people bold (crazy?) enough to attempt bonsai in this environment/climate. I think there might be a bonsai club or society in ABQ, but I don't think you'll find any "bonsai" nursery closer than that.
I have seen a member from El Paso a few times, but off the top of my head, I can't remember his username. He would actually be closer than I am to Alamogordo.
As @Hartinez said, New Mexico is pretty isolated from the rest of the bonsai world.

Saw a few pretty far south... But that's closer to Carlsbad no way I can detour that way from cloudcroft lol. Might just see about collecting a seedling or two while I'm visiting home then head back to Utah o.q I don't wanna leave I missed nm so damn much.. also.. the soil here is so soft q.q, one of these days I'm just going to have to make a road trip with a trailer and collect some yamadori from different places around the US.. especially Louisiana, that area seems to have so much going on! Which I crave living in Utah where the nearest club is an hour out

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

There are dozens of native species, but very few suitable for bonsai. The two conifers I'm most interested in are Piñon and Alligator Juniper. As for deciduous, I am getting a big tooth maple from your neck of the woods tomorrow. I hope for my (so far meager) collection to focus on these.

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

You might see if there's a forest service office for Lincoln National Forest in Alamogordo. Pick up a collection permit for fairly cheap and I think it allows three four trees.

 

[doc spring _work]

You might see if there's a forest service office for Lincoln National Forest in Alamogordo. Pick up a collection permit for fairly cheap and I think it allows three four trees.

Hometown is in the forest actually one of the reasons I was considering looking for cool wood for a Phoenix graft potentially, especially given the fires over the year.

Also considering asking the local forest service office for a list of invasives to see if I can't seek those out

 

[doc spring _work]

Collected two seedlings, apparently forgot to get a photo of the second.. now I do suck at id when it comes to pine but according to statistics for the area... This should be a ponderosa pine. Need to look at the smaller tree in the morning to get a photo for y'all... And to figure out if I collected spruce or fir.. and if fir is it white fir or doug the pine has excellent movement at the base, I thought for sure the roots would point to a semi cascade but there wasn't a great number of roots in general but certainly enough to live, fella will be put into a larger pot when I go back to Utah (I don't want to go back someone kidnap me) unfortunately I do start a new job Monday so I've stayed as long as I can, stoping by the valley of fire in carrizozo tomorrow to grab at least two nice slabs, want to do a nice forest planting later, may grow from seed I do have plenty of red bud seeds...

Anyways! I'll post photos of the smaller compact fella tomorrow, and I'll get a closer look at the needles as I thought it was a spruce but statically speaking it's probably some kinda fir and I hadn't realized I collected an entirely different kind of conifer then intended

 

[doc spring _work]

Small collected spruce (to the best of my knowledge the needles are infact not flat so that's promising)) should be heading out to the volcanic fields here in a bit probably get my slab in around an hour or so

 

[doc spring _work]

Trip is finished and I am back in utah, little guys are in garage.

Slab collected below, approximately 12 inches wide and 8 inches long.

As I'm not exactly experienced with pine I am tempted to lightly prune the pine to bring strength lower in the tree... However I don't think I should because my first instinct with conifers typically kills them.. It should probably be left to grow stronger before I do anything but a also don't want to loose it's lowest weakest branch as I do eventually want to cut back to that lower branch then leave it to grow for a few years..

Do I
A: just leave it to grow for a year before I do anything and risk loosing the lowest branch (the least likely to damage my tree)

B: prune some small branches (likely damage the tree with my impatience?)

C: defoliate this next summer to back bud? (Not sure if this is doable but I feel like this is what I want to do...)


Slab will be a forest in the future.. bonsai empire had an excellent video I am inspired by.. if I hadn't been on a timeline would have found a second slab to create a river bed like those seen on the trails of Lincoln national Forest, will likely do something similar to empires, using red bud seeds and growing it out on the slab... May collect a few other seeds to mix in to the composition.

Bonsai empires vid ^

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Small collected spruce (to the best of my knowledge the needles are infact not flat so that's promising)) should be heading out to the volcanic fields here in a bit probably get my slab in around an hour or so

I'm not the best person to ask, but this looks more like a piñon to me, just in case you're interested in my O'piñon.

 

[doc spring _work]

I'm not the best person to ask, but this looks more like a piñon to me, just in case you're interested in my O'piñon.

It's possible, but the forest does have a massive info PDF... Doesn't show any piñon pines up there... That's why I'm assuming it was ponderosa pine.. I'll look into piñon pine care!

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

Ponderosa is probably correct, but the other one looks to me more like a piñon than a spruce. But, I'm still learning how to get accurate identification, so it's probably about 50/50 that I'm wrong.

 

[doc spring _work]

Ponderosa is probably correct, but the other one looks to me more like a piñon than a spruce. But, I'm still learning how to get accurate identification, so it's probably about 50/50 that I'm wrong.

I can visually tell it isn't piñon pine due to the budding on it... There are piñon juniper up there but I'm fairly certain it's not a juniper.. I had thought it was possible to be possibly a fir but the needles aren't flat... But again conifers aren't really my thing And my knowledge are only about as deep as basic bonsai techniques and nursery knowledge taking a closer look the needles don't seem as compact as they where on collection... Maybe... Can't find a good photo to compare the buds...

Either way the compact needles are what attracted me... Anyone else good at I.D. for conifers?

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

I'm not 100% sure, but it's my understanding that piñon/juniper is a biome rather than a species. It consists of Ponderosa and piñon pines, as well as Alligator Juniper, one-seed juniper, and rocky mountain juniper, and probably some other species of pine and juniper.

@ShadyStump probably knows more about this topic than I do.

 

[doc spring _work]

I'm not 100% sure, but it's my understanding that piñon/juniper is a biome rather than a species. It consists of Ponderosa and piñon pines, as well as Alligator Juniper, one-seed juniper, and rocky mountain juniper, and probably some other species of pine and juniper.

@ShadyStump probably knows more about this topic than I do.

Ah yes that is much MUCH further down the mountain... I was in a mixed conifer- subalpine area.. due to walking with a Cane I wasn't able to collect in the piñon section.. (I really wanted a mesquite but I just couldn't)

Photo below demonstrates the biomes as you go up the mountain range

(The town sits at 8,676 feet but it could be higher of lower I can only guess based on tree density and species)

 

[Colorado]

I can visually tell it isn't piñon pine due to the budding on it... There are piñon juniper up there but I'm fairly certain it's not a juniper.. I had thought it was possible to be possibly a fir but the needles aren't flat... But again conifers aren't really my thing And my knowledge are only about as deep as basic bonsai techniques and nursery knowledge taking a closer look the needles don't seem as compact as they where on collection... Maybe... Can't find a good photo to compare the buds...

Either way the compact needles are what attracted me... Anyone else good at I.D. for conifers?

The tree in this photo is a Doug Fir, Doc! You can tell by the buds. The needles are also indicative, but hard to tell in a photo versus spruce. But with those red, pointed buds this one is definitively Doug fir…a great bonsai subject

 

[doc spring _work]

The tree in this photo is a Doug Fir, Doc! You can tell by the buds. The needles are also indicative, but hard to tell in a photo versus spruce. But with those red, pointed buds this one is definitively Doug fir…a great bonsai subject

Damn! I thought it might be a fir but I tried to feel the needles for a sign.. now the question is, is it a Doug fir or white so frustrated! Thought it was and I thought I ruled fir out!! Guess that's plant ID for you though