Assistance in acquiring trees

[Aaron S.]

Hello, bonsai buds. I am in need of help from your collective knowledge. First, let me tell you about my situation. I'm disabled trying to support myself, the best wife in the universe, our 20-year-old autistic son, and our 16-year-old daughter on my social security. It isn't fun or easy. With my health situation, I have to spend most of my time in bed because my spine is detaching itself from my hip cradle. I kid you not that my daily exercise is taking care of my bonsai collection. My collection isn't impressive, mostly trees native to my area and a few trees from taking cuttings from my friend's landscaping trees. 99% of my "bonsai" pots are oil drain pans from Dollar Tree (10 nice-sized training pots for $10, the trees can't tell lol) I can't drive and it is rare when I leave my house for something other than going to the doctor. Here is what I need help with. I have been wanting to add the following trees to my collection:
Bald Cypress
Japanese Red Maple
Alberta Spruce
I know that I can probably go to the local nursery and get just buy the trees that they have on hand but they are out of my budget, too large for me to work with, and it's hard for me to get to a nursery. So I was wondering if you guys have an online source for these trees. I would prefer cutting but seeds will be ok if that is my only source. I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
thank you
Aaron​

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

Take a look here, this might be a good choice

Products

High quality prebonsai seedlings cultivated in the United States.

kaedebonsai-en.com

 

[BrianBay9]

The best way to get free or nearly free material is to join a local club. Raffles, club sales, and just friendly people willing to donate are possibilities with a club. The closest to you might be https://www.bonsaiclubokc.com/

 

[Aaron S.]

The best way to get free or nearly free material is to join a local club. Raffles, club sales, and just friendly people willing to donate are possibilities with a club. The closest to you might be https://www.bonsaiclubokc.com/

That is correct but I have not joined because I can not go to meetings or events.

 

[BrianBay9]

That is correct but I have not joined because I can not go to meetings or events.

Check with them and see if they do video meetings. For a long time everyone was using zoom. If you can connect I bet you'd find some members willing to come to your place to bring material or help you work trees.

 

[Cajunrider]

I hate to see a fellow BC enthusiast in needs. I can give you a BC that is not a stick in a pot from the nursery.
How about this one? It has since been chopped short so it will be just fine in a Dollar Tree oil pan.

Give me a PM.
PS: Is K5ATG is you ham radio call sign?

 

[namnhi]

I hate to see a fellow BC enthusiast in needs. I can give you a BC that is not a stick in a pot from the nursery. Give me a PM.
PS: Is K5ATG is you ham radio call sign?

We think alike. I also offered the single planted that we collected. Am sure he will take good care of it.

 

[Cajunrider]

We think alike. I also offered the single planted that we collected. Am sure he will take good care of it.

LOL.
If you already send him yours. I don't need to send mine. We don't want Aaron to be burdened with too many BCs.
Actually I'd rather you keep yours. I will send him the one I posted picture. It has a really nice wiggly base.

 

[Aaron S.]

I hate to see a fellow BC enthusiast in needs. I can give you a BC that is not a stick in a pot from the nursery.
How about this one? It has since been chopped short so it will be just fine in a Dollar Tree oil pan.
View attachment 492221
Give me a PM.
PS: Is K5ATG is you ham radio call sign?

Beautiful tree.
Yes it is my call sign

 

[namnhi]

LOL.
If you already send him yours. I don't need to send mine. We don't want Aaron to be burdened with too many BCs.
Actually I'd rather you keep yours. I will send him the one I posted picture. It has a really nice wiggly base.

Ok. Thanks Uncle. @Aaron S. Uncle C's tree would be a few level up then the one I had in mind.

 

[rockm]

That is correct but I have not joined because I can not go to meetings or events.

This doesn't really need to be an issue. The club has a Facebook page and that may be a way to work within it. It all depends on how active they are or how active you can get them to be. Explain your situation to them and ask if you could get info through facebook. Our club in N. Va. is pretty active on social media with newbies asking questions and getting good response.

In any case, join to attend raffles, auctions etc. Those are the BEST sources for inexpensive, good quality (sometimes excellent quality) trees/pots/supplies.

 

[jevanlewis]

Aaron,

Are you interested in any Japanese Red Maple cultivar in particular? If any at Evergreen Garden Works (links below) interest you, PM with the one you like and your address. I'm excited to be receiving my first JMs from EGW later this week.

Availability List
Catalog

 

[Aaron S.]

Thanks I will check them out

 

[michaelj]

I made a video sharing some ways I get free trees.

 

[Aaron S.]

Thank you for sharing your video, I'm gonna check out your channel. I try to get cutting when I can but my opportunities are usually few and far between. I can't drive so I have to rely on others to drive me about. Last month I was able to get about 15 cuttings of a Crimson Queen Japanese Red Maple. I have never had the chance to get cuttings from one of these. The only cost is the owner of the tree wants me to root her another one, but I'm welcome to go back and get more cuttings when I can. None have rooted yet, but they all still are looking healthy. This past week I noticed that previous cuttings of a crepe myrtle, cherry tree and a golden rain tree have rooted really well.

My mother-in-law has these crape myrtles that I planted for her in 1997. I have never tried to do an air layering but I want to try that out on one on her crepe myrtles. These things are 25 feet tall and their trunks and branches up to about 10 inches in diameter. They have the exfoliating bark and they grow super fast. I had 30 cuttings from one of her myrtles and the night that I collected them we had a storm and I lost all but one (the one that rooted that I mentioned earlier) I had them in these little cheap-cutting greenhouse trays from Amazon.

This is my best year for cuttings. I try every year and try out different stuff to figure out what works for me. Generally, I have about a 98% failure rate but I keep a notebook on what works and what doesn't.

I have an Aunt in my hometown in S.E. Oklahoma and she has some land and she has a problem of loblolly pines sprouting up in her pastures so when I go down to see her every couple of years I grab a shovel and go get 30-40 trees. Which I ge healthy and give them to friends who help me out.​

There are species of trees that I want in my collection that I have trouble finding and getting cuttings from (with permission) and of course, as mentioned earlier I don't have a lot of success with cutting yet.

My brother got a job as a caretaker of almost 8k acres of land and he found a patch of black berry that covers about 5 acres. I'm gonna get me some of those. They are not the best bonsai material but those black berries taste awesome freshly picked.

 

[BrianBay9]

The crepe myrtle should be great for cuttings. Easy to root. Larger branches should start easily by air layering.

 

[vp999]

Pm me spring and I should have some Shin Deshojo air layers for you, If you were near I would have some pots for you also. Tried to root cuttings this year but none rooted, maybe Im doing something wrong.

 

[Aaron S.]

Pm me spring and I should have some Shin Deshojo air layers for you, If you were near I would have some pots for you also. Tried to root cuttings this year but none rooted, maybe Im doing something wrong.

Thank you very much.

 

[vesper818]

Hello, bonsai buds. I am in need of help from your collective knowledge. First, let me tell you about my situation. I'm disabled trying to support myself, the best wife in the universe, our 20-year-old autistic son, and our 16-year-old daughter on my social security. It isn't fun or easy. With my health situation, I have to spend most of my time in bed because my spine is detaching itself from my hip cradle. I kid you not that my daily exercise is taking care of my bonsai collection. My collection isn't impressive, mostly trees native to my area and a few trees from taking cuttings from my friend's landscaping trees. 99% of my "bonsai" pots are oil drain pans from Dollar Tree (10 nice-sized training pots for $10, the trees can't tell lol) I can't drive and it is rare when I leave my house for something other than going to the doctor. Here is what I need help with. I have been wanting to add the following trees to my collection:
Bald Cypress
Japanese Red Maple
Alberta Spruce
I know that I can probably go to the local nursery and get just buy the trees that they have on hand but they are out of my budget, too large for me to work with, and it's hard for me to get to a nursery. So I was wondering if you guys have an online source for these trees. I would prefer cutting but seeds will be ok if that is my only source. I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
thank you
Aaron​

Hi Aaron
I have more seeds than I will ever have space to start, all sorts of maples, deciduous and conifers. I'm just getting a few started right now, but it would be great to pass the rest on to someone who will grow them.
PM me with your address, and I can stick them in the mail
Carol (kj6lkp)