Logs for mushrooms sure . Is that what you tell the wife .
there I was looking for logs ( not sure why but I have never grown mushrooms ) and I tripped over BC that just had to be collected I can just picture you explaining this to the wife . 
LadyRider told me that I am blond. Everything I do is unexplainable. Truth be told, I was driving toward a path that I was told there was some water oaks that fell across the road. On the way driving there I was driving along the crawfish pond. I caught glimpses of these trees behind a big BCs so I stopped, put on my wader, grabbed my root slayer shovel, my tow rope and in the water I went. I cut around each tree, attached the tow rope, and pulled each one right out of the swamp with my truck.Logs for mushrooms sure . Is that what you tell the wife .
Have you considered. A program for your BC dependence .
Keep in mind we are all crazy . My neighbour's have not thought I was right in the head Spence they seen me watering in the rain
Ahem…Have you considered. A program for your BC dependence .
Yep. The trees were happy being in the mud. I then chopped their feet, tied a rope to their throats and yanked them out. Then I chopped them at the spine and squeezed them into tiny containers. If that ain’t torture, I don’t know what is.Tree torturers the lot of us
I vote no on Natal plum also, their leaves aren't curved like that and no thorns.
As I be said before I’m a northerner so know very little about them . A lot of people with material like that . That does not need any old soil around the roots . Like a conifer that has a association with fungus. Will just soak the root ball in a tub of water . Fir say 12 or 24 hours . This will make loosening the clay and muck a lot easier . Without damaging the roots . A garden hose will also help when potting time . Just don’t overdue the pressureHoly smokes... had some time this afternoon open up so I ran out to collect this bad boy. It was a tough one! It was raining and I was on a steep little hill and our soil has a ton of clay so I was sliding all over the place. Should have brought out a Sawzall but only had a little folding saw. Either way about an hour later had this bad boy. I reduced the root ball a little bit out there because it was so damn heavy with all the clay on it.
Gotta get a little work done then I'll pot it later this afternoon. My questions for the group:
- Am I OK to basically bare root this thing? Like I said the soil is pretty much just wet clay so I'm concerned about proper drainage.
- Should I reduce any foliage? I cut off a few branches that were down low, should I cut everything back while it establishes roots?
And just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the info and encouragement. First time digging something up like this and it was fun (and challenging). I don't think this thing will be a show tree but I think it has some potential!
LOL, also my wife was laughing because I wore my hi-viz vest so people would think I was just a landscaper and wouldn't bother me
I would love for you to dig one of those . Wrap the roots I. Damp moss . Pack it up and air freight it to me . But there is that pesky international border . Government inspectors . Quarantine. Fines . And generally buzz killers some people just don’t now how to have fun and mind there own business
.
Agree. Get rid of the native soil. I tend not to reduce the foliage. The tree will tell you if it can't handle all the leaves and you can cut the dead limbs off later. Otherwise, keep all the green you can to regenerate roots quickly. Nice tree!
I lean towards being conservative . Especially with a species . I have no or little experience with . There is of course species . That respond well to drastic root pruning and chop the trunk . But not all trees respond to this approach . Add the difficulty level of finding quality material. There is a modern movement to attempting to get faster results . But a traditional approach collect a larger root ball . Leave a lot of top growth . Both will help the tree recover . Transforming a wild or yard tree into a bonsai takes time . It’s easy to chop a tree . And kill it . It’s easy to cut something off that given time to study the tree . You may wish you still had . Step one keep the tree alive . Granted most of my collecting experience comes from conifers . But most northern trees appreciate a slower approach . For faster approach spend time seek out better material to start with .
That is big leaf ligustrum... they don't progress very fast but good solid material!
All new growth come out from the section on top of the strait trunk. Need to select a leader there. It should help with creating some taper.
Nice collection.
Thank you!
waiting for snow to melt to collect 
