The 2023 Yamadori/Collecting Thread

[EvergreenAddict]

Gonna need some more info. What kind of tree? Are you really heading into spring up there already? Do you have a big enough container ready for this? Enough soil? Are you digging in soil, or lifting from pockets in stone?

It’s in normal soil, came out of a forest like most. I plan to put it into a storage tote and drill some drainage holes into it, that way there’s enough room for it to be comfortable. I’m going to get some soil from Lowes or someplace like that to fill it. In my particular area spring/winter is a weird transition… we have a mild winter climate for the next two months, with possibly one more major frost that would go away after a week. But I looked at the trees, and the buds are appearing, so I thought that maybe it would be good enough to dig it. I’m pretty sure that it is a black birch, from the trees surrounding it and the wood and bark.

 

[TacomaBonsai95]

Idk if this is the right thread to ask about potential material. This is a scots pine I have had my eyes on for a while. Any thoughts on whether this tree is worth digging up??

 

[bdmatt]

Got permission from my university to dig up some oaks growing on their research properties.

I dug up just seedlings, but there were some 2/3 inch oaks I'm coming back for later. I'm thinking they are cork bark oaks which would be nice to add to the collection.

 

[Srt8madness]

Idk if this is the right thread to ask about potential material. This is a scots pine I have had my eyes on for a while. Any thoughts on whether this tree is worth digging up??View attachment 470657View attachment 470658

Hell yeah it is! I mean I'd dig it in a heartbeat.

 

[TacomaBonsai95]

Hell yeah it is! I mean I'd dig it in a heartbeat.

It's coming home with me tomorrow! You've convinced me.. that was easy

 

[BrianBay9]

Got permission from my university to dig up some oaks growing on their research properties.

I dug up just seedlings, but there were some 2/3 inch oaks I'm coming back for later. I'm thinking they are cork bark oaks which would be nice to add to the collection.

View attachment 470647View attachment 470649View attachment 470650
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I've never tried to collect Q suber, but they seem fussier about root work during repotting. Let us know how this works out.

 

[rockm]

I found this guy in a creek bed near my home in DFW area. I suspect it to be a red cedar as those are very common. The rock around it is actually fairly soft and can be broken with a hammer and chisel. But that's still a lotta rock. I suspect that exposed root above it is the same tree. Before I attack this does anyone have tips advise? How much root do I need to get?
.View attachment 468654

This might be an Ashe Juniper. Foliage seems to me to be too tight for a red cedar. Ashe juniper is where cedar elm gets its name from, as both prefer similar environments and are often found together--looks to me like there is a stand of cedar elm in the background. CE is Much easier to collect and make into bonsai than Ashe juniper or cedar elm.

 

[rockm]

Started digging an interesting project. I live up on the ny pa border and the frost has gone… I’m wondering if digging a tree around four inches in diameter is too hard for a newbie? Did some preparatory work last spring for it… what do the experts say?

Uh, no the frost isn't "gone" it's just warmed up for a while. Winter is not over in your area. You risk losing whatever you're digging to coming freezes. If you store the plant inside, it will probably push new growth that will be killed off by low light and your heating system.

Show some patience.

 

[Fonz]

Does digging up trees from my growing field count as collecting?

 

[Cajunrider]

Does digging up trees from my growing field count as collecting?

I don't know what others think. Collecting to me is to dig up the trees. Whether the trees were sown naturally in the wild or by people in their land makes little difference to me. However, I recognize that some of us abide by the strict definition of yamadori. That is why the title of the thread is Yamadori/Collecting.

 

[TacomaBonsai95]

Hopefully I didn't get this little guy too early in the season. The whole reason I even found this tree was because I saw some guys about to remove it with a chainsaw. Anyway, it wasn't gonna last much longer where it was, hopefully I gave it a chance.

 

[Srt8madness]

Love the movement down low, and nice save!

 

[Doogliebop]

Hopefully I didn't get this little guy too early in the season. The whole reason I even found this tree was because I saw some guys about to remove it with a chainsaw. Anyway, it wasn't gonna last much longer where it was, hopefully I gave it a chance.View attachment 470757View attachment 470756View attachment 470755View attachment 470754

Great find, I'm envious. I would punch a nun to find a pine with movement like that honestly.

 

[TacomaBonsai95]

Great find, I'm envious. I would punch a nun to find a pine with movement like that honestly.

thank you! Here's a few more pics. I just really hope it survives. Had it on a heating mat last night because it got to 33 degrees f.
Also, I'm wondering when I should do some pruning/ branch removal. The leader/sacrifice branch is quite large.

 

[19Mateo83]

I saved a red maple from a soon to be construction site and also dug what I think is a silver maple to torture test.
The red

And the silver

 

[Cajunrider]

I saved a red maple from a soon to be construction site and also dug what I think is a silver maple to torture test.
The red
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And the silver
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You are hell bent on taking that silver maple literally within an inch of its life, aren't you?
Question for you: Why are you keeping the lower tier of roots? Sooner or later you will have to chop it off. Why not now?

 

[Kanorin]

You are hell bent on taking that silver maple literally within an inch of its life, aren't you?
Question for you: Why are you keeping the lower tier of roots? Sooner or later you will have to chop it off. Why not now?

Yes. Marija Hajdic gave a virtual talk last year for our club about collected deciduous material. One of her big pieces of advice was along the lines of - If there are any structural roots that are going to be an impediment to fitting your collected tree in a bonsai pot in the future, it's much better to take them off at collection time than to wait X years to address those issues. Because what if the tree decides to sprout all of it's new root growth from the structural roots that you are hoping to take off in the future? At that point you will have wasted valuable time and effort and then will still need to make a future major operation that could set back or kill the tree.

 

[Cajunrider]

Yes. Marija Hajdic gave a virtual talk last year for our club about collected deciduous material. One of her big pieces of advice was along the lines of - If there are any structural roots that are going to be an impediment to fitting your collected tree in a bonsai pot in the future, it's much better to take them off at collection time than to wait X years to address those issues. Because what if the tree decides to sprout all of it's new root growth from the structural roots that you are hoping to take off in the future? At that point you will have wasted valuable time and effort and then will still need to make a future major operation that could set back or kill the tree.

Absolutely. I learned this hard lesson when I collected a good live oak with two tiers of roots I kept them both and the tree developed well. However, when I later chopped the lower tier of roots to fit it into a bonsai pot. The tree died.

 

[19Mateo83]

You are hell bent on taking that silver maple literally within an inch of its life, aren't you?
Question for you: Why are you keeping the lower tier of roots? Sooner or later you will have to chop it off. Why not now?

It was either this or get killed when they clear the lot it came from, which is happening in the next few weeks. My thinking was the fine roots are mainly on the lower root parts. I’m hoping it will grow fine roots up high and that the fabric pot will help encourage them. I really didnt have any plans for this tree, this is more me seeing how much a maple can take. I actually dug this tree yesterday and left it out in the rain last night bare rooted, a true torture test.

 

[Cajunrider]

It was either this or get killed when they clear the lot it came from, which is happening in the next few weeks. My thinking was the fine roots are mainly on the lower root parts. I’m hoping it will grow fine roots up high and that the fabric pot will help encourage them. I really didnt have any plans for this tree, this is more me seeing how much a maple can take. I actually dug this tree yesterday and left it out in the rain last night bare rooted, a true torture test.

I made the same error in judgment with my live oak collected tree. I kept the lower part and the upper part never developed the roots it needed to develop.