Another, “should i dig this up?” thread (noob)

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A nice lady offered me these shrubs. I’m not sure of their species.
One looks like a juniper or cypress?
The other look like it might be a massive cotoneaster, if so I definitely want that one.
Weather is in the 50s all week with a bit of rain on the way.
Thanks-ham
 

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Shibui

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I would say cotoneaster for the one with berries. Easy to transplant and you can cut the trunk down to whatever is useful because they will grow new buds from bare wood.

The other photo is not clear enough but it does appear to be some sort of conifer. Transplant for most conifers is similar. I can't see the trunk or branches so no way to tell if it is worth while as a bonsai but probably still worth it for the practice at digging conifers.
 

James W.

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A nice lady offered me these shrubs. I’m not sure of their species.
One looks like a juniper or cypress?
The other look like it might be a massive cotoneaster, if so I definitely want that one.
Weather is in the 50s all week with a bit of rain on the way.
Thanks-ham
Dig 'em! Especially that cotoneaster,
Worst case scenario, you still learn something.
 

_#1_

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First one looks like threadleaf false cypress.

I've been told they don't readily backbud. And not sure if they take transplanting well.
 

ShadyStump

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Noobs unite!
And as a fellow noob, if you have a place to put it, and especially if the tree is going away one way or another, I say the rule is dig it every time. You'll learn species identification, transplant care, plant growth and development, etc., etc. Like it or not, bonsai is about horticulture, and even the folks who went to college for it will say you learn by digging.
 
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Went and dug the contoneaster up. The tree had already ben partially dug up by the contractors or city workers that were working on the sewage system. They then just buried it in a bunch of sand. It was pretty weird digging up a tree and leaving behind a mountain of sand instead of an indentation in the dirt.
There were lots of fine roots in a small clump of the original soil once I hosed off the sand.
I just have it in a bucket of water right now. not sure if I want to just put it back in the ground or put it in some type of grow crate. I think i'll chop it way back and try to split the two lower trunks eventually.
I collected two thick branch chunks that had grown down to the ground and rooted. They might end up being the most useful part of the dig.
Notice how the thickness of the trunk dwarfs my large masculine hands. Size 10 US Dr Marten for scale. Sorry I'm so ridiculous.
 

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Shibui

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That's a really nice stump. Just a warning that in bonsai big is not always better. Good big bonsai are impressive but many are just plain ugly. Always look for the best parts and discard the rest.

When digging deciduous I get rid of as much redundant material as possible right after collection. I think that allows the tree to concentrate on new roots and new shoots growing where you want them. Deciduous don't seem to need foliage to grow new roots like some conifers. New shoots tend to sprout in the highest portions so if you leave tall branches they will have to be cut off next year and start again. Often a main trunk can be removed just above a thinner side branch so the new trunk line has better bends and taper. Always look for places where pruning will leave you with good bends and better taper.
Photo 3010 appears to show a couple of nice trunks but with opposing directions. At some stage I think one will need to go to simplify the design. It should be possible to split that clump so you have 2 separate trees.
 
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