Collected yew - a bit of advice please

[ElyDave]

Here are a few pics of a massive yew I've just collected from the front of my drive. It had been topiarised as cuboid block for the last 15 years by me, probably planted when the house was built in 1985. The trunk is 11" across at the soil level. My wife had been complaining that it "scratched her car", personally I always found it easy not to drive on a tree.

I reduced the top by about half last year, and it has sprouted back massively, so is a very healthy tree. I've been digging it out over the last month or so, with the final push in the last two days - I will admit, it nearly broke me, and once the roots were free it was another big effort to get it into the wheelbarrow. The root ball was actually very shallow as the soil in my garden is heavy clay from about one spades depth down, and this has just casued the roots to spread.

I've replanted it in a slatted compost heap as a container, loads of my home made compost and soil from the hole it came from. I'd been keeping the roots moist by laying damp towels on them and covering with soil when my work was interrupted. On planting it's had 4 gallons of water over the roots and foliage. It will stay in that location until next spring to recover. Some photos below - the box is 90cm square for reference.

My only question is should I further reduce the top growth to minimise water loss whilst it re-establishes root growth?

 

[leatherback]

I would not reduce. I would keep the foliage moist and out of stong winds.

Keep in mind that yew does not like overly wet roots

 

[ElyDave]

Quick response! Thanks

Current conditions aside, that should be a farily sheltered part of the garden and out of strong sunshine as well

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Looks like a good bit of Roots!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Make sure the trunk is stable in the pot. Any "wiggle" or jostle, from winds, or moving it around, can damage new roots forming. Prop poles, or lathe, or guy wires to help make sure the tree is stable are a good thing to add. The strong lean of your trunk might be prone to "falling out of the pot". A post to prop up the end might be a good idea, at least for the first couple years.

It will probably be at least 2 to 4 years before this tree will be ready for serious work. No pruning for at least one year, probably 2. If it is slow to bud out and back bud, you might have to wait as much as 4 years before going to work on it.

That is a big project tree. Impressive. It will be impressive as a bonsai.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

When I collected one last year I hosed off all the soil and planted it in a box with half lumice and half hadite. These need very good drainage. i misted mine several times a day and watered it daily. It is now pushing out new buds like crazy. I personally think that putting it in compost is a death sentence. I suggest you review the recommendations in the ads here on how to handle collected yews. This thread in particular is good.

Taxus Resource Thread

I know there are a few of us Yew lovers out here... I think we should make this a Dedicated Thread for any solid information you have, and would like to share with the Bnut universe, about Taxus. (@sorce maybe you can tag this as a "Resource"...or whatever you do... ?) If you have something to...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Here is a a thread I started on mine.

The BIG yew project

Last year this time I talked my next door neighbor into letting me dig up three old yews growing in his yard. These are probably 30-40 years old and have been neglected for ages. Since he has two hounds that chew on everything he was very happy to let me dig them even though I wanted to wait a...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[ElyDave]

Thanks all, pumice I don't have but I can certainly remove the soil from the root ball and dig in a lot of drainage material, I have sand and grit easily to hand for my normal potting mixes.

My compost is actually fairly well drained as we also throw all of our eggshells in there, you'd be amazed how it opens up a heavy soil in the veg plot, but point taken.

 

[ElyDave]

So, I attacked it with a root hook this evening, removed about 15kg of clay from the roots, making it much easier to handle rather than back-breaking

That showed me I have kept far more fine rootage than I realised, which is good. Also dug out some of the compost and mixed 20kg of grit into the mix before reshuffling it around the roots

 

[River's Edge]

So, I attacked it with a root hook this evening, removed about 15kg of clay from the roots, making it much easier to handle rather than back-breaking

That showed me I have kept far more fine rootage than I realised, which is good. Also dug out some of the compost and mixed 20kg of grit into the mix before reshuffling it around the roots

View attachment 302444

Better approach, the improved drainage with the soil change will make a difference! Now to wait!

 

[leatherback]

if that does not live, what chance does mine have!?

 

[ElyDave]

Here are a couple of inspiration shots for the eventual styling


Taken on a business trip to Sweden last year



From a holiday to Spain in 2004

 

[ElyDave]

I had been getting somewhat nervous about this one, with the top growth browning significantly, but still staying green under the bark. Just in the last couple of weeks, it seems to have made turn around though adn I think I'm seeing new shoots appearing

 

[leatherback]

picatures!

 

[ElyDave]

It died!

I think a rate tunnelled into the soil and disturbed the roots. I have some other yew cuttings and a massive yew hedge that I might be able to air-laye a huge chunk off, but this one is for the bonfire.

 

[leatherback]