Collecting Manzanita

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Calling all Yamadori Experts,

Does anyone have any experience or information on collecting manzanita and getting them to survive? Any information or links to info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Juniperus Californica
 

Vance Wood

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I got my self into a lot of trouble asking questions about this tree but, to my knowledge Greg Brenden is the only one who has been able to harvest even the young ones. Now, if you mean Manzanitta as being the really old and gnarled trees seen in the mountains of California, I still have not heard if anyone has accomplished harvesting any of these and kept them alive long enough to make into a credible bonsai. When I first started visiting forums years ago there were two trees that I had questions about, Manzanitta was one and the Bristle Cone Pine the other. The answers I received in both cases were not what I was looking for and by digging deeper into the subject I was made to feel like I was some sort of troll stirring the pot.
,
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?t=957&goto=newpost
 
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irene_b

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I have collected one (details of where are on another thread).
The area I collected from was a caprock area ie: sorta like a rock with a depression (bowl). The roots were what we strive for in Bonsai!! I planted it in a large Mica pot that is deep and treated it no different than other collected trees from this area..Cake fert was Aoki as well as some Osmocote that was mixed into my mix. Shade for a few months and well watered and left to adjust to life in a pot. Other trees (Cedar Elms)from this area have been dated by some club members as upwards of 100-300 years old.
Irene
 

Vance Wood

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I have collected one (details of where are on another thread).
The area I collected from was a caprock area ie: sorta like a rock with a depression (bowl). The roots were what we strive for in Bonsai!! I planted it in a large Mica pot that is deep and treated it no different than other collected trees from this area..Cake fert was Aoki as well as some Osmocote that was mixed into my mix. Shade for a few months and well watered and left to adjust to life in a pot. Other trees (Cedar Elms)from this area have been dated by some club members as upwards of 100-300 years old.
Irene

I would love to see this tree, or group. Respectfully this may not be exactly what I am looking for. The Nittas I saw in 1960 or there about looked like some of the wonderful driftwood Junipers that adorned the bonsai books of the period; natural drift-wood trunks, and beautiful bright red veins of bark banding the bleached white dead wood. I have been told they are impossible to harvest, I am thinking this must be true especially if it is illegal to do so--that kind of closes the book on the issue.
 

JasonG

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In Southern Oregon there are millions of wonderful Manzanita. I spoke to a woman a few years ago who grows them from seed and digs them from her property, although not for bonsai. She was telling me that the tree spends its first 3-5 years sending out a very fast growing tap root before the tree really starts to grow. This was here observation after working them for many years. But she dugs them and they live for her. I have seen some on Mt Hood, but never tried to collect any. Rich List collected one I think...not sure how it did though....

For bonsai, Yes, Greg is the only one that I know that can make them thrive in a pot. He has some stunners to say the least and I know he has a program for soil prep, fert, etc.. to make sure they thrive. I still have family and friends in the Grants Pass area and will be down there collecting at some point in the future...

Jason
 

irene_b

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I would love to see this tree, or group. Respectfully this may not be exactly what I am looking for. The Nittas I saw in 1960 or there about looked like some of the wonderful driftwood Junipers that adorned the bonsai books of the period; natural drift-wood trunks, and beautiful bright red veins of bark banding the bleached white dead wood. I have been told they are impossible to harvest, I am thinking this must be true especially if it is illegal to do so--that kind of closes the book on the issue.
I will try to see if I have a pic of it...Please remember that all trees from this area are stunted in growth (Natural Bonsai by nature)...So a 3 foot tree can be hundreds of years old...
Irene
 

irene_b

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In Southern Oregon there are millions of wonderful Manzanita. I spoke to a woman a few years ago who grows them from seed and digs them from her property, although not for bonsai. She was telling me that the tree spends its first 3-5 years sending out a very fast growing tap root before the tree really starts to grow. This was here observation after working them for many years. But she dugs them and they live for her. I have seen some on Mt Hood, but never tried to collect any. Rich List collected one I think...not sure how it did though....

For bonsai, Yes, Greg is the only one that I know that can make them thrive in a pot. He has some stunners to say the least and I know he has a program for soil prep, fert, etc.. to make sure they thrive. I still have family and friends in the Grants Pass area and will be down there collecting at some point in the future...

Jason
Please post pics Jason! I would also love to see what they grow like there as well...
Each area of our wonderfull country has it's own beauty and although some trees may be the same their growth can be so different than any other place!
Irene
 
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How do you contact Greg Brenden?

Thanks for responding to my thread. Does anybody know how to contact Greg Brenden?

Thanks

JC
 
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Boon has displayed a manzanita several times in the Bay Island Bonsai exhibit. I was privileged to clean the bark and lime sulfur the deadwood in preparation for show. This photo was from January 2007:
 

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Vance Wood

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Thanks Chris, now I know, we know, it can be done. Do you have any history on the tree and what had to be done to collect it?
 
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Thanks Chris, now I know, we know, it can be done. Do you have any history on the tree and what had to be done to collect it?

Sorry, I don't. I do know they are difficult, and that's about it. I also know that the mountainsides around Yosemite National Park are absolutely covered with manzanita. I think they may be a protected species in CA now.
 

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Vance Wood

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In the midst of all the discussions that have gone around about collected materials I remember making the remark that I felt collecting was a practice whose days are numbered. It seems that it is slowly comming about. If I was told correctly most of the good sources for Buttonwood are now considered protected, so that takes that tree of the plate. Now you are telling me that you think (and I don't doubt it) that Manzanitta in California is protected. Irene says they are protected in Texas. It is my understanding that the Bristle cone Pine is also protected. Out our way there is an Oak I discovered when doing the species sheet for MABA that is protected. It would seem that most of the good stuff is being eliminated piece by piece. It surprises me that the California Juniper has not yet come under that umbrella.

I may be ahead of my time on this one, but I think eventually I will be proven correct; most bonsai will come from nursery stock. The good stuff will be unavailable. For those hoping to grandfather themselves in I might add what happens with the Bald Eagle. If you go out in the woods and find a Bald Eagle feather you cannot pick it up and keep it. This is a federal crime.
 

grog

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I think in my neck of the woods collection of a Bald Eagle's feathers is illegal. Fortunately I also think people around here have the brains to consider what is good-for-them-legal and what is shut-your-mouth-PC-isn't-cool legal. If you're in the woods and you find a bald eagle feather and keep it.. well you're not very likely to get in trouble. If you see a bald eagle, hunt it down with satelite tracking, send an ICBM down to blow it to hell.. well, you're a bad monkey.

Talk about serendiptitous.. when I watch the news I don't stress. But.. I read the bonsai forums about how things are and I just bought another .40cal semiautomatic all the while thinking about how much my life has improved because of some eastern red cedars which just CANNOT be bonsai sitting in my yard.

Throughout history every decimal point driven economy has suffered about once every century, just as we are now. Does anyone else read and really listen to Brent's blog? That man has so much to say which is totally beyond the scope of bonsai it astounds me. I try to buy most of my material from him not just for the high class material he sells but I feel he needs to be reimbursed for the wisdom he so freely shares... who else is so free with life long gifts of horticultural and philosophical points of view?
 

milehigh_7

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Does anyone else read and really listen to Brent's blog? That man has so much to say which is totally beyond the scope of bonsai it astounds me. ... who else is so free with life long gifts of horticultural and philosophical points of view?

Brent is definitely one who makes doing bonsai worth while.
 

tombeur

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And why should the yamadori not stay where Jesus (or insert you choice of words here) flang them?

Cheers,

Steve
 

Jay Wilson

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And why should the yamadori not stay where Jesus (or insert you choice of words here) flang them?

Cheers,

Steve

Well, maybe he didn't want them so he flang them down where we could pick them up to enjoy......:)
 
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