Collecting Urban Material

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Hello all, I've been lurking here for close to 2 years and only posted once. Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge and experience.

I noticed today that a business is being torn down near me and they are taking up yaupon hollies and several (fairly large) crepe myrtles with a back-ho. The gentleman said come back tomorrow and he'd give me what he isn't gonna use.

Any opinion about the time of year here in Atlanta for collecting these? It's unseasonably warm weather out (upper 60's in the afternoons) and I see buds popping on all kinds of trees. That's not to say that we won't see cold weather this season, but with this opportunity I might as well try... Your thoughts please, and thanks.

 

[Bob O]

if they are being dug now grab them & get them into the ground or grow pots. A caution, make sure your grow pots are not a lot bigger than the need to be to fit the roots or you might get root rot. Make sure to protect them from freezing and you might have good luck with them. Both of these types of plants are very tough.

Good luck,

Bob O

 

[Stan Kengai]

Lots of trees are starting to push buds and some daffodils are already blooming here. No reason to not get some material. They should do fine. But if we get another hard freeze (< 25, or below freezing for >12 hours), you'll want to move them into a garage, cold frame or even a cool basement, if you don't put them in the ground.

If you don't want to pot them or put them into the ground immediately, here's what you can do. Get some heavy plastic (I use heavy duty yard trash bags), duct tape, and sphagnum moss or bonsai soil. Place the rootball on the plastic, and while you're gathering the plastic, fill around the sides of the roots with the sphagnum/soil sufficient to cover any exposed roots. Then duct tape the entire rootball as tightly as humanly possible. When you get home, cut several small holes in the bottom and sides of the rootball and 3 or 4 larger holes in the top (to facilitate watering), and then water well. When I say cut, I mean slice with a knife, do not puncture the bottom and sides with an awl or screwdriver. You can pot them in the late summer/early fall, or with some extra care even next spring. I once kept a tree like this for 2 years, and it did fine.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yep...get 'em!

 

[Ang3lfir3]

If you don't want to pot them or put them into the ground immediately, here's what you can do. Get some heavy plastic (I use heavy duty yard trash bags), duct tape, and sphagnum moss or bonsai soil. Place the rootball on the plastic, and while you're gathering the plastic, fill around the sides of the roots with the sphagnum/soil sufficient to cover any exposed roots. Then duct tape the entire rootball as tightly as humanly possible. When you get home, cut several small holes in the bottom and sides of the rootball and 3 or 4 larger holes in the top (to facilitate watering), and then water well. When I say cut, I mean slice with a knife, do not puncture the bottom and sides with an awl or screwdriver. You can pot them in the late summer/early fall, or with some extra care even next spring. I once kept a tree like this for 2 years, and it did fine.

pretty standard "papoose" wrapping for collecting trees (this is actually how we collect them) except we use electrical tape as its smaller flexible and sticks to itself easily... and it can be wrapped around a pouch with a single hand , and when collecting we don't add any additional soil ... I have trees that are currently in their 3rd year of being in these bags and Daniel has some that have been in them 5+ years ...... we actually find they provide great root growth

 

[JudyB]

Yeah, sounds like a jackpot, and you don't even have to dig! If you don't have room for all the crape myrtles....

 

[Stan Kengai]

pretty standard "papoose" wrapping for collecting trees (this is actually how we collect them) except we use electrical tape as its smaller flexible and sticks to itself easily... and it can be wrapped around a pouch with a single hand , and when collecting we don't add any additional soil ... I have trees that are currently in their 3rd year of being in these bags and Daniel has some that have been in them 5+ years ...... we actually find they provide great root growth

These are changes/adaptations that have been made here because of the differences in our climates. I would love to be able to use electrical tape, as you suggest, as I imagine it would be much easier. However, on a hot summer day here in the south, exposed black containers can heat up to well over 100 degrees and literally cook the roots. The gray/silver color of the duct tape helps to mitigate the more intense sun we get, and the added soil/moss also helps insulate from the heat.

Don't take offense, Ang3lfir3. I'm not saying you're wrong or trying to disprove you, I just want others to understand that not all techniques are universal. I've come to realize over the years that most bonsai and general gardening books are written by folks in much cooler climates than we have here. Hence, we have to make adaptations to their techniques and adjustments to their timings.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Thanks for all of your responses... Now, wish me luck!

 

[Ang3lfir3]

These are changes/adaptations that have been made here because of the differences in our climates. I would love to be able to use electrical tape, as you suggest, as I imagine it would be much easier. However, on a hot summer day here in the south, exposed black containers can heat up to well over 100 degrees and literally cook the roots. The gray/silver color of the duct tape helps to mitigate the more intense sun we get, and the added soil/moss also helps insulate from the heat.

Don't take offense, Ang3lfir3. I'm not saying you're wrong or trying to disprove you, I just want others to understand that not all techniques are universal. I've come to realize over the years that most bonsai and general gardening books are written by folks in much cooler climates than we have here. Hence, we have to make adaptations to their techniques and adjustments to their timings.

interesting I never thought of reasoning like that as to why you would use duct tape... but it makes perfect sense now that you explain it ... and I'm not offended in the slightest, heck I just learned something again [good day so far]... I was mostly commenting to reinforce your comment so the OP would know it was a well accepted practice by lots of people [safety in numbers and all]

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Well, they say all that glitters is not gold and it is so. I showed up and the gentleman with the back ho decided to keep the crepe myrtles, except for one. A Seriously big one. I'm not so sure I want a bonsai that size. I'm not sure I have room for a bonsai that size. Also, the trunk was huge, 8-9 inches, with little to no taper. Better luck next time I hope! Thanks again for all of your kind responses.

 

[painter]

bring it to your local club and trade it for something you like and some lessons.
p

 

[TreeKiller64]

GRAB THEM!!! And run like HELL, another bonsai nut may have eyed them! LOL!