Just collected really cool Eastern Hemlock.

[markyscott]

Makes alot of sense thank you Mark.

What i was coming at with the fertilizer is for the microbes to help out woth nutrient uptake. Bot the jobes and espoma are both organic and will not burn your plant if used at recomended or slightly above. The more root contact you have with these types of fertilizer the better it works. When i say jobes NEVER THE SPIKES!!! The granulated one

It is good to have a healthy microbial environment in your substrate. I've no experience with jobes or espoma, but I appreciate you sharing yours.

 

[M. Frary]

When I was doing a lot of evergreen collection in the PNW, the general pointers were to:

1. Retain as much foliage as possible and don't touch the growing tips
2. Retain as much of the field soil as possible, but remove the old soil along the edge of the rootball so that the roots extend out into the new medium.
3. Plant in a coarse, well draining medium. Most people I knew used pure pumice with the fines removed. None of the experienced collectors I knew used potting soil. The coarse medium allowed them to water a lot which kept the substrate well aerated and a high air-filled porosity. This is what encourages root growth.
4. Many species (for sure junipers) were put under mist after collection. I believe the hemlocks were as well, but I can't recall specifically.
5. Light fertilizer was started at the first sign of growth. Fertilizer was increased as plant growth was seen to increase.
6. After a couple of seasons of good growth, they started the process of removing the field soil. This was generally not done all at once.

This is exactly how to collect or even just transplant comifers from one spot to the next.

 

[Planta]

Ok I get all this but what about when somone is starting a bonsai out of say nursery stock juniper. Don't you reduce the roots and do the initial pruning shaping at one time in early spring? Is yamadori handled differently?
So what you are saying is I should have transplanted, let grow for 1 or 2 seasons then after that begin to shape, prune, wire in the 2nd spring?

 

[markyscott]

Ok I get all this but what about when somone is starting a bonsai out of say nursery stock juniper. Don't you reduce the roots and do the initial pruning shaping at one time in early spring?

The safest thing is to first get it into good soil. Thin and cleanup and get it growing strong and healthy. Then do major styling work. That said, most nursery junipers are young and strong varieties that can tolerate a lot of work. They're often healthy when you get them and grown under pretty good conditions. So they can tolerate a lot of work. So often, but not always, people get away with repotting and styling young nursery stock juniper in the same season. Have a look at this thread -

http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/prostrata.20994/

I styled and repotted this nursery stock juniper in a single season. When I repotted though, I was very careful and only removed about 1/3 of the original potting soil because I knew I had just done major styling work a few months before. Still- the work clearly stressed the tree - it's covered with juvenile foliage. It'll probably take a couple of years to recover. In the meantime I'll let it grow and get healthy before I attempt more work. The next thing I do will be to repot again and remove more potting soil.

Is yamadori handled differently?

Yes - collected trees are often old. They've often grown under less-than-ideal conditions. Their root system is not entirely confined to a pot so lots of roots are cut during collection. Often the tree is nearly bare-rooted and very little field soil is collected. Major branches are pruned off. The whole act is very stressful to the tree. These factors make it much more important to go the safe route when you collect.

So what you are saying is I should have transplanted, let grow for 1 or 2 seasons then after that begin to shape, prune, wire in the 2nd spring?

Yes. But don't put a number of seasons on it. It may take more, it may take less. It may take much more. Yours is a young tree so it probably won't take too long, but let the tree tell you when it's time to work. If it's growing strong and healthy. If you see lots of back budding. If you see strong extension. Then it's time to style. It doesn't matter if it's been 2 seasons or 5. Until you see this focus on getting it into good soil and on a proper watering and fertilization regimen. Go easy on fertilizer until you see growth and slowly increase it as the tree is growing more.

 

[GGB]

Dude I like that tree! Nice to see an East coaster yamadori hemlock. I'm rooting for you. tons of acid and get rid of those wooly MFers. I like the first view. It's basically a completed tree as is. Unfortunate that the trunk isn't a little thicker but maybe some sacrifice branches will do something. I know they thicken slowly but I'd just keep it stable and enjoy it for what it is. I'm jealous

 

[Planta]

Thanks very very helpful markyscott.
Thanks for compliment GGB