Native Yamadori in the Catskills

[milpeac]

Brand new with (almost) zero knowledge bonsai lover here

I’ve identified quite a few potential yamadori’s on top of the wooded mountain where I own a parcel of land, and now need advice on what to prepare before extracting and potting. The only thing I know is I need a large pot and that I have to leave alone the potted pre-bonsai till next spring when I’ll be pruning the roots, repotting it into a shallow pot etc. My questions to the specialists: what kind of soil do I need? Do I mix the native soil with something? And if yes, with what exactly? How do I water the tree? Do I need fertilizers?
TIA

 

[BrianBay9]

Lots more information needed. Have you ever dig a tree successfully before? What species of trees are you digging? What climate zone are you in? What elevation are you digging at?

It may well be past the optimal time for collecting, depending on your elevation and climate conditions.

 

[Colorado]

Need more specifics, but here are a few basics:

Soil: pumice or pumice-based mix is good for a wide range of species.

Container: I find wooden boxes to be the best; other containers will work fine too.

Fertilizer: I like to use organic liquid fertilizer and saturate the entire tree, but wait at least a week or so after collection. You can add a light amount solid organic fertilizer after another week or two. Later in the season I’d fertilize heavily like other trees in development.

Watering: water it like other bonsai - saturating the entire container until it drains out the bottom.

 

[Paradox]

You may well need more than one year to allow for recovery before you start pruning the roots or anything else
Usually 2 years at minimum and more depending on the tree

Its best to not impose a schedule that you want to accomplish but rather let the tree tell you when its ready which is when it is growing well and vigorously again.

 

[milpeac]

Lots more information needed. Have you ever dig a tree successfully before? What species of trees are you digging? What climate zone are you in? What elevation are you digging at?

It may well be past the optimal time for collecting, depending on your elevation and climate conditions.

Haven’t dug before.
Beech, yellow birch, sugar maple, black cherry, aspen, hornbeam - this is what grows around. Does it matter what kind of tree when creating bonsai?
Climate zone 4
Elevation 2500 feet

 

[Paradox]

. Does it matter what kind of tree when creating bonsai?

yes, some species take to bonsai culture and techniques much better than others
of your list, Beech and Hornbeam are two that are used quite frequently in bonsai.
The others not as much
Birch tend to throw (ie kill off) branches for no reason and ruin the design, plan for design
There are a few examples of birch species (grey birch, river birch) that have been made into bonsai but the risk is the same
I believe aspen behave similarly to birch but not sure to be honest
Sugar maples have large leaves and internodes that dont reduce well in practice thus far
People do use Japanese cherry trees in bonsai, but I am not sure about black cherry, might be worth a try

 

[sorce]

Three parts to this.

Welcome to Crazy!

Amen for not cutting roots, or anything too soon.

Always by ear all the time.

Sorce

 

[milpeac]

yes, some species take to bonsai culture and techniques much better than others
of your list, Beech and Hornbeam are two that are used quite frequently in bonsai.
The others not as much
Birch tend to throw (ie kill off) branches for no reason and ruin the design, plan for design
There are a few examples of birch species (grey birch, river birch) that have been made into bonsai but the risk is the same
I believe aspen behave similarly to birch but not sure to be honest
Sugar maples have large leaves and internodes that dont reduce well in practice thus far
People do use Japanese cherry trees in bonsai, but I am not sure about black cherry, might be worth a try

Beech or/and Hornbeam it is then

Can you please tell me what kind of soil mix to prepare? Do I use their native soil with something else? What’s the ratio of the ingredients? Do I put anything at the bottom of the pot - stones or twigs? Our terrain here is very rocky and covered with a thin layer of soil. Do I have yo replicate the terrain?

After potting, do I soak the entire pot so the water is pouring through the hole? And how often do I water and how much after that?

 

[Paradox]

Beech or/and Hornbeam it is then

Can you please tell me what kind of soil mix to prepare? Do I use their native soil with something else? What’s the ratio of the ingredients? Do I put anything at the bottom of the pot - stones or twigs? Our terrain here is very rocky and covered with a thin layer of soil. Do I have yo replicate the terrain?

After potting, do I soak the entire pot so the water is pouring through the hole? And how often do I water and how much after that?

First of all if the trees are already in leaf, its too late to collect. You need to collect them when the buds are beginning to swell and before they start to open with the leaves. If they are open and leafing/leafed out, do not collect now. Wait until March or April next year when the buds are just starting to swell.

I would get some pumice and put them in that. You do not need to use their native soil as it might stay too wet in the pot.
You dont need to put anything in the bottom of the pot. Use a container that will serve as a good acclimation/training pot. Do not plunk them right into a bonsai pot as you will probably need to remove too much of the root mass to do that. Some collectors use Anderson flats, others build appropriate sized boxes out of wood as a first container after collection. After care is the most important thing you can do for survival.

Honestly, if you are very new to this, it might behoove you to seek out someone with more experience in your area. Inexperience is the biggest killer of trees.
Research and learn what you need to do then go collect, dont just do it haphazardly

 

[rockm]

Brand new with (almost) zero knowledge bonsai lover here

I’ve identified quite a few potential yamadori’s on top of the wooded mountain where I own a parcel of land, and now need advice on what to prepare before extracting and potting. The only thing I know is I need a large pot and that I have to leave alone the potted pre-bonsai till next spring when I’ll be pruning the roots, repotting it into a shallow pot etc. My questions to the specialists: what kind of soil do I need? Do I mix the native soil with something? And if yes, with what exactly? How do I water the tree? Do I need fertilizers?
TIA

Hate to be blunt, but with no experience in collecting (and a wide variety of species complicates this further), and no knowledge of basic bonsai practices (large pots can actually speed the death of collected tree, native soil--the same), you have a steep learning curve that will likely kill the first trees you collect. When to water is a matter of species, time of year, local weather and a few other things--there is no set schedule. Watering is the most difficult thing to learn with bonsai--it takes years to learn adapting to local conditions, trees, and soil. Watering collected trees is even more complicated since they don't use much water at first and depend on aerated soils to pull in oxygen for root development. Overwatering is a big danger with newly collected stuff, as is underwatering. Experience with how soil and roots work is a must if you're going to get trees out alive and living.

If I were you, I would rein myself in a bit and get some actual practical experience with actual bonsai. Collecting trees is NOT a shortcut to free bonsai. It requires a particular set of skills that aren't evident at the beginning.

If you have your heart set on collecting trees at this point, dig the tree NEXT to the best ones in the field. See if you can get them to live for MORE THAN A YEAR. Save the better stuff for three to five years down the line. Sounds like you have a great resource on your land. Don't waste it because you're impatient.

 

[milpeac]

Hate to be blunt, but with no experience in collecting (and a wide variety of species complicates this further), and no knowledge of basic bonsai practices (large pots can actually speed the death of collected tree, native soil--the same), you have a steep learning curve that will likely kill the first trees you collect. When to water is a matter of species, time of year, local weather and a few other things--there is no set schedule. Watering is the most difficult thing to learn with bonsai--it takes years to learn adapting to local conditions, trees, and soil. Watering collected trees is even more complicated since they don't use much water at first and depend on aerated soils to pull in oxygen for root development. Overwatering is a big danger with newly collected stuff, as is underwatering. Experience with how soil and roots work is a must if you're going to get trees out alive and living.

If I were you, I would rein myself in a bit and get some actual practical experience with actual bonsai. Collecting trees is NOT a shortcut to free bonsai. It requires a particular set of skills that aren't evident at the beginning.

If you have your heart set on collecting trees at this point, dig the tree NEXT to the best ones in the field. See if you can get them to live for MORE THAN A YEAR. Save the better stuff for three to five years down the line. Sounds like you have a great resource on your land. Don't waste it because you're impatient.

Thank you for the reply! I am late for collecting anyway as the leaves are out. Now I have a whole year ahead of me, will continue learning.

 

[rockm]

Thank you for the reply! I am late for collecting anyway as the leaves are out. Now I have a whole year ahead of me, will continue learning.

Do you have a bonsai? Would speed the process considerably if you did, as would joining a local club.

Don't know where you are in the Catskills, but there are some good bonsai places up that way, Nature's Way Nursery in Harrisburg, Pa. Bill Valavanis' International Bonsai in Rochester. Bonsai West in Bellingham, MA.

Mohawk Valley Bonsai Club,

MV Bonsai Club - MVBonsai