Hello Everyone.
About 3 weeks ago I dig these 2 trees from a field here in Oregon. Oregon Bonsai has dug about 200+ that will be available this winter.
Anyways, I had Rich out to help me do some root work and also pot up the one I got for him. A little history.... These are grafted dwarf cultivars that have been in the ground for up to 25 yrs. For the most part you have to crawl in on your stomach and find a trunk then cut your way out so you can dig. Diggin these by hand is a nightmare!! You can imagine the size of the roots on a tree that old, rather large and tough!
So after I spotted the trunks and cut my way out I was able to dig them up. I dug 4 of them, 2 for me, 1 for Rich and 1 for my wonderful fiancee.
All of them have perfect 360 degree roots right above the big thick ones that run deep into the ground. It is this reason we can be so aggressive with root work right away. Most people wouldn't attempt to remove 100% of the foliage and 90% of the roots at the same time. Last year we did this to over 100 of these with 100% success rate. Bonsai myth busted!!!!
After powerwashing all the native soil off and working the roots with my sawzall it was decided to bust out the chainsaw and get some chips flying make much faster work on the roots. A small electric chainsaw is ideal for such a tree!
Here are some pictures of Rich and I working on maples. Rich with the sawzall
About 3 weeks ago I dig these 2 trees from a field here in Oregon. Oregon Bonsai has dug about 200+ that will be available this winter.
Anyways, I had Rich out to help me do some root work and also pot up the one I got for him. A little history.... These are grafted dwarf cultivars that have been in the ground for up to 25 yrs. For the most part you have to crawl in on your stomach and find a trunk then cut your way out so you can dig. Diggin these by hand is a nightmare!! You can imagine the size of the roots on a tree that old, rather large and tough!
So after I spotted the trunks and cut my way out I was able to dig them up. I dug 4 of them, 2 for me, 1 for Rich and 1 for my wonderful fiancee.
All of them have perfect 360 degree roots right above the big thick ones that run deep into the ground. It is this reason we can be so aggressive with root work right away. Most people wouldn't attempt to remove 100% of the foliage and 90% of the roots at the same time. Last year we did this to over 100 of these with 100% success rate. Bonsai myth busted!!!!
After powerwashing all the native soil off and working the roots with my sawzall it was decided to bust out the chainsaw and get some chips flying make much faster work on the roots. A small electric chainsaw is ideal for such a tree!
Here are some pictures of Rich and I working on maples. Rich with the sawzall
Attachments
Last edited: