Oak stump

crab apple

Shohin
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Check out this Laurel oak stump. It's one of the first trees I collected and I can't believe its doing well, several of the other oaks I got don't have any buds as of yet. I have no idea where to go with this, I know I will leave it alone for at least a year if not two, It seems to be sprouting like crazy. I think the reason this one did good is cuz the roots were kinda in a swampy area as apposed to the other ones that were in a sandy area.
I would love to hear folks idea on what to do with this (when the time comes), not now of course. Its pretty huge, and I'd like to keep that knot hole feature, if it wasn't for the knot hole I would have chopped it down farther. It doesn't show well in the pics but the chop is right above the knot hole, and there's buds up there on the top, in fact its budding out everywhere.
 

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How tall is it/ trunk diameter? Might help others to help you

It looks massive, but might be a reasonable size
 

Shibui

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Check out this Laurel oak stump. It's one of the first trees I collected and I can't believe its doing well, several of the other oaks I got don't have any buds as of yet.
Sounds like this may be one of your first attempts at collecting trees.
Don't get to far ahead of yourself yet. Collected trees often bud up and even grow well for a few months on the stores in the trunk and roots. Most will grow roots and keep going but if no new roots grow the tree dies after current resources run out. The larger the stump the better growth can be and some will put out quite impressive shoots before they finally wilt and die.
My fingers are crossed that this one continues to grow but I never count transplants as successful until at least mid summer.
 

Diggumsmack2

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Sounds like this may be one of your first attempts at collecting trees.
Don't get to far ahead of yourself yet. Collected trees often bud up and even grow well for a few months on the stores in the trunk and roots. Most will grow roots and keep going but if no new roots grow the tree dies after current resources run out. The larger the stump the better growth can be and some will put out quite impressive shoots before they finally wilt and die.
My fingers are crossed that this one continues to grow but I never count transplants as successful until at least mid summer.
To further Shibui's point. I have a tree removal company neighbor, he drops me off logs for eventually splitting then burning for heat in the house.

Last year, June I believe. I had gotten a huge four trunks from one, maple stump. No roots, it had been cut at ground level in the removal process. It was sitting on a concrete slab. 20220413_052125.jpg For months it was sending out shoots.
 

crab apple

Shohin
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Dang. I was thinking I was past that point, oh well, at least there's hope. There wasn't much roots. Hopefully they're growing.
 

LittleDingus

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Dang. I was thinking I was past that point, oh well, at least there's hope. There wasn't much roots. Hopefully they're growing.

It's often the heat of the summer that finally proves roots or no. Once the tree starts transpiring more heavily to keep cool it will become more obvious if it can pull in enough water to sustain itself or not.

On larger deciduous trees, I don't claim "success" until after the second winter. I have a shingle oak collected in late fall 2020 that budded and filled in very well in 2021...but it would wilt in the hot afternoons during the summer. I kept it in the garage over winter again in an abundance of caution that the roots aren't back to full power yet. Now, in spring 2022, I do see live buds again so I'm starting to believe it will make it. I will do no root work this year and maybe just a cautious peak in 2023.
 

rockm

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I would also suggest not getting ahead of yourself at this point. Yes, it is great the tree is pushing that amount of growth, BUT it's also worth noting WHERE the strongest of that new growth is--most of it looks to be at the lower portion of the trunk and sparsely on one side of the top. There are no buds, from what I can see in the photos, on one entire side of the trunk above the knot. There is, however, deadwood. That suggests to me that half of the top is dead...

I don't know how long this tree has been in a container, but if it's less than three years, it's not stabilized itself yet. The new growth suggests it's developing good roots, but pushing it now could compromise that emergent root systems. I'd wait another year at least before making any plans and let the tree grow strongly for a while.

As noted above, old trees can have a lot of momentum stored in their trunks that pushes new growth that is doomed because there is no root system to support it. I have collected 150 year old boxwood trunks that pushed new growth from their trunk for two years, only to die in the third. Pulling them out of the soil after death, they had not developed ANY roots and had only been pushing growth out of stored reserves.

I don't think that's the case here, but that's a pretty nice trunk. Why risk it with impatience? The test for any collected tree's ultimate survival is not living past the first year, but surviving the second and third spring...
 

Mike Corazzi

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Is ANY tree, stump, knot, wood chip, or sliver kept in a pot still considered "bonsai?"
 
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In the same boat with this honeysuckle I dug out from the woods and replanted in the grow out field right behind the house. Looks kinda cooky and I'm not sure where to take it if it survives but they're building a bike path back there + it seems invasive so I figured to grab it anyway. Obviously should have put it in a wood grow box but I'm taking a risk. Tons of new growth but I'm not counting my luck yet. We'll see.20220314_185321.jpg20220411_151137.jpg
 

crab apple

Shohin
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Update on this oak stump, it's pumping out some growth
 

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crab apple

Shohin
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Update on this Oak stump. I carved out the hollow a little to keep it from holding standing water, it now drains out and the interior is starting to harden up, it was starting to get punky in there. its still growing like crazy, probably 4 foot tall now.
 

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