Pines and firs and spruce, oh my!

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I've found an area I can collect lodgepole, limber and pinyon pine as well as Douglas, subalpine and white fir, and blue and engelmann spruce. I plan to use one or more for the native challenge. Given this selection and targeting 2-3 trees in the spring what species would you target?
 

penumbra

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That is awesome. You are fortunate. If you are new to collecting take it easy and be gentle on mom nature. You don't need to load the whole Planet Express cargo bay.
 
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That is awesome. You are fortunate. If you are new to collecting take it easy and be gentle on mom nature. You don't need to load the whole Planet Express cargo bay.
I feel really fortunate! It's taken a lot of very friendly calls to get to the right people to get permits and direction to the right areas. I am new to collecting for sure and definitely realize videos and research only go so far to having any clue as to what I'm doing. I'll definitely be erring on the more soil and root than is probably necessary side. Also love the Futurama reference. I don't want to dig up too many but also don't want to waste a 4hr drive each way and only dig one.
 

Adair M

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Have your box materials ready to make a custom box to fit the rootball when you get home. You want a box about 1 inch wider than the root ball on all sides. Any bigger is both a waste of pumice, and actually detrimental to the tree. Use straight pumice as soil.
 

RKatzin

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I would set your sights on finding one tree to collect and don't underestimate the size and complexity of that task. You're likely to spend a good portion of your available time scouting out the area. You'll need to get off the beaten path and crawl up into some draws and out onto some rocks. All very time consuming and exhausting, especially if you're a flatlander heading up into the mountains. It's a long hard day for those of us who live up here.
The area sounds like it would merit several trips and that is the best way to approach. Walk it backwards and forwards and cut across at angles, get to know the lay of the land and then you'll know where the good stuff is.
It can take a few hours to extract a tree and it can take all day. Very few will pop out of the ground and into your basket. Be prepared to dig well past sunset if it takes all day to find something. Have an agenda and avoid tree fever and sink a spade into the first thing that comes along.
Last word, please don't mess with the subalpine firs until you've gained some experience in collecting and handling trees from the wild. This sounds like a most excellent adventure and I sincerely hope you have a great time and maybe find something to bring home.
 
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Have your box materials ready to make a custom box to fit the rootball when you get home. You want a box about 1 inch wider than the root ball on all sides. Any bigger is both a waste of pumice, and actually detrimental to the tree. Use straight pumice as soil.
Awesome thanks for the tips! I'm planning on making the trip in spring so I'm getting my equipment put together and starting to do some species specific research to be ready. I'll probably just rent a minivan for the trip on account of my little A3 not fitting much for trees.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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All the species you listed make good bonsai. Pick the first 3 or 4 that have the best first 6 inches of trunk. You want gnarly, and taper. If you have those 2 things, then species doesn't matter.

Subalpine firs do have a reputation for not adapting well to low elevation living, but your home is above 4000 ft elevation, so its not like you are moving it to sea level. You should be fine with it. The rest all have good track records of adapting to life in bonsai pots.
 
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I would set your sights on finding one tree to collect and don't underestimate the size and complexity of that task. You're likely to spend a good portion of your available time scouting out the area. You'll need to get off the beaten path and crawl up into some draws and out onto some rocks. All very time consuming and exhausting, especially if you're a flatlander heading up into the mountains. It's a long hard day for those of us who live up here.
The area sounds like it would merit several trips and that is the best way to approach. Walk it backwards and forwards and cut across at angles, get to know the lay of the land and then you'll know where the good stuff is.
It can take a few hours to extract a tree and it can take all day. Very few will pop out of the ground and into your basket. Be prepared to dig well past sunset if it takes all day to find something. Have an agenda and avoid tree fever and sink a spade into the first thing that comes along.
Last word, please don't mess with the subalpine firs until you've gained some experience in collecting and handling trees from the wild. This sounds like a most excellent adventure and I sincerely hope you have a great time and maybe find something to bring home.
It certainly may end up as 1 tree. I'll be planning a week or so out there so I should have some time. I'm going to treat it like a nursery crawl. Note some candidates wander around muttering to myself for a few hours and digging around some trunks and finally (hopefully) make a decision. My favorite part of bonsai is the research and knowledge (no replacement for experience) so I plan to be as prepared as possible. I mean maybe by then I'll meet another enthusiast in the area and have someone to learn from.
I actually bought a subalpine fir a while ago so they aren't my first choice I personally am leaning toward one of the pines.
 
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All the species you listed make good bonsai. Pick the first 3 or 4 that have the best first 6 inches of trunk. You want gnarly, and taper. If you have those 2 things, then species doesn't matter.

Subalpine firs do have a reputation for not adapting well to low elevation living, but your home is above 4000 ft elevation, so its not like you are moving it to sea level. You should be fine with it. The rest all have good track records of adapting to life in bonsai pots.
Well I'll have to just make sure I'm prepared for whatever I might find! I'm at just under 4900' at my house and I have a nursery purchased subalpine fir that seems happy but it's probably too soon to say how happy especially if it hits 100°+ again next summer. I'm sure the nursery thought I was crazy buying it knowing I can dig one up an hour away with a permit. Although I didn't know that at the time.
 

Vance Wood

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I think your best bet would be the Sub Alpine Fir, and the Lodge Pole Pine. Limber Pines and Pinyons are nice but difficult.
 
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I think your best bet would be the Sub Alpine Fir, and the Lodge Pole Pine. Limber Pines and Pinyons are nice but difficult.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm happy to work through difficult but honestly when given such similar options I'm definitely going for easier to keep alive! I love conifers and I'm incredibly excited to be so spoiled for choice.
 

Shogun610

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I've found an area I can collect lodgepole, limber and pinyon pine as well as Douglas, subalpine and white fir, and blue and engelmann spruce. I plan to use one or more for the native challenge. Given this selection and targeting 2-3 trees in the spring what species would you target?
Doug , Lodgepole and Engelmann spruce for sure first. Then go back for the rest haha. ...noice honey hole you got there.
 
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Doug , Lodgepole and Engelmann spruce for sure first. Then go back for the rest haha. ...noice honey hole you got there.
Honestly after all the deadends other than an area that allowed subalpine. When I talked to the lady and asked her what sort of "ornamental collection" they allowed she just kept listing stuff. She was super happy to tell me where the best places were to go for different species and give transplant success tips. I don't really mean to keep it a secret or anything. After calling tons of Ranger districts I was relayed for the 15th time to Ashley National Forest in east Utah. Just don't take the trees that I was going to take. Lol
 
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I'm excited to meet and get out with other bonsai enthusiasts! Although nervous with how bad Covid is right now.

Definitely something to think about. I have some close friends who I know are extremely conscientious, and I still have to think hard before spending time with them.

I do hope to get to meet you at some point. Good luck with collecting.
 

Kvolk

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