Went on my first yamadori-trip. Found what (Scots Pine) I think could be excellent trees, but are they even possible to collect?

[cmeg1]

I want to start by saying I have successfully collected hundreds of tree's so with that proviso in mind I am very much entitled to an opinion on this subject. Firstly, for the people who are saying you need some kind of clearance from NASA to collect tree's, you are talking complete and utter nonsense. With some very BASIC horticultural knowledge a person with a reasonable head on their shoulders can go out, scout out a collectable tree and collect it successfully without having to first spend five lifetimes working alongside Miyagi from the Karate Kid. The majority of the finest bonsai in the world were collected yamadori so for some self proclaimed elites here to state that you cannot collect a tree in case they ever want to go look at it in the wild, in freaking Norway where there are literally millions if not hundreds of millions of incredible tree's, well this is just absolutely insane and downright selfish. Instead of sharing the very basic knowledge required for this fella to go and enjoy the hobby that so many here on this forum love, you jealously acted as if he needed to hire a team of specialists to do what I could have told him to do in about four paragraphs and a few videos. And if you are so concerned for the welfare of the worlds tree's then go grind your axe with the worlds forestry organizations who between them destroy millions of incredible tree's each and every year. The few tree's that a bonsai enthusiast might kill at the beginning of their career (who hasn't eh?) is but a fraction killed by these forestry orgs. Also, I hear they are cutting down tree's at an incredible rate in the Amazon, you might want to go chain yourself to some tree's over there and stop putting off young fellas who want to get into this hobby. If anyone reading this wants to know how to collect tree's for bonsai please send me a message. I've seen far too many young people destroy their lives with drink and drugs to even think about refusing anyone who wants to learn how to get into such a wonderful and wholesome hobby, its not nearly as complicated as some people here are making it out to be.

Yea,I guess.As long as u are not stealing someones personal property???!!!
To own trees is the bomb....certainly do not want so eone taking the ones noone see’s ,I believe the poster mentioned
.”””but due to the location and visibility of the last two I would not have hesitated to collect them at least one of them””””he sais?????
Kind of a brash habit if he saying so without granted permission.

 

[PhilipBonsai]

Why don't you start by telling all of us how you would collect the trees in the first post?

I have only collect a couple trees, most survived. But none are conifers.

Those tree's are not collectable by the looks of it. You need a good concentration of fine roots close to the trunk ideally for the tree to be collectable. That tap root's probably in China by the looks of it.

I make the automatic assumption that he is NOT stealing tree's cmeg1 i think thats a bit more fair then automatically assuming that he is going out stealing tree's which is a tad offensive id say.

 

[vp999]

I have connections for some TNT if you need

 

[leatherback]

Those tree's are not collectable by the looks of it. You need a good concentration of fine roots close to the trunk ideally for the tree to be collectable. That tap root's probably in China by the looks of it.

I make the automatic assumption that he is NOT stealing tree's cmeg1 i think thats a bit more fair then automatically assuming that he is going out stealing tree's which is a tad offensive id say.

I really do not understand your first post, and how it relates to the rest of the posts in this thread.

NOBODY discourages the OP from going out to collect trees. NOBODY said he needed a team of experts.

He was given proper indication that the trees in his posts were not collectable. There was recommendation on avoiding too dry sandy areas because of long winding roots making colelcting more difficult. And the OP was warned that in many locations you need permission to dig. Which I know to be true in USA, NL and DE. Maybe in Norway is it OK to go out and dig whereever you want. Most of the world this is frowned upon, or worse, an offense.

 

[Kadebe]

I want to start by saying I have successfully collected hundreds of tree's so with that proviso in mind I am very much entitled to an opinion on this subject.

Wow... I didn't collect anything... but I'm a newbie in bonsai

...without having to first spend five lifetimes working alongside Miyagi from the Karate Kid

Liked the movie.. best part at the end.. putting back the tree where it belongs

The majority of the finest bonsai in the world were collected yamadori so for some self proclaimed elites here to state that you cannot collect a tree in case they ever want to go look at it in the wild, in freaking Norway where there are literally millions if not hundreds of millions of incredible tree's

You'll always need a permission. We live in a world where every square inch has an owner, even if it's the government.

Instead of sharing the very basic knowledge required for this fella to go and enjoy the hobby that so many here on this forum love, you jealously acted as if he needed to hire a team of specialists to do what I could have told him to do in about four paragraphs and a few videos.

Good point... I hope you write the article and make the video's.... I'll be the first to read them.

And if you are so concerned for the welfare of the worlds tree's then go grind your axe with the worlds forestry organizations who between them destroy millions of incredible tree's each and every year. The few tree's that a bonsai enthusiast might kill at the beginning of their career (who hasn't eh?) is but a fraction killed by these forestry orgs. Also, I hear they are cutting down tree's at an incredible rate in the Amazon, you might want to go chain yourself to some tree's over there and stop putting off young fellas who want to get into this hobby. If anyone reading this wants to know how to collect tree's for bonsai please send me a message.

Well, as with many things, it always starts with the individual... with ourselves. It's not because they do it that we have to do it. If they jump through a window, you don't jump behind it, do you?
But... it's just my personal opinion.
That does not mean that I will never collect a tree, even in the way that I might learn from you. The place does matter to me. Collecting a small tree from dense forest, or from a property where they are going to destroy the trees to redesign the garden... is not a problem for me (WITH PERMISSION FROM THE OWNER). Collecting a tree from an inhospitable area, where the tree has been surviving for years... for me, this tree is part of the beautiful landscape that we still have left... I'll leave it alone.

 

[Bavarian Raven]

Sometimes pines (or other trees) growing in pockets of rock will "pop" out as if it came out of a pot. But most of the time it will simply kill the tree. Give it a gentle shake and see if it gives at all. Most likely those trees are best passed by though. :/

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Seriously people! I collect trees too from time to time but only when I am 100% sure it will survive. The mountains are full of these excellent types of trees but collecting them will almost certainly kill them unless you have exceptionally good aftercare abilities (which I do) and even then, they will most likely still die.
To all newbies: Bonsai is a looooooong term hobby....looooooong term...... collecting a tree because it "looks nice" is a very bad way to start because you will kill many trees, learn very little and in the end give up.
First things first, try keeping an inexpensive established bonsai or nursery tree alive before you go collecting. If you can't keep a healthy tree alive then how can you keep a collected tree alive? Its the same as expecting a first year medical student to do brain surgery and not mess it up.
Read, read, read: It takes a lot of knowledge to keep things growing well for years.
Listen to your trees, they tell you "hey man I got bugs" or "I'm drowning here" or "I sure could do with some water right about now".
Trees in the mountain are your teachers, they teach you the ridiculous and inspiring shapes carved out by nature.
Go now noobs and keep a tree in a pot alive first! Do it, do it now.

 

[cockroach]

If I want a yamadori, it is usually a tropical that I can all but rip out the ground with a rope and tractor and it will thrive.
With that out the way, I would like to ask particularly about potential yamadori in these types of circumstances.

I read in Dan Robinson's book how he would prepare tree roots for collection the year before.
If so few roots are able to be collected with these trees, would it work buy filling a natural material sack, like hessian bag, with top quality soil and fertilizers/root hormone. Then tie this bag around the base of the tree in such a way to promote root growth into the bag.

Would this up the chances of survival?

 

[JeffS73]

Cockroach offers useful practical advice. If there is live tissue where tree meets rock, a bag of soil may work, or live moss and leaf litter held in place with twine may encourage adventitious roots. There needs to be oxygen as well though, not solid wet soil.

Look up bonsaitrad on Instagram. He's collecting in a similar location and may be willing to advise you.

If you do get a tree out, plant it in a wooden box with a mesh base, in a mix of chipped pine bark and pumice with loosely wrapped moss next to the roots/trunk. Put this on a heat mat. Not hot, gentle warmth. This method has given me the best results with Scots yamadori, but my experience is still quite limited.




Explore more before you decide which tree to focus on. Be confident, not cocksure and your reward will arrive. Best of luck and best wishes from England

 

[rockm]

Ethics! Do it right or don’t do it at all!

Alright people. We are long overdue for an article on ethics and responsible collecting. An in depth blog post will follow shortly but in the meantime, we all need to chew on this: The futur…

backcountrybonsai.wordpress.com

 

[chicago1980]

Did you attempt a collect on these? I personally love being in the mountains and collecting.

I always find it helpful to build a relationship with the rangers and ask questions. I have learned about some good spots to look, access roads, and best food in town.

Enjoy and hope it all went well.