what qualities whould you look for in collecting wild material?

[thailand-steve]

here in the tropics there are a lot of trees and shrubs growing in the jungle and the side of the road that i can't find a name for but maybe are good bonsai material. so i was wondering what order of importance would you place on selecting wild material?

to me (as a total beginner), i would say, in this order of importance:

1. small and interesting leaf size and shape
2. potential for old gnarly looking trunk with lots of movement
3. interesting surface root potential
4. interesting overall shape of mature tree (low and wide versus tall and slim)

i put the leaves at no 1 because although i realize you can reduce leaves to some extent, i'm sure there is a limit to that. for example, i think mango would be bad choice because of the big leaves but tamarind is a great choice for the small, nice leaf.

i put surface roots low on the list because i think that is somewhat optional, not all mature trees have them anyhow. and the overall shape of the mature tree is at the bottom because in bonsai, you can manipulate that.

but what do you experts think?

 

[edprocoat]

Until an expert chimes in I will give my 2 cents worth!

Most important would be the trunk.
After that,

First, before leaf size I would be more interested in the structure of the leaf growth. I would want to see if they were compound type leaf groups like palmately compound or pinnately compound, or the IMO better, more favorable simple leaf. The simple leaf type has 1 leaf growing from the branch and usually forms a bud at the base of that leaf. The simple leaf type ramifies more readily and is better for leaf reduction. The palmately compound leaf is like 5 leaves joined at the base that flare out. The Pinnately compound leaf is many leaves on a single rachis, or stalk from the branch. These are like cypress leaves and willow etc.

Secondly if I were collecting it I would be looking for the existing "old gnarly" bark instead of " potential" for it as it takes many years to develop. If I were willing to wait all those years to develop such bark, why would I rip one out of nature.

Third for me would the surface roots, roots are the easiest grafts to do and are not my first concern unless you are talking gnarly exposed roots which are my passion.

ed

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Build a bonsai from the bottom-up. Always.

Nebari (surface roots), trunk, branches, twigs...in that order. When you collect, the checklist of qualities also goes in the same order.

Since most bonsai are 8"-36" tall when finished, and the base/trunk is about 1/2 of that, scouting material is best done on hands and knees! And the checklist is like this:

1. Can the tree be legally and safely collected?
2. Does it have good, radial surface roots? Ideally, yes, likely, no...but does it have good flare from the spot that will become the front?
3. Does the trunk have movement and taper in the first 4-12" that will become interesting as a bonsai? Oftentimes, unusual gets confused with interesting, and we end up with unusual material that is difficult to make into a good bonsai.
4. To a lesser degree, low branches are important, if you're looking at an evergreen/conifer, since you'll need to use some existing low branches as part of the initial design. Over time they can be replaced, or incorporated as deadwood. Tropicals and deciduous trees are often collected as a "stump" with good nebari and trunk, and new branches are grown after collection.
5. Leaf reduction isn't really a factor, except to know if the tree has the potential to reduce leaf size (most do this on their own during the course of bonsai training). Compound leaves are harder to work with, but exceptions exist.

 

[fourteener]

1. The first 8 inches have to be compelling. (Gnarly, twisted, great bark, movement)
2. Yamadori and good nebari rarely exist together.
3. The kind of tree has something to do with it. (leaf size, backbudding, etc...)
4. There are no bonsai in the woods, just good material for it. That being said I look for stuff that is 3-5 years away, not anything that would take longer than that. (if it would take longer than that it's only because of item #1)
5. Good branches close to the first 8 inches, or it better be good at backbudding.


That's what I'm looking for.

 

[Poink88]

No matter how nice the nebari or trunk...if the leaves are plate size, I wouldn't touch it. There are just trees I won't use for bonsai (personal choice). For me, the tree must have the basic characteristics of tree/bush/shrub that makes good bonsai.

My priority in order...
- trunk size & movement
- nebari
- deadwood
- primary branch placement
- branch movement and ramification

As mentioned above...concentrate on the lower 8" or so since most of the stuff above will be chopped off anyway (unless you plan on air layering later).

 

[thailand-steve]

thanks for the replies. there are a several 2-3" diameter stumps sticking out of the ground in an area close to me where they have recently been clearing the land, and new growth is popping up on the chopped trunks already.

i'll go take a close look and see if i can find anything with a nice base flare and interesting, aged looking trunk.