Yew Collecting

[Joedes3]

I have a 5 foot yew that I will be digging up soon. I live just outside of Boston.
I have the following questions:
Should I dig it up now?
It is a 5 foot tall bush with a 10 inch base and many branches coming out of it, how should I trim the top?
Should I keep a large root ball or bare root and plant in new bonsai type soil?
Sorry for all of the questions, but I don't want to blow this.
Thanks
Joe DeSisto

 

[Mike423]

Don't worry about it, questions are made to be asked, otherwise we would never know. Its a little hard to say, and I'm not exactly an expert on yews, but generally its best to dig it up in early spring before it becomes too active to reduce stress, which you might still be able to do. I would also try to collect as much of its original root mass as possible when digging it out and then slowly reduce it as needed year by year. Also be sure to make everything above the soil even with whats below (trim the tree proportionately to what was trimmed root wise). this will help keep the tree vigorous since it wont then struggle to keep up with above or below the soil (if that makes sense). With its size and height it sounds like you will be looking at a trunk chops somewhere where you will then pick a new leader. Remember movement and taper in a trunk are two of the most most important factors in bonsai. Some one else will probably give you a more definitive answer. Good luck