Most bonsai of great age have spent most of their lives in natural surroundings, growing in the earth or in cracks in rocks. During the years in the wild they were exposed to all manner of climatic extremes, physical abuses, and deprivations. Many of them have gone through tremendous struggles to survive.
Traditionally, such plants make the very best bonsai. They have developed a form that speaks of their environment; they look old, often older than they actually are; they have becomes adapted to existing under adverse conditions. When such plants are put into containers, they invariably outshine most if not all other specimens that may be displayed around them. And gathering trees from the wild, of course, is how it all began. In Japan the hunt for natural dwarfs has gone on for centuries, making it rare to find good specimens outside protected areas.
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Because bonsai still quite new here in the United States, our wilderness has not been stripped of naturally dwarfed trees. But the ever-increasing popularity of bonsai should give nature lovers cause to consider the botanical repercussions of an onslaught of dwarf-hungry tree gatherers in our delicately balanced wild places.
If you do gather in the wild, be very selective about the trees you dig up. Study all the possibilities so you're not halfway through digging up one tree when another one catches your eye. Remember, you're especially concerned with the shape of the trunk; it's old wood and you won't be able to train it into a different configuration. When digging up the tree, disturb as little of the surrounding flora as possible. Be certain to abide by all local regulations regarding the removing of natural objects. Most if not all public parks, for instance, prohibit the removal of any flora. if you're going onto private land, get the owner's permission before removing any plant life.
The best season for gathering trees for bonsai is early spring (before new buds open). Plants would experiences the greatest shock right after new buds opened. Before they open, though, plants will undergo a minimum of shock from being uprooted and transplanted into a new environment. It is possible to do a succesful transplanting in seasons other than early spring, but the chances for success are much slimmer.
If you want to try transplanting deciduous trees in summer, remove about half the tree's leaves from the branches at the time of digging. This greatly reduces the amount of energy the plant has to use supplying nourishment to the leaves (energy it needs to adapt to the new environment). It is also greatly reduces transpiration (loss of water), which you can further reduce by spraying the foilage with an antitranspirant spray (available at nurseries). There is a period of time in early fail, after summer-long growth has finished and before twigs harden, when you might try transplanting pines and other conifers.
In the winter months most plants are dormant. Transplanting during this period means disturbing root systems that won't be able to muster up enough energy to reestablish themselves.
It's certainly best to collect only in early spring, unless at another time of year you happen across a plant in the wild that you just can't do without. If there's little likelihood of losing the plant to another collector, wait till spring.
The tree gatherer, like the back packer, likes to travel as lightly as possible. A shovel's not enough, but neither do you need a portable greenhouse on your back. Here is a list of necessary tools:
- Small shovel. The collapsible army type is good. You'll have to dig more than you would with a big one, but it's lightweight and has a sharp end.
- Sharp shears. You'll probably need these for cutting fairly thick roots.
- Sphagnum moss. Moistened and wrapped around roots, it helps keep plants alive.
- Container of water. The water is necessary for keeping leaves and roots wet on the trip home.
- Small pry bar. Some trees may be wedged tightly into cracks in rocks. You'll need to pry them out.
- Burlap or polyethylene sheeting and stout string or balling nails. Wrap root balls in the burlap sheeting; secure the wrapping with string or nails.
Out of the ground...to a new home
Take a substantial amount of the surrounding soil with the tree to protect the roots. Start by clearing away all ground growth from around the base of the trunk. Next, prune away all unnecessary branches. On the ground, draw a circle around the tree. The circle's diameter should be the equivalent of at least 1/3 the height of the tree. Larger spreading trees require larger circles (their root spread duplicates the spread of the branches).
Start digging downward, following the circle's circumference. Use your shears to cut any tough roots (always cut roots on the diagonal). Keep digging until the depth of the trench you've made is about the same as the diameter of the circle. At this point start digging under the tree from all sides in toward the center. If the taproot goes too deep you'll have to cut it, but do it as low as possible.
Once you've dug completely around and under the root ball, work the plant very gently back and forth, easing it out of the hole. Wrap the root ball completely with well-soaked sphagnum moss. Don't leave any part unprotected. Cover the whole thing with polyethylene sheeting and tie it up.
Once the plant is out the ground, it's very important to treat it gently and carefully. Certain precautions are essential when you're transporting it home. Secure it so it can't roll about and damage its branches. Make sure the foliage has good air circulation (don't put it in the trunk of the car) and is protected from direct wind and sunlight. It's crucial that the foliage have plenty of moisture. Keep it damp with a sprayer (you'll probably have to spray several times).
Plant the tree the minute you arrive home. You can plant it directly in the ground or in a large tub or planter box. If it has many delicate roots close to the base, you can plant it in a eep pot along with all the soil that came with it. (It's easy to tell if it has fine roots-they will keep the soil around the root ball from dropping away.)
If, instead, the plant has only a few large roots, it's better to plant it in the ground first, to be transferred to a training pot later. The soil in your garden should be fine for it-unless it's been heavily fertilized recently. Your tree won't be strong enough to have a first feeding for a few months. Dig a hole in the ground large enough to accommodate the roots, an plant the tree along with the soil that remained with the root ball.
When the tree has been planted, either in a pot or in the ground, trim off any roots poking above the surface. Continue to protect the plant from wind and direct sunlight. Water moderately and moisten the foliage often; in very warm weather you should spray the foliage several times a day.
In just a few months, new roots will form. At this time the plant should be hardly enough to look the sun straight in the eye without protection. About the same time, it's ready for it first feeding. Keep the soil well-watered, but you can taper off on spraying the foliage-once a day at most is fine.
Other than daily care, don't disturb your new prize for a year, however much your green thumb may itch. At the end of that year you can remove the tree from the ground or from its pot for placement in a more shallow pot, but still not its bonsai container. Trim remaining taproot back by 1/2 or more. If there are a large number of brand-new roots-the fine, hairy ones are the new roots-trim them by about 1/3. If there aren't many new roots, just do a light pruning.
It's good idea to do some branch pruning at this time too-there'll be less plant for the reduced rootage to supply with nourishment. Don't do any drastic pruning, but cut back young growth that isn't essential to the tree's basic shape. Once the roots have been pruned, place the plant in a pot with as much original soil on the root ball as possible. Fill in with new soil.
Even now you're not going to be able to do more with your tree than day to day care. After another year, remove it from its pot again, trim off the rest of the taproot, trim back new-root growth by 1/3, and put it into its shallow bonsai pot. Now, 2 years after you collected it, it's ready for training.
For the beginner who wants to get on with it, collecting wild trees just isn't the way. Two years is a long, slow countdown. But once you're a confirmed bonsai enthusiast, you'll find a special satisfaction in working with a tree you came upon on a mountain hike, removed gently from its own home, and carried just as gently back to yours.