On May 6, 2003 02:51 pm, you wrote:
Hi Ian,
Much of the advice you are getting is very cautious, and everybody
who has attempted to learn bonsai has killed trees. You will too. You say
you have 155 acres to play with. Go for it. Start with something small.
What kind of soil are they growing in? Rocky, sandy, clay? Bring some
with the root ball. Pick a small tree with branches down low so you can
reduce the overall size of the tree. Most of the trees I collect have to
contend with brome grass so all the branches start about 24 inches up. It
is hard to find appropriate material.
You are going to dig up the tree and in the process will loose most
of the roots, this corresponds to reducing the top so that the roots that
are left will support the tree. I have a tree nursery where I plant my
collected trees to recover from this abuse. I figure that if I can dig up
a tree and transplant it and have it survive, that is the first step.
Styling, leaf reduction, wiring branches are all secondary to making the
tree survive. Learn that and you are on your way.
And watch out for them bears, ay?
==============
Harry.
Bears... hmmm yes indeed. There is a resident female wandering about that
must be 600 pounds.. There are others but she's quite impressive on her
hind legs. ;^)
Thanks for the encouragement. Finding a balance to begin will take some
time. I think the points that have been made regarding leaf size are worth
noting for my beginnings. I will continue to scout local candidates but I
think it's wise to first start with a few easy marks to get my feet wet.
The oak grow so terribly slowly. Many of the (wild) burr-oak here don't
put on much more than 4" per year. I expect to have access to some
established bonsai shortly for a good look up close and personal. At that
point I'll have a better idea for what preferences I might want to follow
up on.
The burr-oak was a fantasy that I'd been harbouring for years. The local
wild ones are so bonsai like already. Many are 300 years old and don't
have much more than 40' to show for it. I love them and enjoy them through
all the seasons.
The soil here is very thin and in many places is almost purely sand. The
burr-oak stands seem to be on top of gravel reserves.
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