One interesting yamadori specimen I spotted today looks very interesting. It is another hazel tree but is larger than the other one I collected. It’s going to need a good shovel to get it out.
The problem Is I don’t know what to do with it once I retrieve it as it’s a bit of a strange shape. It looks to have had a tortured life so far! I think it’s going to need to be a lot shorter than it is at the moment, but I don’t want to lose the character that it has.

Any suggestions?

Part 2

Part 3

It’s best to place your bonsai into a training pot before their final pot for a few different reasons. The first being that you can train them to be into the shape you desire before before placing into the final pot. Another is that when a bonsai is in training it can look a bit crappy and it would do no justice to an expensive pot!

With training pots I usually choose one for a tree which gives it ample breathing space for the roots. It it larger than it’s final pot will be. When choosing the final pot for it to be placed in it should be the right proportions for the tree even if you have to trim off a small amount of roots to place it in.

Here is the ash tree at present

It’s now become a two-man lift!

Part 2

As a result of all this, it has had a struggle to survive and this shows in the fascinating patterns in the branches.
It is potted in a 10″ pot.

I cannot take any credit here! All I’ve done with this one is put it in the pot and trim the branches back a bit.

My conclusions are that it is either sucking up water directly through the bark chippings underneath it into the log, or that the bottom of the log has rotted and formed roots inside.

Both conclusions seem rather strange to me so I’ve been investigating further. I am fairly sure it is a type of willow and as you might know willows grow with ease and very vigorously. I was thinking of moving it from the bark chippings where it’s sat to the earth but it’s doing so well where it is for the moment I’m afraid to change things.

I’m going to keep my eye on it and see where it goes. If it starts struggling I will move it to the soil and half bury it.

Part 1

I know what you are thinking. How can a seat come to life? Well I guess I forgot to mention that it is a log so I suppose it’s not impossible.

But it is a bit more strange when you think that this log was cut down about 9 months ago and has led around ever since. It has dried out so much it has a big crack down the middle of it. It currently sits on some bark chippings which in turn sit on a large plastic sheet. So this log that has come to life does not even live in soil which makes it even more strange.

I have some big plans for this log that has come to life. My initial thought is to plant it into my gigantic pot that it looking for a bonsai. Then I will let the log grow raft style, cover the trunk with moss so that it looks like a forest is growing out of a large hill. It sounds like a great idea but I don’t know if it might be a bit of a waste of such a massive piece of yamadori.

Log Seats

Close Up Of Buds

Close Up Of Leaves

Comments with ideas welcome!

Part 2

Most people do not realize the stress a tree goes through when it is moves. Remember that it is totally unnatural for a tree to move it’s position! We have to trick the tree into thinking that it hasn’t moved at all and make it’s journey all the more bearable. There are a few different ways we can achieve this.

1. When removing from the ground, plant directly into a pot straight away.

This is often not the easiest option as a large tree in a pot full of earth is quite heavy and hard to maneuver.

2. Wrap the leaves in a damp cloth and place in a plastic bag or something else waterproof.

This is probably the best option when removing a tree as you can keep the roots damp as they like to be but also not have the weight of the earth in a pot. It is even better if you keep a small amount of earth around the roots also to lessen the stress even more.

Certain trees get stressed out more than others. Oaks get very stressed but trees like ash or hazel seem to be a lot more mellow!

The main reason for the death is the major cutting of roots which is needed when collecting wild yamadori. The roots will often be very extensive indeed so will need a very good chopping. The tree can lose massive amounts of moisture this way so the first year is very risky indeed.

There are ways to seal a wound such as using cut paste or even tying electrical tape over the wounds on the cut roots. Myself, I prefer to adopt a natural approach and let nature take it’s course. I rarely get deaths in my collection after new trees arrive but it can happen sometimes. (And sods law is that they are the best ones that you have!). Don’t let it get you down too much if this happens, just remember that it CAN happen so to prepare yourself for a few deaths in spring if they are very new.

Many people do not know that evergreen trees actually need water during the winter also. If you have a dry week or two in the winter, it is good practice to water your tree. Don’t do this if the ground is frozen however as it won’t do any good at all. It shouldn’t harm the tree but they don’t particularly like having frozen water around their feet so don’t encourage it.

Here is a picture of the new growth appearing on the tree.

A very promising sight indeed! Also I’ve noticed today that my deeply dormant oak has started sprouting as well. However I might have the same problem with both of them being that the growth is happening quite low down the tree. If nothing happens further up the branches there will have to be some extensive carving and deadwood forming. There is no way i’m going to chuck away the bizarre branching on my hawthorn.

Part 1

There is a bit of bad news however… The buds only seem to be forming lower down on it’s trunk. This is not good at all. It means that the upper half of the tree might be dead. We can only hope and wait with baited breath to see what happens to this very unique and strange looking tree in the next few days.

I will be posting some pictures of it soon.

Photo of the hawthorn here at “How to Make Your Bonsai Leaf by Making Them Sweat (part 2)”

Part 2

It will be used as a training box for a very large yamadori specimen which I will be hunting for high and low!  Hopefully I can get a few years out of this box as I dread to think what the cost of a ceramic pot is going to be.  At over 3 foot long it is going to be no ordinary pot, that’s for certain.

Here is the box:

(complete with Fred checking it out)