Bonsai Art

Collecting trees is harder than you might think. As soon as a tree leaves the ground it gets stressed out and moisture loss quickly occurs. The key to collecting trees is to minimize this stress that it receives as little as possible. There are a number of different ways to do this.

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!