Today was our third BC collecting trip of the season. It could well be the last – many BC are budding out now, including some we collected in early January. I have successfully collected Cypress after budding, but the longer you wait the riskier it gets. So we’ll see.
Here’s one of the more interesting specimens from today’s group. Not only does it have killer surface rootage, great taper and movement, it also has some nice natural branching I may be able to work with. It’s not well organized at present, but a little wire should fix that.
Here’s a good illustration of one of my guiding principles when collecting trees. Notice how much of that rootage is buried now! It’s vital that the chopped large roots of your collected trees be kept moist. As you know, the soil in our containers dries from the top down. Just an inch or so beneath the surface, the soil can be moist while the surface soil is dry. That’s all it takes to protect your tree. So be sure to bury them deep enough to keep those roots moist. I know it’s hard to hide beautiful surface roots, but they’ll emerge in a year or two when you pot up the tree. Patience!
This Cypress has a 3″ trunk base 3″ above the soil surface, and it’s chopped at 28″. I envision a 36″ bonsai when all is said and done.
This is the best specimen we brought home today. The trunk base is 4″ across 4″ above the soil, and the fluting is just terrific. Notice how it has a gentle twist as it rises up the trunk.
Once again, bury those roots!
This tree is chopped at 30″. I plan to train it in the flat-top style. The slender, graceful trunk lends itself perfectly to the style.
Let me know what you think of today’s catch.
