Eastern Hemlock Yamadori

[ETN_bonsai]

I found this on a private residence in the mountains today. Owner gave me the go ahead, so I dug it. Not the best season, but I don’t know if/when we’ll be back. The structure is a mess, but I like the bark and large unorthodox roots. I’ve not done anything but cut away some dead stuff and pot it in this grow box. It has the blight, so I’ll treat that tomorrow.

The bark and deadwood are a nice feature.
It’s not clear in this picture, but that thick branch on the right is way out of scale for the tree. It’ll likely be removed or made into a jin once the tree recovers.

Close up of the moss I collected with the tree. I don’t know that I’ve seen this before, but I like it.

 

[Gabler]

Close up of the moss I collected with the tree. I don’t know that I’ve seen this before, but I like it.
View attachment 578351

That type of moss tends to grow out of control. If you don't mind scrubbing your tree with a toothbrush, feel free to keep it. If you want a low-maintenance tree, put the moss in an accent planting. I have some in a pot with small sedges.

 

[penumbra]

You have a challenge there, I I think a rather exited one. When I deal with a dominant large root, I try to encourage it to look like its holding on to rocks. Either that, or I get rid of it when I can. Right now, just let it recover for at least a full season.

 

[ETN_bonsai]

That type of moss tends to grow out of control. If you don't mind scrubbing your tree with a toothbrush, feel free to keep it. If you want a low-maintenance tree, put the moss in an accent planting. I have some in a pot with small sedges.

Thanks for the tip. I don’t think I’ll mind the maintenance, so I’ll leave it for now. It’s much more visually interesting, in my opinion, than the other stuff I’ve collected locally.

You have a challenge there, I I think a rather exited one. When I deal with a dominant large root, I try to encourage it to look like its holding on to rocks. Either that, or I get rid of it when I can. Right now, just let it recover for at least a full season.

It definitely will be. The way the tree grew (through an old stump, and with the moss covering sections of it) made it look like it grew on a small hill. I think I’ll try to replicate that look and keep the large roots as a feature.

 

[Dav4]

Most experienced yamadori collectors would build a custom wooden box that conforms very closely with the collected root mass with just a bit of extra room all around, and the go to soil mix would be inorganic and many just use 100% pumice. I could be wrong but it looks to be very over-potted and the soil mix is peat heavy which will either stay very wet or very dry. I vaguely remember that hemlocks don't like a lot of root work, so I'm not sure there's anything to do at this point. Good luck with it.

 

[ETN_bonsai]

Most experienced yamadori collectors would build a custom wooden box that conforms very closely with the collected root mass with just a bit of extra room all around, and the go to soil mix would be inorganic and many just use 100% pumice. I could be wrong but it looks to be very over-potted and the soil mix is peat heavy which will either stay very wet or very dry. I vaguely remember that hemlocks don't like a lot of root work, so I'm not sure there's anything to do at this point. Good luck with it.

It was a box I had on the truck when I found the tree. I tend to keep a largeish box on the truck When I find a tree on a job site that I like, I’ll grab it.
I potted it in a mix of diatomáceos earth and pine bark fines. It was growing in a combination of super loose organic rot and leaf litter. I had to fínese the roots out of a stump. I hope it pulls through.

 

[ETN_bonsai]

Most experienced yamadori collectors would build a custom wooden box that conforms very closely with the collected root mass with just a bit of extra room all around, and the go to soil mix would be inorganic and many just use 100% pumice. I could be wrong but it looks to be very over-potted and the soil mix is peat heavy which will either stay very wet or very dry. I vaguely remember that hemlocks don't like a lot of root work, so I'm not sure there's anything to do at this point. Good luck with it.

The purpose of the pumice is to allow a lot of air flow to the roots in guessing? The soil it was in was so loose, a majority of it fell away when I move the tree/root mass.

 

[Dav4]

The purpose of the pumice is to allow a lot of air flow to the roots in guessing? The soil it was in was so loose, a majority of it fell away when I move the tree/root mass.

Oxygen at the root zone is important for root re-growth. Excessively wet soil, which overlarge boxes and organic soil mixes are predisposed to have, can definitely be counter productive.

 

[ETN_bonsai]

Oxygen at the root zone is important for root re-growth. Excessively wet soil, which overlarge boxes and organic soil mixes are predisposed to have, can definitely be counter productive.

Thanks for the tip. I suppose it’s time to order a better soil mix. Would the diatomaceous earth work as an inexpensive stand in for the pumice? I have a few bags of that floating around.

Would keeping some plastic wrap on hand to secure the root ball in the field and then building a box to fit once I get home be a better solution?

With as much area as we cover for work, I’m never sure what soil type the little prizes I find will be growing in. I’ve collected trees in everything from the organic fluff in which this tree was growing, to sandy clay, to straight red clay that I’m convinced is 1:5 parts lead.

 

[Gabler]

Would the diatomaceous earth work as an inexpensive stand in for the pumice?

No. You want perlite. It's essentially artificial pumice. It's made from volcanic rock that's heated till it puffs up like popcorn. Volcanoes can do the same thing naturally, which is where pumice comes from. Diatomaceous earth is more of a stand-in for akadama. It holds lots of water, and it has a little bit more cation holding capacity than other inorganic soil components.

For collected trees, I tend to use a mix of perlite and a little bit of vermiculite. For trees in training, I use a mix of perlite and a little bit of coconut husk. For both, I use a thick top dressing of diatomaceous earth for added weight and water holding capacity without reducing aeration around the roots.