[FL] Any species that can be collected (yamadori) at this point in the year? If no, when?

[Anthony]

@MrFancyPlants ,

on our side they grow like weeds and I leave a tree image for you.

By the way, the father of Barbadian Bonsai [ also known as Bajan Bonsai ]
is Arthur Atkinson ---------- noted the author's name in the article.
A very friendly chap.

It is really more enjoyable to grow from seeds / seedlings and we have
also grown a tree [ inland ] to test for branch airlayers.

Beautiful tree. Now looking for the genetic tree that has naturally small
leaves - say around 1" or less and tons of branches.
Thanks for responding.
Good Day
Anthony.

 

[Zach Smith]

https://bonsai-south.com/2017/01/
He collects is Jan not sure about Nov.
If it didn't get so cold up here so fast i'd collect more in fall also.

"When to collect?" is a complex question that can probably best be answered "It depends." I collect the bulk of my (mostly deciduous) trees in the January-March timeframe, due mostly to the benefit dormancy confers. When spring arrives, healthy trees are at their peak of recovery potential so your odds of success are automatically higher. You can certainly collect many species at other times, but you will likely have to experiment with post collection techniques. For deciduous trees, defoliate if you're collecting during the growing season. Otherwise they transpire to death. Seal chops, to prevent drying from the "amputation" wound. There's plenty to learn as you try things. Summer collecting of certain species works. The heat can be murder, though. Fall works for some species.

 

[Ryan H]

I've collected 4 junipers on two separate trips and no survivors, any tips you could share or common mistakes I may be making? After the surprise at my first failure (I'd thought I did everything perfect)

While I can’t speak specifically to Florida, we collect in January because everything is dormant (ish). The idea is if you get everything with the root ball then the tree slowly acclimates when “waking up” in the spring. If we pulled here in summer or when it’s hot, it would be quite a shock andddd the feeder roots would probably die in transit anyway. Ilex are fun btw you should definitely try one

 

[Ryan H]

I wanna come.

I’ll try to remember to post the results )

 

[SU2]

@SU2 ,

remember Tropics.

Seagrape can be collected as a seedling, wired to a broad shape and
ground grown.
It thickens the trunk very rapidly, very rapidly.

When wiring, remember, to imagine the bark filling in the curves.
So make the wiring extreme and expect the tree to fill in as it
tries to straighten up.

Lots of sun and the leaves will slowly get smaller.
Good Day
Anthony

Found holding onto life, by one root.
Was trunk fattened this year.

View attachment 170991

Wait I'm confused, did you start that from seedling or was it chopped-back? That is WAY better ramification than I'd have thought a seagrape could do, how small are the leaves when the next flush comes in?

They're all over my area, if I can trunk-chop mature specimen and collect that way I'm certainly going to have a new 'main species' in my collection! Has been mostly bougies so far because I care more about trunk::canopy ratios than I do species / other attributes..

 

[SU2]

I have had really poor luck collecting stuff in the hottest months, better luck now, several Ilex, junipers, even a couple loropetulum

How'd you do the loropetalum? Did you pre-cut the roots, did you trunk-chop at collection? I tried one of those and failed, was upset because I thought I'd done everything right :/

 

[SU2]

Yes, azaleas can be drastically pruned. They will sprout vigorously as long as it's healthy.

Very good to know, thanks!

 

[JoeH]

Can azaleas be trunk-chopped, bringing them to trunk-only / no foliage?

Thanks for the species suggestions, they're on my list now

Ligustrum/privet definitely can take the cut-back right now, I recently did a first round 'niwaki' styling on a friend's pair of ~10' privets, brought them down to ~6-7' with ~10 branches each, it's been ~3.5wks and they're putting out shoots like crazy!!

[edit- how about sea grape, can they be brought to no foliage? I wonder how much their massive leaf-size can be reduced once container-bound!]

I have a saved azalea cut down to 3 inches tall and its pushing leaves already, so yep.

 

[SU2]

It is really more enjoyable to grow from seeds / seedlings and we have
also grown a tree [ inland ] to test for branch airlayers.

VERY interesting to hear how varied people approach bonsai! I'm planning to start flamboyants/poincianas from seed for the sake of it, but don't really have bonsai in-mind (except the idea of taking several juvenile seedlings, joining/fusing together for a multi-trunk, multi-growing-tip specimen (may be able to get ramification real low on the tree w/o grafting that way!)

Am also very interested in testing for airlayers - I want a thick-trunked flamboyant and don't know if I'll have more success collecting/extracting & trunk-chopping mature (>2" thick trunk) specimen, or air-layering a thick branch....really want a mature one, something w/ a thick trunk and low canopy- when in the year will you be trying air-layerings? Is this the same time you'd do air-layerings on other specimen? (have plans to air-layer some very thick crape myrtle branches so I can have some stock w/ ~4"+ thick trunk with the canopy starting around 10-12" up )

 

[Toraidento]

Isnt it time for collecting Bald Cypress down here in South Georgia and Florida? Was thinking North Florida Bonsai Club was collecting this time of year but not sure u can check their website

 

[Toraidento]

Its freezing again here in Savannah the next week so I wouldn't collect anything unless u check your local weather

 

[SU2]

Isnt it time for collecting Bald Cypress down here in South Georgia and Florida? Was thinking North Florida Bonsai Club was collecting this time of year but not sure u can check their website

I don't know, although *if* it is then I need to find out so I can go hunting, realllly want a cypress!! Do you happen to know whether they can handle trunk-chops that'd leave no foliage?

Thanks for the heads-up on 'north florida bonsai club' am going to go check them out now

Its freezing again here in Savannah the next week so I wouldn't collect anything unless u check your local weather

Why would this matter much if collecting dormant material? For what it's worth I've been treating my growing collection of collected-while-dormant stuff in the same way I treat my more 'fragile' bougies, in that they come into the patio on nights that'll go <40deg, and am using 2 containers for all of them (to offer a bit of insulation) Hope I don't have a bunch of dead plants in containers lol!! It seems that right now is okay but not optimal, and that we're coming up on optimal in ~1mo, is that about in-line w/ your thoughts on collecting? I spent my first year collecting & propagating mostly bougies, thinking summer/growth-periods were the right time to collect everything, am so psyched to learn just in time that the 'optimal' time is soon!

 

[rockm]

I don't know, although *if* it is then I need to find out so I can go hunting, realllly want a cypress!! Do you happen to know whether they can handle trunk-chops that'd leave no foliage?

Thanks for the heads-up on 'north florida bonsai club' am going to go check them out now



Why would this matter much if collecting dormant material? For what it's worth I've been treating my growing collection of collected-while-dormant stuff in the same way I treat my more 'fragile' bougies, in that they come into the patio on nights that'll go <40deg, and am using 2 containers for all of them (to offer a bit of insulation) Hope I don't have a bunch of dead plants in containers lol!! It seems that right now is okay but not optimal, and that we're coming up on optimal in ~1mo, is that about in-line w/ your thoughts on collecting? I spent my first year collecting & propagating mostly bougies, thinking summer/growth-periods were the right time to collect everything, am so psyched to learn just in time that the 'optimal' time is soon!

Have you looked at the Bald cypress stumps on Zach's site, or the article there about them?
BC are tough and can be collected with virtually no roots. They can be left to recover in a bucket of mud...

 

[SU2]

Have you looked at the Bald cypress stumps on Zach's site, or the article there about them?
BC are tough and can be collected with virtually no roots. They can be left to recover in a bucket of mud...

I have, have been tearing through it actually - the problem is I've done 2 hunting sessions w/o finding a single one....with seeing them w/ their foliage dropped (the pics in his article of the '18 harvest), just sticks/trunks, I'm realizing that w/o foliage there's zero way I'll be able to ID them during this time (and, once they've got their leaves, it'll be too-late!) Sucks and I'm not giving up yet, am thinking of trying different 'types' of areas because I've just got to get some this year, if it comes to collecting sticks that I *think* are b.cypress then that'll be what happens!

The way you describe that though had me really excited, how tough they are- so far bougies and crapes are the only two I know that fit that category, now I have a 3rd to add, cannot say thanks enough for that!! Are there any others (in a ~9 temp zone) that are notoriously tough, that handle collections & trunk-chops like bougs/crapes/b.cypress?

Thanks again, truly appreciate all the help you've given me while I find my way in this hobby!!!