That would give the highest chance of succes. Trenching around is probably only good if you fill it up again to avoid drying out. But yes two spades deep helps to create a more compact rootball. But like mentioned before Taxus is weird in that it has a compact rootsystem and backbuds like crazy For a coniferous tree. Dug up 3 early spring this year and all survived only one is a bit weak.
Harvesting bonsai material from a yew. Questions?
- Thread starter Javaman4373
- Start date
That would give the highest chance of succes. Trenching around is probably only good if you fill it up again to avoid drying out. But yes two spades deep helps to create a more compact rootball. But like mentioned before Taxus is weird in that it has a compact rootsystem and backbuds like crazy For a coniferous tree. Dug up 3 early spring this year and all survived only one is a bit weak.
Javaman4373
Shohin
What do you think of this idea? Washing out an area of the surface roots with a hose and replacing the original soil with a bonsai soil mix and over layering with an organic mulch. This could be done in the 2021 growing season. That would give an idea of the root structure, wouldn't be that traumatic to the roots exposed, and then encourage some new feeder roots, is what I am thinking. If it would be a useful step, I am not sure when it should be done time wise.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
What do you suppose the net volume of pot is necessary to contain the roots of the collected critter?
Javaman4373
Shohin
I don't know at this stage, how big the root ball needs to be, as it is yet to be determined how far from center it needs to be excavated. I plan to build a training pot out of wood, which I happen to have available. I will need some means of lifting the whole thing, either with 4 people or my tractor. Probably handles and/or attached cable on the box. Hopefully down the road some years, the root ball can be reduced to fit some large bonsai pot. I will take some measurements of the woody base plus nebari and report back.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
well, considering:
I would say, yeah. I am not sure what the weather is where you are, and how dry it gets. If you normally have moist conditions, I would consider cutting some of the roots now. If it is generally dry conditions I would bet that putting a bucket of water near the main trunk every few days for the rest of summer would help enourmously to stimulate feedroots near the trunk.
If you cut back drastically keep in mind that Yews store some reserves and it will deplete these to recover, which might make it weaker for the first year. To be honest, I would cut back OR do the roots.
It all depends on how long a game you are playing. It will be a 5 year process to get it into a box. The safest rout would be to cut the main roots in fall (Assuming no deep frosts, else wait till spring), keep the core area lightly moist and wait for a growing season. Then cut to size and decide whether there is enough green left to support the plant when lifted. If not, let it recover and only the year after lift it.
The gutsy route is the way most people have to dig: Go in as soon as you see the buds starting to break. Cut the branches back. Cut the roots to size. Lift. Plant in a large box with pumice. Pray.
I am an impatient person and I rather go fast and fail than work for 5 years to get it out. So this is how I would proceed.
Not based on anything but my own experience with Yew to date.
- Trim the shrub back to managable size, ensuring at least a handfull of large green branches, so you have a good wheelbarrow full of green still remaining on the tree. Leave ALL main trunks (As you do not know which will survive).
- Assuming it is not scroching hot and dry: Do a shallow trench around the trunk this month, maybe 1 1/2ft away from the trunk, 1 spade deep. (This will hit >50% of the main roots, but will still keep a 3ft diameter rootball. Also any deep roots that it will have remain intact. Aim is NOT to cut ALL main roots. Just the surface roots that you want to keep when digging.
- Backfill the trench
- Water the inner rootball so the toplayer of a feet or so stays moist for the rest of summer, triggering the finer roots near the trunk to take a bigger role
- At the for your region perfect time of year pull the thing out in 2021.
- Clean the outer rootball, but leave the core of the rootball intact, say, up to 6 inches from the trunk.
- Pot in a large wooden box with pumice. Tied down well. Keep out of dry winds, but allow morning/afternoon sun
- Keep the rootball on the dry side (And as it will be large, you will find it stays moist very long). Only spray the foliage
There are a few threads on Bnut on digging large yews. I would recommend reaching out to the posters of those and ask them what they did in the end and what the result was.
Looking again at the pictures you posted at the start of this thread, I dont see the potential for bonsai. I bet what you find in that soil is just a giant mass of wood, rather than usable root flare. and then you got a couple of really thick trunks that shoot up from the ground for a meter or so with almost no taper. You do not have material that is comparable to Bjorn Bjorholms.
Best thing I can think of is airlayer 20 cm or so below big junctions, that will give you taper and good rotflare, plus feeder roots close to the trunk, and it wont break your back. Im sure theres multiple suitable airlayer opportunities in that plant. An example:
Try to expose more of the roots and show us the result
Best thing I can think of is airlayer 20 cm or so below big junctions, that will give you taper and good rotflare, plus feeder roots close to the trunk, and it wont break your back. Im sure theres multiple suitable airlayer opportunities in that plant. An example:
Try to expose more of the roots and show us the result
Few of us have acces to the material Bjorn uses. So we have to improvise. I do not agee that it won’t be interesting. Exposing a bit more is a good suggestion though. I imagine it would become a giant clump style and in my imagination it could be really interesting and it might even interest the likes of Bjorn.
Judging potential from pictures is definitely not easy as I am still a beginner so I have to use my imagination.
I admit I might have exaggerated a bit but I also feel you were a bit black and white. But it has Some trunk diameter with selective pruning there could be taper see second picture and if there is a big mass with flare below it could be impressive. The difference between good and bad will be depending on dead wood creation anyhow. Also Taxus back bud very well so new branches can be developed on straight parts with no interest.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
I would be hopefull there are some goor lines in there. Hard to tell from the pictures. But yews this size where you have the option to take your time getting them out are rare, and certainly when they have multuple connected trunks without the typical "broombush" trimmings make this an interesting tree.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
What percentage of plants in the ground, anywhere, are potensia? Collectors go into the wilderness and walk for miles to find something that has a top worthwhile and roots that are passable. Sometimes they come back empty handed, and many I have seen trees that are, from an artistic standpoint, an embarrassment. The same can be said of yardadori and potted nursery trees, and sadly, pre-bonsai from various vendors. 99.9% of plants are not worth the effort involved because the goal is not just possessing old, or easy, or cheap, or species, or big, or small, or pot-able, or living. It's some combination of all of the above in one package that can be made into an artful expression. The amount of effort it takes to nurture a plant into a successful bonsai worthy of the name needs to be expended on worthwhile prospects.
Javaman4373
Shohin
Thanks for the comments. I know this tree is not potential for a more classical bonsai, but it is a project for me to enjoy working on. I will expose some root structure around the base and see what you all think. It is a bigger version of this tree I captured from a video with a screen shot.
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we have a winner
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Collect it. Pot it. Work it and in five years' time blow everyones mind.
Javaman4373
Shohin
Here is some more information. The woody base is 20 inches west to east, and 15 inches south to north. I washed out some surface roots to get an idea of the feeder roots. The barn is on the north side. I found feeder roots more abundant and quite good within 12-16 inches from the base on the south side. They seemed to be fewer on the north side, although I didn't clear as much soil there. I replaced the top soil with bonsai mix and covered with a woody mulch. Our weather has been hot lately with high temperatures of 90-92 F and fairly dry. We did get 0.6 inches of rain this morning and showers predicted in the next few days with cooler weather. When we had some dry spells, I watered the yew with a hose.
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Maybe you could do what I did with my found azalea clump, saw off that one trunk with its roots from the rest. Though I had a lot of wood underground unfortunately. Its very hard to tell because you post so few pictures but I think with that nebari and what i assume is a branch on the top left of the image, I can now see potential there even without airlayer.
Certainly not as a multi-trunk, but as one or several single trunks (IN DIFFERENT POTS
)? Yeah
Certainly not as a multi-trunk, but as one or several single trunks (IN DIFFERENT POTS
)? Yeah
leatherback
The Treedeemer
The OP is posting more pictures of trees than you..
Great to see you be so convicted of NO one second, and flipping to yes the other.as one or several single trunks (IN DIFFERENT POTS
leatherback
The Treedeemer
All you seem to do here is tell others off. Never seem to share what you do.
Javaman4373
Shohin
It has been 8 wks since I did the air layers and I took a peek at the smaller one. It had formed some callous, but no roots had emerged. Since it was doing nothing for the roots at this point, I cut it off. I guess this is not a good sign for the larger air layer, but I am letting that go undisturbed until Sept. There is a lot of back budding around the lower trunks and that needs time to harden off before winter. I think I will wrap the bottom of the tree with some burlap to reduce its exposure to winter winds. Next action will probably by in late March.
I also trenched around the tree to a depth of about 6 to 8 inches and 20-24 inches from the base. I didn't find much for substantial roots, only a few about 1/2 inch in diameter, and not much for feeder roots. I back filled the trench. I guess I will do nothing further until fall and then assess the larger air layer.
I also trenched around the tree to a depth of about 6 to 8 inches and 20-24 inches from the base. I didn't find much for substantial roots, only a few about 1/2 inch in diameter, and not much for feeder roots. I back filled the trench. I guess I will do nothing further until fall and then assess the larger air layer.
