Cruiser
Chumono
These principles/preferences are what matter most to me as a collector in the Pacific Northwest.
Some are universal, others are more subjective or specific to species around here.
This list is not comprehensive, there are probably things I forgot to add; and I’m sure that collectors in other parts of the world will have different values, so feel free to share what matters most to you.
The most important things:
Health: only collect healthy-enough trees or those with conditions that can be managed/cured. Learn to identify the differences between vigorous, healthy, stunted, afflicted, unhealthy, dying. Not just for a whole tree but its parts as well. These conditions may not be mutually exclusive.
Accessibility: go for trees that are accessible, legally and physically. This includes a trees roots. You may be able to get to a trunk, but if you can’t uncover the roots because they’re growing into a nearly-solid rock face, why even bother? If you don’t own the property on which a tree grows or do not have permission, do not collect there.
Movement: Subjective. I think most people want movement in their trees.
Proportion: this attribute is more important to me than movement. If a small tree has good proportions it is all that much closer to resembling a big tree. I’m talking about good canopy width relative to trunk height, short internodes/interwhorls, preexisting reduced foliage-size, small branch diameters relative to trunk size, and fine ramification. I’ll dig up a small tree that is straight as an arrow if it has good proportions because some of the work to make it look like a bonsai has already been done.
Other considerations:
—Deadwood/damage: Nearly all old big trees display deadwood or damage of some kind. I want these things in my bonsai.
—Size: A larger size lends itself to creating better proportion. Especially for trees with big leaves.
However, large trees can be a pain in the ass. They usually take longer to dig up. There’s more to manage: wiring, pruning, pinching, substrate quantity. It can be difficult/expensive to find large pots-I mostly just make my own at this point. Big trees may require more than one person to move. When sizing up a tree to collect, consider if it can even fit in your vehicle!
—Weird form or specific features: oddly shaped trees may have value simply because they’re rare. Some forms or features seen in large trees can be hard to find in small ones.
—Nice root bases are exciting to find, but most of the time they’re not readily apparent. When scouting trees I focus more on trunks and canopies. If a tree happens to have a great nebari, all the better. Based off what I’ve seen here, most collected-tree nebaris fall into the “ok” category. Rarely do I encounter one that is “bad”. Sometimes I get lucky and find trees with great bases because they were growing directly over large rocks, but most just need a bit of work.
Don’t see a collecting principle here that matters to you? Feel free to contribute.
Some are universal, others are more subjective or specific to species around here.
This list is not comprehensive, there are probably things I forgot to add; and I’m sure that collectors in other parts of the world will have different values, so feel free to share what matters most to you.
The most important things:
Health: only collect healthy-enough trees or those with conditions that can be managed/cured. Learn to identify the differences between vigorous, healthy, stunted, afflicted, unhealthy, dying. Not just for a whole tree but its parts as well. These conditions may not be mutually exclusive.
Accessibility: go for trees that are accessible, legally and physically. This includes a trees roots. You may be able to get to a trunk, but if you can’t uncover the roots because they’re growing into a nearly-solid rock face, why even bother? If you don’t own the property on which a tree grows or do not have permission, do not collect there.
Movement: Subjective. I think most people want movement in their trees.
Proportion: this attribute is more important to me than movement. If a small tree has good proportions it is all that much closer to resembling a big tree. I’m talking about good canopy width relative to trunk height, short internodes/interwhorls, preexisting reduced foliage-size, small branch diameters relative to trunk size, and fine ramification. I’ll dig up a small tree that is straight as an arrow if it has good proportions because some of the work to make it look like a bonsai has already been done.
Other considerations:
—Deadwood/damage: Nearly all old big trees display deadwood or damage of some kind. I want these things in my bonsai.
—Size: A larger size lends itself to creating better proportion. Especially for trees with big leaves.
However, large trees can be a pain in the ass. They usually take longer to dig up. There’s more to manage: wiring, pruning, pinching, substrate quantity. It can be difficult/expensive to find large pots-I mostly just make my own at this point. Big trees may require more than one person to move. When sizing up a tree to collect, consider if it can even fit in your vehicle!
—Weird form or specific features: oddly shaped trees may have value simply because they’re rare. Some forms or features seen in large trees can be hard to find in small ones.
—Nice root bases are exciting to find, but most of the time they’re not readily apparent. When scouting trees I focus more on trunks and canopies. If a tree happens to have a great nebari, all the better. Based off what I’ve seen here, most collected-tree nebaris fall into the “ok” category. Rarely do I encounter one that is “bad”. Sometimes I get lucky and find trees with great bases because they were growing directly over large rocks, but most just need a bit of work.
Don’t see a collecting principle here that matters to you? Feel free to contribute.
