Collected trees are different from nursery stock:

First of all, nursery material has been cultivated for many generations to achieve a genetically uniform crop. Nursery plants can be considered to be identical twins in this respect, and most of them will react in virtually the same way to the same set of conditions.

On the other hand, collected trees exhibit a very wide range of genetic characteristics. They are as individualistic as people, and what works on one may or may not work on another. Any two individuals of the same species may show wide differences in needle color and length, growth habit, bark texture and vigor, among other things. In part, this individual uniqueness is one thing that makes collected material so desirable for bonsai. But it also makes them less predictable to work with.

Another difference between collected material and nursery material is the age of the plants. Nursery stock is usually sold when it is between 2 and 20 years old. In nature, a tree of this age would be a seedling or a sapling and in many cases not even have reached sexual maturity yet. Trees of this age have incredible vigor and can easily withstand many shocks.

Collected trees though, are typically collected specifically because of their aged characteristics. Collected trees may range in age from 30 or 40 years to many hundreds of years old, and sometimes even older. Although these trees have fantastic character, they have typically been growing slowy under stressed conditions for generations. They do not have the vigor of a young plant, although if they are cared for properly they will regain much strength in just a few years.

Finally, collected trees will usually have come from a very harsh environment. Where a young nursery plant is watered, fertilized and protected from the weather on a regular basis, a wild tree is totally at the mercy of Nature, whom we might describe as a sort of oblivious gardener.

The tree in the wild is often subject to droughts, fire, extremes of weather, poor soils, animals, insects and any other hazard you can think of. It is exactly these harsh conditions that give the tree it's wonderful, ancient character. But these conditions also keep the tree in a constant state of stress, from which it will recover slowly while in cultivation.

For instance, on a pine tree purchased from a nursery, nearly every bud can be expected to open and grow vigorously. On a typical old pine growing on a rock cliff, anywhere from 30-70% of the buds will open in any given year. The others will not open, due to stress or injury. They may open the following year, or the tree may put it's energy elsewhere and slowly shed the branch. This holds true for old spruce and junipers as well.

Ponderosa Pine

These are my favorites. The best and most well known American pine for bonsai. Ponderosa pine frequently have great trunk movement, excellent bark and inspiring jin and shari. They are easy to care for and grow, and very flexible when it comes to wiring.

Ponderosa pine like full sun to partial shade. Thay should be potted in a coarse growing medium that allows free movement of water and air to the roots. They will do well in all northern environments and as far south as Dallas, Atlanta and Memphis. They require a winter cold period of around six weeks, where the nightime temperatures get down at least into the 40s, with at least a few nights going below freezing. They can withstand winter temps well below zero.

In my area ponderosa pine start growing between May 15-June 15, and are done by late September. They transplant readily, and once a newly collected specimen opens it's buds and begins growing it can generally be considered past the risk of transplant related stress.

Ponderosa pine are easy to wire, and the branches are flexible and very forgiving. The branch junctions will tend to split though, so that is the area to pay attention to. Ponderosa pine can generally be wired after they have spent one growing season in a pot. However, I have had good luck wiring trees with healthy root systems at the same time as I collect them. But I don't recommend this.

Repotting is best done after the third year in it's original pot, unless there is some evidence of an unhealthy root condition. Ponderosa pine are fairly easy to repot. The very best time seems to be about just as the buds are starting to open. Late summer is also a good time, being sure there is enough growing season left for the tree to grow more roots.

Ponderosa pine will back bud well once they are vigorous, established and have been fertilized. The general technique is to give fertilizer after mid-summer, and then pluck the terminal buds in the fall or early winter. The tree will make new buds by springtime. Candle pruning can also be done. In the early spring, before the actual buds open, the tree will produce multiple flower buds around the main bud. These should be picked off to prevent the tree from wasting energy.

Needle length can easily get out of proportion with ponderosa pine under conditions of frequent watering and fertilization. To minimize this apply fertilizer mainly after the needles have grown, give plenty of sun, keep the tree pinched back and also consider pruning the needles to length. By using all of these steps you can keep the needles around 2" in length, and sometimes shorter. Specimens in the wild will sometimes have needles as short as 1", but this is hard to achieve in a pot.

Lodgepole pine:

Lodgepole pine is a two needle pine which grows at a slightly higher elevation than ponderosa (7-9,000 ft.) The needles are usually about one to one and a half inches in length and a bright green. Trunks are often contorted.

General care of lodgepole pine is the same as for ponderosa. They like a bright location and a coarse soil mix that allows the free flow of air and water. They are not quite as easy to transplant as ponderosa, though they are hardy once they are established.

Limber pine:

Limber pine are a five needle (white) pine. Needles are a nice blue-green to bright lime-green in color and about an inch in length. The trunks frequently have great movement and the older specimens have good bark.

Limber pine are difficult to transplant, at least for me. Once established they are hardy though, and the general care is the same as for ponderosa and lodgepole pine. Foliage treatment is probably like Japanese white pine. A sunny environment and a coarse soil mix seem to keep the tree happy.

Rocky Mountain juniper

These are my favorites. This American juniper rivals shimpaku in character and adaptability. Collected Rocky Mountain junipers are frequently of incredible age and have wind blasted and time twisted deadwood trunks and branches that can be turned into breathtaking bonsai. Utah juniper is a very similar species that looks identical except that the foliage is a little more coarse and cordlike.

On the mountainside Rocky Mountain juniper foliage is most frequently wind-burned and somewhat yellowish in appearance, although trees growing side by side can have foliage of any range of color from yellow-green, to a deep sea-green, to blue-green and even almost turquoise. In the fall, drought stressed trees may turn so brown they appear dead. Others will remain green, or even take on a purplish tint.

In cultivation however, with proper watering, Rocky mountain junipers usually quicky turn a deeper, richer green, sometimes with a bluish tinge. Although in nature the tree grows in such harsh environments that it may never get any shade, it responds very well to shading during it's first season in a pot, or anytime it is under stress. Once established it will thrive in full sun.

Rocky Mountain junipers are very cold hardy trees and will do well in all northern environments. The plant seems very adaptable though, and specimens have been sucessfully grown as far south as New Orleans and even Miami. It does not seem to require as long or cold a winter dormant period as ponderosa pine do, although there is not much information available on this.

The younger branches on Rockys are very flexible and easy to wire, although the small branchlets are easy to break off. The older branches, with deadwood running along them, are stiff and brittle, and usually the live wood needs to be seperated from the deadwood before shaping can take place. Foliage treatment is generally the same as with shimpaku, and the tree will make nice dense pads if treated correctly. Since I'm not very knowledgeable about that, I won't try to describe it.

Rocky Mountain juniper does best if potted in a very coarse, fast draining soil mix, that will allow some air to the roots. Since many of the trees are very ancient, repotting should not be rushed. However, if the plant is vigorous it is fairly easy to repot. Spring seems to be the best time. It should be shaded and misted for a couple weeks afterwards.

Rocky Mountain junipers should be watered so the soil is moist, but not constantly soggy. The tree responds best if the soil medium is coarse enough to allow air and water to flow freely through.

When stressed (for instance, after transplanting) Rockys frequently respond by shedding needles. In this case the inner needles on the cluster will turn a bright yellow and after a time easily fall off. Putting the tree into more shade and mist will usually restore health in this case.

Common juniper

This juniper is a needle juniper and is the most widely distributed coniferous plant in the world, and the source of the berries used to flavor gin. In spite of this, it is notoriously hard to grow in a pot, though some people seem to be able to do it.

In my experience, common junipers do best if they get partial shade, with bright sun in the morning. They definetly don't like repotting, so keep that to a minimum. Once established in a pot they are very hardy, and the deadwood can really be fantastic.

 Black Hills spruce

These are my favorites. Black Hills spruce is a sub-variety of white spruce which has adapted to a drier, western environment. This spruce has short, deep green to bluish green needles, averaging about one half to three quarters of an inch in length. Stressed specimens from rock outcrops will occasionally have needles as short as 1/8 inch.

I really like Black Hills spruce as bonsai. The branches are very flexible and easy to wire and shape, and the short needles and dense foliage make creating branch pads easy.

Young Black Hills spruce, 15-25 years of age, are incredibly hardy, and can be wired into any shape imaginable. They are excellent for creating forests, for making Phoenix grafts and for creating single small trees and literati specimens. They prefer a coarse soil mix, with slightly more organic matter than pine or juniper do. They like a location with bright morning sun, but shade during the hottest part of the afternoon. The shade will help keep the roots cool, which is important. they also can tolerate full shade. They are extremely cold hardy and (I probably shouldn't say this) I have left specimens out on a table in shallow pots all winter when the temperature went down as low as 35 below zero, with no apparent ill effects. They will do well as far south as Dallas and Atlanta, but they definetly prefer a cold winter period where temperatures get below freezing

Spruce get more and more vigorous the longer they are allowed to remain in their original pot. When the tree is really strong it will begin to sprout new buds everywhere. This is a good signal that the tree is strong enough to repot. Old trees in the forest will sometimes have new shoots coming right out of the trunk.

Foliage treatment is basically as follows: In the spring pluck all the terminal and very strong buds before they begin to open. The tree will then later open the weaker buds and produce and open new buds. These should be allowed to open, and should be pinched back to half their length while they are still soft. Black Hills spruce like water but don't like soggy soil. Water them so the soil is evenly damp but don't drown them.

Old Black Hills spruce are collected from limestone cliffs and can be very ancient trees with rare character. The high ph of the limestone often leaves them with very weak looking, yellow foliage, which will slowly improve in color in a few months. The older trees are not as easy to transplant as the young ones are and they should be shaded and misted after transplanting until new growth is well established. Once past this phase however, they react similarly to the younger plants and will back bud vigorously all over the plant once they are strong.