Information on shipping, collecting, tree care and styling

Shipping

    I ship all trees, with the exception of extremely large specimens, either UPS Ground or parcel post. Very large specimens can go by truck. I ship year-round and the trees travel well summer and winter. Delivery to the coasts can take as long as seven days.

    The tree and pot are wrapped and mounted on a sheet of plywood in the bottom of the box to protect them from movement. They should even be able to travel upside down this way and some probably do. The box is packed with wadded paper and sometimes framed with wood. The branches of the tree may be pulled in and wrapped (as long as it hasn’t been wired) to protect them and reduce space.

    When you receive your tree unpack it carefully. Remove the wadded paper and then lift the tree out BY THE POT. Cut the plastic wrap from the pot and from the branches. If the soil is dry water it well and then put the tree in a partially shaded spot for a few days to allow it to adjust and the branches to relax. After that it can go back out into bright sun.

Collecting

    I, and a few helpers, collect several hundred trees per year for bonsai training. I collect mainly on federal and state lands in several western states. I purchase permits for each tree that allows me to do this. Collecting is a regulated activity that is allowed only in some areas. It is not allowed in wilderness areas, national monuments, in parks, near campgrounds, hiking trails, main roads or areas with special scenic, biological or cultural significance. Collecting of rare or endangered plants is also not allowed.

    For pines and spruces only about one tree out of 100 has a root system that will allow transplanting. For junipers the ratio is closer to one tree out of 1,000.

   Collecting is generally allowed in areas where other resource extraction is permitted. These are federal lands where logging, mining, grazing, understory thinning and control burning may regularly take place.  Millions of potential bonsai specimens are destroyed this way each year both by man-made and natural causes.

Tree Care

Ponderosa Pine pinus ponderosa v. scopularum(also applicable to limber and lodgepole pine)

    Ponderosa pine is the most widely distributed pine in North America. The tree is favored for bonsai because of the wildly contorted trunks and rugged, rough bark often seen on old specimens. It takes to pot cultivation easily.

    Ponderosa pine are a hardy tree. They generally grow in a semi-arid climate and need full sun for a majority of the day. They are drought tolerant and very winter hardy.

    In cultivation ponderosa pine do best in a somewhat coarse and free-draining soil mix. In my climate, which is generally very dry, I use about 60% chicken grit, 30% fired clay and 10% crushed bark. The exact mix should be tailored to your specific climate and watering schedule.

    When it’s hot I generally water my pines once a day, unless the soil already looks moist. In a well-draining soil mixture overwatering will not hurt ponderosa pine, but may lead to excessively long needles. Needles that are too long can be scissor trimmed to about 2 or 2.5 inches in length. Always spray them with cold water and set the tree in the shade for a day after doing this.

    Any mild fertilizer can be used on ponderosa pine. I like to use slow release fertilizer cakes. Fertilizer applied in the spring will tend to go into needle growth, while that applied after mid-summer will tend to go into bud formation for the following year.

    One thing that should be noted is that for the first several years after collecting the first priority of the bonsai enthusiast is to get the tree vigorous and well established in it’s pot. Longer needles may be desirable during this period to increase growth.

    Ponderosa pine are very winter hardy and need a minimum six week winter dormancy period with temps generally below 40 F and several hard freezes. They can grow in the ground anywhere in the continental U.S. In bonsai cultivation they will grow as far south as Atlanta, Memphis and Dallas. In winter they can be subject to temps well below freezing and even below zero. The pot should be protected from constant freezing and thawing during the winter and the tree protected from drying winds. They may need to be watered occasionally in the winter if the weather warms up and the soil dries out.

    Styling ponderosa pine for bonsai is best accomplished with wiring. The branches of this tree are very flexible and tough and with proper technique dramatic changes can be made to the tree. Wire will need to remain on the tree for two or more years for the branches to set. After it is removed some branches may relax slowly and need to be wired again. To learn more refer to my Finding The Bonsai Within DVD on Pg 1.

    The best foliage management technique is strong fertilization followed by needle thinning and terminal bud removal in late summer/ fall. To learn more refer to Ponderosa Pines as Bonsai by Larry Jackel (currently out of print.)

Black Hills spruce picea glauca v. densata (also generally applicable to Engelmann and Colorado spruce)

   Black Hills spruce are a unique variety of white spruce native to South Dakota’s Black Hills. Old specimens that are collectable are rare, but younger trees for forest plantings and phoenix grafts are readily available.   

   Black Hills spruce make beautiful bonsai. the needles are small, dense and a rich blue-green color. They back-bud easily and take to cultivation well. Older specimens have rough, flaky bark.

    Black Hills spruce like a somewhat heavier soil mix than ponderosa pine. I use about 50% fired clay, 40% chicken grit and 10% crushed bark. They do well planted on rocks in a muck soil. They also like a bit more water and fertilizer than pines. Still, a well-draining soil is best, and it should never be allowed to become waterlogged.

    They will do best if put in a location that

gets bright sun in the early part of the day, but at least some shade during the heat of the afternoon. The roots may be sensitive to overheating. The best foliage management technique is spring terminal bud plucking, at about the time when the opening buds are at the “fuzzy egg” stage.

    Black Hills spruce are easy to style with wire. The branches are tough and flexible and can be dramatically changed with proper wiring technique. Wire will usually need to stay on for two years. The upper branches will grow more quickly than the lower ones though and need to be watched carefully for wire marks.

    Black Hills spruce are very cold hardy and a six week winter dormant period is minimum. They are quite happy being frozen solid all winter long. They will do well in the same areas as ponderosa pine.

Rocky Mountain juniper juniperus scopularum (also applicable to Utah juniper)

    Rocky Mtn juniper is a tree of the most rugged and marginal conditions. It is often found on sites that are nearly bare rock and where few other species can survive. Because of the harsh conditions it grows in specimens frequently grow just fractions of an inch a year and often show massive trunk contortions and large amounts of deadwood that make it a fascinating bonsai specimen. Even small trees can be quite ancient

    In my opinion, Rocky Mtn juniper take a little more technical skill to grow than either the pines or spruces. They like a location with full, bright sun. They are very drought hardy and tolerant of both extreme heat and cold.

    The best potting mix for Rocky Mtn juniper is one that is very free draining and will allow a free flow of air and water to the roots. In my climate, which is generally very dry, I use about 50% chicken grit, 30% fired clay and 10% crushed bark. In the heat of summer I water my junipers every day, unless the soil still appears moist.

    Too much water and fertilizer can push these trees into a growth spurt and result in leggy, bluish, juvenile foliage. Martin Schmalenberg has been doing well with them in northern New Jersey though and says he lets the foliage grow out for several years, then scissor trims the fronds back to interior growth, also removing the sucker sprouts that appear in branch crotches. After this recovers foliage pinching begins to keep the foliage dense. For more information see his article and picture of a Rocky Mtn juniper in the North American Bonsai book, available through the ABS.

    Branches up to finger diameter are usually flexible enough to wire with no problem. Larger branches, or very old branches, usually are more brittle and contain dead wood and so raffia and additional support wires should be used.

    Rocky Mtn juniper are adaptable to a wide range of climates and will grow as bonsai as far, or farther, south than ponderosa pine.

Common juniper juniperus communis

Common juniper is the most widely distributed conifer in the world, as well as the plant whose berries are used to flavor gin. It is a needle juniper and the foliage closely resembles that of spruce, except the needles are more flattened and have two white stripes on the underside. Common

juniper grows in a wide variety of conditions, but it seems to favor limestone outcrops and a slightly more moist environment. They tend to be more common at higher elevations and often grow as an understory under the shade of mature pine and spruce.

    Communis is a great plant for bonsai as it has short, dense needles that turn a deep green and often fantastic swirling deadwood even on small specimens. I grow my communis in a bright location, but where they will get partial shade. I water them about like spruce and use the same soil mix as for spruce. They are very cold hardy, and since I’ve seen them in Georgia it’s possible they will grow as bonsai anywhere in the states.

    They are flexible and easy to wire. Old branches will have deadwood though and will be more brittle. Martin Scmalenberg has an excellent common juniper in the aforementioned North American Bonsai book. Some of the Best of Bonsai in Europe books have outstanding examples in them as well.

    The most difficult part of training communis for bonsai is the initial collecting. The roots on these seem to wander away from the tree and it is difficult to find specimens that can be transplanted. Once they are established though, they are very hardy in a pot.