How To Collect Bonsai From The Wild

Great bonsai trees can be found in your own backyard (or your neighbors) if you
know what to look for. In this tutorial I will show you how to I collected a stump
from an old Ligustrum tree.

The tree I am working with is an old ligustrum that had to have one
half removed to make room for a fence. It was allowed to grow for a
year and this was the result. The left side of this tree is about 20'
high and very healthy.

Collecting The Tree
(not as easy as collecting berries or rare coins)

This stump looks daunting but I think I can take it.. The first thing
I need to do is find out what roots there are to work with. I use my
fingers to dig down beside the trunk so I do not damage whatever
roots are there. In the photo it looks like there are plenty, but
actually all of those are coming from the parent trunk.

I am using the simple hand tools below and a reciprocating saw to
make the cuts. Also not pictured is an 18" crowbar and a small
sledge hammer that I ended up using.

I decided to use a scissor jack to spread the two halves while I cut
underneath. It ended up working pretty well but this is of course
rare and I did damage the two trees a little.

Once I put significant pressure on it with the jack it was easier to cut. I
started with the reciprocating saw and then moved on to the hand saw.
It took about 20 minutes but it finally cut through.

As you can see, there were not many roots to work with. I tried to
salvage everything I could. If you will notice the roots that are left are on
the side of the trunk that the new growth is on so there is a good chance it
will survive. The growth on the right side in the photo was directly
connected to the parent trunk and will probably die.

I then planted it immediately into a large 24" well draining container
in a mix of black garden soil, turface, lava, pine bark and sand.

Last but not least, I watered it in thoroughly and fed it a little
b1 starter solution. It will need to stay on the patio, out of
direct sunlight for a couple of weeks until it begins to show
signs of new growth again. Thanks for reading and I will
post new pics as I work on this one.

credit : Bonsai Buddy