Collected Fir- need advise and thoughts

Jay

Recently I collected this lovely little Balsam Fir from the top of a mountain. It was living in a pocket on top of a large rock formation at approx 3300 feet. I have been searching and have not been able to find much info as to care of this species. My thoughts are to leave it be for a year or more likely two and then begin to train it.

I ask for help in its care from any knowledgeable members. Of course although early, any thoughts on its design are always welcome

Jay

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	fir1.jpg (60.0 KB, 106 views)
	fir2.jpg (58.5 KB, 97 views)

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

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Jay

Greetings, I have been surfing the site and the net. And... I've still not found any useful info on this species. Has ANYONE used Balsam Fir for Bonsai? Has anyone any care info? It is hard to believe that I am the first to try them.

I can only go on the 'assumption' that care will be close to Hemlock or possible Spruce, but I sure would appreciate more help. It is never good to 'assume'.

Jay

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

lagunamadre

All your assumptions so far seem to be correct, the tree looks to be doing great.
Don't have experience with them but did you try www.goldenarrowbonsai.com ?
Andrew Smith collects different kinds of evergreens, and his web site will give an E-mail address. Perhaps he could give some suggestions. Good luck, great find, Larry

treebeard55

Hi, Jay,

I've seen balsam fir bonsai occasionally, but have no personal experience. My suggestion is to do all the research you can, both bonsai-related and general, on the fir genus, Abies. Then you'll have at least some idea of what your tree is likely to need; you have some starting point, at least.

I've used this method myself and found it helpful.

Just remember that there are exceptions within every genus, so you need to keep an extra eye on your tree, and make full use of the most important bonsai tool -- your brain.

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Treebeard 55

"To do bunjin is easy. However, to do a bunjin masterpiece is difficult." -- Susumu Nakamura, at MBS '07

Jay

Thank you both for the good words. I do not plan on doing anything to this guy until I know he has made it. I'm just trying to do my 'homework' and get the facts straight.

At this time I plan on overwintering him with my other trees in the garage. But I'm hoping to find out certain things, to be more specific:
1- how well do B.Fir do as a collected tree?
2- do they require 1, 2 or 3 years to recover from collecting?
3- when working on them, do they have problems with their roots being reduced?
4- are they a re-pot in spring tree or (as Vance Wood has told us about certain pines) a re-pot in the heat of summer tree?

I was not planning on collecting a B.Fir but ... well its a long story.

Jay

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

gregb

I have been working with doug fir and sub-alpine fir and can pass along some observations about these western U.S. species:

First off, you might notice some of the needles of your tree turning yellow then orange and brown and dropping off. These are the old needles and this is normal for a fir to do this. Don't be alarmed if your tree does this as it's part of its natural life cycle. Fir is a tough species and as you mentioned finding yours at elevation, I would recommend wintering it outside on the ground with the protection you give for it being mainly from the wind. You want it to be covered with snow as this is what it's accustomed to and is an excellent insulator against the elements. Place it in a calm spot near your house or garage where you can keep an eye on it through the winter.

With respect to re-potting, spring is always the safest time when working with species we aren't familiar with. Watch the buds and when they begin to swell and turn slightly green is the best time to re-pot. Treat it like a pine and carefully remove 1/2 half of the field soil the first re-potting and the other half the following year. This way you are not bare-rooting the entire root system and the mycorrhizae will have a place to start colonizing from. I hope this useful to you even though it is not for balsam fir specifically

Jay

Greg, THANKS... I appreciate getting any info I can. My thoughts for this little tree are forming and I want to maintain it the best I can. I understand your feeling this tree can live outside over the winter. I'm a little concerned for this winter, being it was just collected. I may do the unheated garage this year and move it to an outdoor spot next year when it is established. Do you think I'm over-protecting? Our winter is pretty severe, possible hitting -20 something F on an off for a week. Fall collecting as I know it, does not give the tree a chance to get established.

When I collected it, it just came up from the rock pocket in one piece. It had a nice root ball perhaps 1.5 to 2 inches thick. There were three roots escaping through the rock that more than likely had additional feeder roots at a distance. I have not touched the root ball and just planted the tree in a well draining soil. I'm wondering if it looks healthy do I repot next spring or do wait and see for a full growing season?

Jay

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing