The Five Year Plan.

The best time to begin preperation for collecting of a Larix sp (decidua, or laricina (Larch/Tamarack)) is late fall. After the golden color has become bright and is starting to fall off is an excellent time to venture out into the forests. However always try to remove the tree from the ground in early spring for best survival.

Tools you will need. Backpack, and inside it put pruners, folding saw, a SHARP spade, burlap sack or other, water for you and your tree, and a camera if you plan on posting a "how to" thread on BonsaiTalk....I forgot it this time.

Moss is a yes and no supply. Yes if you are collecting your Larch from dry grounds, no if you are collecting your Larch from a peat swamp.....obviously plenty around. Be sure your moss is plenty wet, to keep your rootball from drying out. Tho, you wont be collecting your Larch for a few seasons on this plan.

In these sketches, I have drawn a twin trunk specimen commonly found in the forests around my home. Yes twin trunks are great bonsai, but for this purpose I chose a twin trunk to show how a single tree can be started and readied in a few years. Readied for a training pot for final styling and ramification that is.

These are crude sketches at best, base of tree is around 12 inches. You will chop both trunks down to below the finished height of your ideal future, from there choose the thinner of the two trunks to keep.


FALL 2002

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The thinner trunk will develop rapidly. And a new leader will begin. The inset circle is a close up of the top chop you have created. Make sure that there are buds in close to the trunk, or a young branch, energy will be sent to one of these to begin its new leader.

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With a sharp spade, cut a third of a circle around the tree at its drip-line. The drip-line is the circle of foliage around the tree from the furthest extended branch. Cutting 1/3 now will create feeder roots in this area, and sever the existing large roots. In time this will aid in ease of collection.



The following autumn, return to your tree and prune back all the growth. Find your leader and prune that back as well creating another leader. Prune all unwanted growth out. And with your sharp spade, cut the next 1/3 of the rootball line. You will note that the scar from removing the larger trunk has begun to heal at this point. Branches are beginning to ramify, and your tree is getting thicker and taking shape

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You will have a much better survival rate if your root pruning is and collection is done in increments

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The Fall of your third year you will do your final clean-up. Pruning etc and other preparation. You can collect now if you wish, but spring-time is better. Just before buds open is the optimum time for collection. Your tree should go into a training box for at least one or two seasons for acclimation and transition. During this time, refinement, wiring and finishing touches can be made. A five year plan for a collected Larch.

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Collection of wild Larches is not limited to the twin trunk trees. Any shape size and age can be styled in the ground over a period of a couple seasons. I just gave this as an example.

Here are some real photo’s of some trees collected using some of the methods mentioned. Not all were from twin trunk trees at first. But, ALL of these were styled in the ground over two to three seasons.


Paul

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another

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a third

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one more after this

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The previous four and this last larch all belong to a friend of mine. I have just in recent years began to start collecting larches in this manner. The survival rate is in the above 95 percent when done this way.

I have collected younger specimens, for forest plantings, but for penjing or bonsai, this is relatively new to me. I hope this helped a few of you, or inspired some to go out and get some Larches.

Paul

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