newbie collected 5 tree's, need advice

[matty-j]

hi all

i have collected these 5 trees from the cemetery i work in, but need some advice where to go from here, keep? chuck? chop? ( definitely keen for a trunk chop if necessary )

tree1.jpg

tree 1.JPG

small fig.jpg

small fig trunk.jpg

liquid amber.jpg

liquid amber trunk.jpg

hawthorn.JPG

hawthorn not lookin so good.JPG

hawthorn trunk.JPG

big fig.jpg

big fig trunk.JPG

big fig foilage.JPG

here they all are and help or advise on identifying, possible future styling would lend it self to these tress, an what to do with newly collected tress in terms of trimming, would be fantastic
i hope one day that i will be able to call at least one of these a bonsai (with your help of course )

[lachie1998]

nice pick up mate
i would love to have those plants cause im only new to
i especialy like the fig

[Jamie]

gday matty

welcome to the forum firstly!

mate you have a couple of interesting ones here, the one that doesnt look happy being probably the best, always the way isnt it.
anyways, before you decide anything we need to get these puppies happy again, what I would do with the hawthorn trunk and the unhappy one, is get a big tub of water and some seasol and soak it in the tub for a few days, 2-5 is good. this will help it rehydrate a lot and put it in the shade for this time. then give it some morning sun, no more and nothing to hot.

the long straight one is a fig, this will definately require chopping but soak it as explained above.

the rest need some time and patience so water well when needed, fertilise gently to start with and build up. if you can get them into good sized plastic pots or foam boxes will help with getting some size to the smallest ones.

lastly, if you are close to a club join one, this will help big time, also head down to ya local library and get some books, they will give some good inspiration and also help with all the basics. best thing is to learn to keep the trees alive, once this is acheivable, then go further
obviously I know your keen to get into some tree work, wiring, pruning etc. if your close to a bonsai nursery head down take a look, talk to the people that run it, they should be only to happy to help you with everything. if you do go to purchase some stock, ask for very hardy trees, and try to buy one with some size and options. that way you will have some options to work with

jamie

[rawhide]

hey mate good score ,looks like a liquid amber to me
as for the tall lanky one ,if it were mine i would be chopping it down to about 20 cm and cutting a v notch out of it and going for a broom style
just my opinion
good luck with them

[kcpoole]

Hi mate
Do not worry about styling yet, Just let them recover for at least 6 months, preferrable a full year

then look at what you have to work with

Ken

[matty-j]

thanks for all the advice guys very much appreciated they may even have a future

i did what you said jamie but i got a crate put plastic inside to hold water an sat the whole pot with the hawthorn in it and filled it with water an seasol over the soil level is that ok?, i forgot to take a photo before i left work ( i keep them at work) but i will post tomorrow,

but i think i'am completely addicted to finding and collecting trees now
and found this little wattle on the side of a road that looked like it had been run over
but i couldn't just leave it there to fend for its self so i dug it up this afternoon, i dont have high expectations of this tree surviving its main tap root was bronken off with most of the feeder roots, but there was still a small amount left
i'm not too sure if wattles are used much in bonsai??
but i was thinking when i saw this tree it made me think that it could be wired into a weeping style? or a wind swept style?
a year from now that it is
ill let you guys be the judge

wattle.JPG

wattle branches.JPG

wattle trunk.JPG

[Jamie]

hi mate,

good stuff, the hawthorn will thank you for the soak, its one thing that can get em going again after being dug cause they can be somewhat annoying trying to get them to shoot after collection. Ken is right it will take some time to get them recovered and going.

as for the wattle I havent seen many as bonsai but cant see why not. Im not sure how it will go and am not sure on their life span either, it might be relatively short lived tree. but give it a go, its good practice to collect trees and getting them back into health and growing so thats a good thing

if ya can get to a bonsai nursery try do so, you will get a lot of help and will be pointed towards a club.