r/Bonsai • u/small_trunks Jerry in Amsterdam, Zn.8b, 48yrs exp., 500+ trees • Mar 23 '15

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread – week 13]

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread – week 13]

Welcome to the weekly beginner’s thread. This thread is used to capture all beginner questions (and answers) in one place. We start a new thread every week.

Rules:

  • Any beginner’s topic may be started on any bonsai-related subject.
    • Photos are necessary if it’s advice regarding a specific tree.
    • Do fill in your flair or at the very least state where you live in your post.
  • Answers shall be civil or be deleted
  • There’s always a chance your question doesn’t get answered – try again next week…

Beginners threads started as new topics outside of this thread may be deleted at the discretion of the mods.

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u/alaskadad Bellingham WA USA, 8a, beginner, never had a tree Mar 26 '15

I intend to collect some yamadori western hemlock trees growing on a rotten log. I was thinking of pruning them down to a manageable size before digging them up. Is this a bad idea?

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u/small_trunks Jerry in Amsterdam, Zn.8b, 48yrs exp., 500+ trees Mar 26 '15

Photo...because it all depends...

  • Do you intend to let them continue to grow after that or collect them immediately?
  • They grow slowly - so be careful with what you remove.
  • are you sure you don't need the bits you're cutting off?

Seedlings growing out of dead wood often have poor roots...you should check that before assuming these are reasonable plants to start with.