What are the latest techniques for digging bonsai stump material in the wild?
The classification of tree stump bonsai should include wild stumps and seedling-grown types. The former refers to bonsai made from collected wild stumps, whose main characteristic is aged and rustic antiquity; the latter refers to bonsai made from artificially cultivated seedlings, whose main characteristic is a rigorous layout. The two should not be lumped together.
To collect tree stumps in the wild, first make preparations before digging: have ready branch shears, a hand saw, a knife, a small iron shovel, small and large plastic bags or other packaging bags. You may also need to bring dry rations, a water bottle, and check and service your means of transport, and so on. Next, pay attention to the choice of tree species. For materials to make stump bonsai, you should choose species with graceful tree form, fine small branches and leaves, strong sprouting ability and tolerance of pruning, easy potting, and a relatively long lifespan. Commonly chosen are pine and cypress types, boxwood (Buxus), Chinese plum yew (Sageretia thea), winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), trident maple (Acer buergerianum), Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta), elm (Ulmus), zelkova (Zelkova), Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), and so on. As for digging time, generally for deciduous trees and pine and cypress types, collection and digging can be done from when the trees enter dormancy until before they sprout the following year.
Digging wild stumps, although because the material is hard to obtain it cannot serve as the main source of material for mass production, can still be used as an auxiliary means to make distinctive bonsai. Its characteristics are that it takes shape quickly and easily expresses the elegant, antique charm of bonsai, but it destroys wild plant resources. Therefore, before digging you must first investigate, to avoid blind digging and waste.
1. Digging location and time
(1) Digging location: in the wild, beside streams, along roadsides, by bridges, in rock crevices, and so on.
(2) Time: for deciduous trees and pine and cypress types, digging can be done throughout the dormancy period from after leaf fall to before sprouting; for evergreen trees, collect and dig in spring and autumn when temperatures are suitable for rooting.
2. Digging method
When collecting and digging, the main root can be cut off, but keep more lateral roots and fibrous roots. Pruning of branches should be based on the styling requirements, leaving main branches and lateral branches of appropriate length.
For the collected tree stumps, the roots need not carry soil; it is best to dip them in mud slurry, put them in baskets or crates, and fill in moss to protect the fibrous roots from withering due to water loss. Plant them as soon as possible after bringing them back.
3. Care of the tree stumps
After the tree stumps are transported back, carry out a second pruning according to the styling, and plant them in a sunny, warm, well-drained raised bed or in a clay pot; this process is called growing out.
For growing out, it is best to choose a place with loose, fertile soil, good drainage, and full sunlight, or to plant in clay pots.
When planting, bury them appropriately deep, preferably leaving only the bud eyes above the soil. For taller-trunked tree stumps, moss can be wrapped around the trunk. After planting, water thoroughly once. During high summer temperatures, build a shade frame, and spray water frequently. Usually pay attention to watering; during the period of vigorous tree growth, water must not be lacking, but also be careful not to overwater, to prevent root rot. During dry periods, it is best to spray water on the leaf surfaces frequently.
Bonsai plants can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, air layering, grafting, division, and other methods, but using propagation and seedling growing to make tree stump bonsai takes a very long time. Therefore bonsai plants mostly use cuttings, air layering, and grafting for propagation.
Before going to dig tree stumps in the wild, you should have some understanding of what forms of tree stump material different ecological environments can produce, so that you can obtain ideal wild stump material with a clear target. If you want to dig sun-loving tree stumps, you should go to the southeast side of hillsides, where sunlight is abundant; conversely, if you want to obtain shade-loving tree stumps, you should go to the north side of hillsides or into mountain hollows, or search among tall trees.
Tree stumps with peculiar forms mostly grow on barren hills, semi-barren hills, rocky mountains, in mountain and wild forests, in gorges, on cliffs and precipices, and among rock crevices; due to the effects of sunlight, soil quality, mountain floods, wind, cutting by people, gnawing by animals, and so on, they form tree stumps with aged, decayed tree shapes, twisted branches and trunks, and cracked, aged, peculiar bark.
If you want to obtain aged and dwarfed tree stumps, you should search in high mountain areas, because in these areas soil erosion is severe, the soil layer is thin, and the influence of strong winds, heavy snow, intense high-mountain ultraviolet radiation, and relatively low temperatures and other harsh environmental conditions makes many plants often prostrate, with deformed trunks, shortened and dwarfed internodes, growing into old tree stumps shaped like little old men. If you want to obtain tree stumps with a better root system, you should go to river ponds, streams, and ditches by the water's edge to select them.
In short, because different tree species require different ecological environments for wild stumps, some prefer sun, some tolerate drought, some prefer water and moisture, and so on. This determines their natural distribution.