Transporting bonsai

[gerald randall]

I'm very likely to move early next year. I live in a winter rainfall area and will be moving to a summer rainfall area. The problem is how to transport bonsai over a distance of 1500km (1000 miles) in mid summer. I have about 350 trees in various stages of development. I will probably only take 150 trees. Sad, but true. If I could take them all, I would.

Does anyone know how best to transport these trees. I have had someone telling me that the best way to do this is to spray the trees, with Wiltpruf, defoliate all the trees which can be, remove them from their pots and wrap the root ball in a cotton type material and keep wet. Allows a lot of trees to be transported in a very limited space. I should also feed the tree weekly for a month before with Seasol, or similar and regular nutrients. I.e. Make sure the trees are calm and strong.

How do I transport and prepare the trees? Has anyone had experience in this?

[bodhidharma]

Dont know if your trees go dormant but that would be a good time.

[Isitangus]

You could always think about a DIY option. Hire a small truck and load them up, plan your stops and that way you can water them every night if need be. 1500km you could cover in 2-3 days.

[Inspired]

Andy's IceCream Van

[Rory]

I'm very likely to move early next year. I live in a winter rainfall area and will be moving to a summer rainfall area. The problem is how to transport bonsai over a distance of 1500km (1000 miles) in mid summer. I have about 350 trees in various stages of development. I will probably only take 150 trees. Sad, but true. If I could take them all, I would.

Does anyone know how best to transport these trees. I have had someone telling me that the best way to do this is to spray the trees, with Wiltpruf, defoliate all the trees which can be, remove them from their pots and wrap the root ball in a cotton type material and keep wet. Allows a lot of trees to be transported in a very limited space. I should also feed the tree weekly for a month before with Seasol, or similar and regular nutrients. I.e. Make sure the trees are calm and strong.

How do I transport and prepare the trees? Has anyone had experience in this?

350? omg, wow, that is... incomprehensible How on earth do you maintain that number, let alone worry about moving address?

I don't think that even bonsai masters maintain that many.

If I was in your situation I would probably take this as an opportunity to cull the number. I agree that probably hiring a truck would be the best way to go. You cannot seriously be thinking of doing the above with 350 trees though. That would take.... forever. And secondly, imagine the damage sustained to branches if they were just in protected rootballs all squished together? You slam the brakes at one point, and it would sound like a cacophonous crackling of twigs.

[Andrew Legg]

I'd break them up into two batches after you sell off the ones you will not take. The first batch I'd choose your top 10 or 20 trees, and send these by overnight courier in a well packed crate. The rest . . . . Sounds like you have a plan. Survival of the fittest, but ensure the company that moves them knows that they are perishables. Speak to the big wholesale nurseries as they move plants down from Joburg regularly. They must know people. I suspect you'll need to accept some losses. Bare rooting will be a stress, but I suppose the main reason for this is to save weight, not a water issue as well watered plants wrapped in a pick n pay bag should hold moisutre for a good time, particularly if you Wiltpruf them.

[shibui]

With advanced bonsai there is very little difference in size between bare rooted and potted tree. Also no weight saving as I assume you will also be taking the pots with you. Also easy to break branches if trees are crammed together - safer with pots to keep them a little spaced out?
While I am sure that the trees would survive a bare root shift, even in summer I would be looking at trying to move them as they are.

[kcpoole]

Load them into a Van or covered trailer sitting flat on the floor in pots, and drive them yourself.
Stop every few hours and water / mist them. Ken

[Guy]

just make sure they are wind protected

[Graeme]

Pantec truck, some form of pot protection, (I used foam wrapped around each pot) stack them in the truck so they are tight and can't move around unnecessarily (more foam) and stop at places that will let you use their hose and water them each night. The water retained by the foam will keep the back of the truck nice and humid and they will travel just fine. Oh yea and if your Pan box is large enough - take the lot, you know you want to.

One other thing, when you stop driving for a break, open the pan and let the air change as well. I moved Bonsai from Darwin to Sydney (4,000 K's) without a breakage or a death a couple of times like this.

[shibui]

Grant from NBPCA called in the other day with trees he was taking from Melbourne for a spell at the collection in Canberra. Only about 700 km and not really hot weather yet but they had trees just sitting on the floor of an enclosed rented truck. I was surprised to see that it had a clear roof so good light levels. Not sure how much heat the clear roof would collect but certainly not very hot after 3 hours travelling from Melb to here. Trees should cope with being shut up for a couple of days as long as they don't get too hot. The ones I send to customers spend up to 4 days in a cardboard box and are ok after.

Not sure what your circumstances are Gerald but I would be looking into hiring a small truck or covered trailer. Over here we can legally drive any truck up to 4 tonnes with an ordinary driver's licence and you can fit quite a few bonsai into a 4 tonne van. Add a bench or 2 and stack a few more, some under, some on top. Even hired moving vans usually come with plenty of packing sheets that should be ideal to put under the pots and stop them sliding around.

[gerald randall]

Thank everyone, appreciate the feedback.

The suggestion about the bare rooting was mainly for space and potential breakage of the pots. The trees can be stacked side by side if bare rooted, but pots can't. I believe the solution was for me to be in a position to transport all my trees, including the trees which are in the ground.

Realistically I probably should get a closed trailer, and have a steel rack. I should get between 100 and 150 trees in there. I will ke p them in their pots, and wrap as Graeme suggested. I think anything else I still want to take, I will bare root and put side by side in the back of the Pajero. I will drive at night and rest it in the day in the shade and well watered. Lucky me, I have family about half way. So I can rest the trees and water them.

I'm going to get some of the young bonsai growers who want some younger trees come and take what I will not take with. Lots of seedlings, layers and cuttings which I do not think will make the list for transporting. No need to sell it. My son is not impressed at all that I'm giving trees away. I have enough trouble keeping up with the rest that I'm not interested to struggle with selling trees. Whatever I am not taking I will likely just give away.

I have some benches also which someone may want to remove and install in their garden. Will see how that pans out.

Thanks again.

[Andrew Legg]

Hi Gerald,

If you would like me to, I can make your desire to get of young stock and benches at my club. There may be a few folks interested in taking you up on the offer. Perhaps they can help you to pack in return!

Cheers,

Andrew

[gerald randall]

Thanks Andrew

Closer to the time I will definitely let you know when the stock comes available. I must just keep focus on the trees. I thought today that some of the trees are being a little neglected. I have, probably around 100 olives in one part of the garden, which I am not paying enough attention to. So I will make sure that I keep them in good shape.

Most of what I will leave is going to be young stock. Which is a bit disappointing as much of that was specifically grown to incorporate into forest plantings. Oh well, such is life. I do however want it to go to someone who can actually do something with the stock, even if the trees are still young. I think what will probably not make it into the trailer are Eugenias, ficus and olives. I'm going to try and get all my pines and junipers on, but there may be some two year old trees which may need to find someone else to take them over.

The Eugenias are field grown, and although it is not ideal, they should be fine to lift in a couple of months. If they do not have to travel, they could be nursed well enough by a local to get them to survive the transplant.

I will keep you posted.