AusBonsai

Interesting to see some buds appearing on two of the hawthorns; one that I kept in the tiny greenhouse and one that's just been sitting out in the elements.

Another few to add to the pile, thanks to the SA Bonsai Society dig today. Great day, and couldn't have asked for better weather.

I placed the one on the right at a terrible angle for the photo - it's a bit more interesting than it seems, and I'll reduce the height of the trunks at some point. The one on the left completely destroyed my chainsaw chain when I cut it flat - denser than a thousand suns.

Wow look at how flat it is cut at the base Amazing they survive, I’ll keep that in mind when I come across some.


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nozila wrote: ↑June 28th, 2020, 6:12 pm Wow look at how flat it is cut at the base Amazing they survive, I’ll keep that in mind when I come across some.

Yep you can literally run a chainsaw straight through the lignotuber (fat bit at the base) and they'll grow new roots from where you've cut.

Looks alike you SA folk had a wonderful day.


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The one on the left completely destroyed my chainsaw chain when I cut it flat

That usually means there was some grit or a stone wedged in the roots. It does not take much to ruin a chain. This is the risk we take when cutting any wood that has been below ground. I usually save some old, nearly worn out chains for collected trees. Does not matter so much if I hit something and stuff the chain.

I like the look of the middle one. Already has some smaller trunks with good movement and some roots as well. Multi trunk or reduce them down to a single trunk? Much will depend how it recovers after this.

shibui wrote: ↑June 28th, 2020, 7:29 pm I like the look of the middle one. Already has some smaller trunks with good movement and some roots as well. Multi trunk or reduce them down to a single trunk? Much will depend how it recovers after this.

Yes that one's my favourite too. It was the first one I collected - I peaked early. I'm hoping for multi-trunk but as you say I'll have to wait and see.

MJL wrote: ↑June 28th, 2020, 6:56 pm Looks alike you SA folk had a wonderful day.

I still reckon you need to do an olive dig road trip Mark You can tell your premier there's at least one reason to come over here, even if it is just to dig out our weeds

I really like the idea of a road trip with my step-dad ... might start planning for a future trip ... and for when it is safe to do so of course.


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Great score really like the middle one look forward to seeing how it develops
Cheers
Kirky

greg27 wrote: ↑June 28th, 2020, 6:10 pm Great day, and couldn't have asked for better weather.

I'll second that greg27. Was nice to catch up with the regulars again and meet a few new members. This was my first visit to this site (always something on in previous years) and my only issue was it was hard to see the natives for the olives.

shibui wrote: ↑June 28th, 2020, 7:29 pm That usually means there was some grit or a stone wedged in the roots.

There certainly were bits of stone stuck around the roots of the ones I collected but even after cleaning them out it took some effort to get the chainsaw through. Maybe I need to sharpen the blades.

terryb wrote: ↑June 29th, 2020, 12:58 pm I'll second that greg27. Was nice to catch up with the regulars again and meet a few new members. This was my first visit to this site (always something on in previous years) and my only issue was it was hard to see the natives for the olives.

Definitely, good to meet you Terry and a few others as well.

There certainly were bits of stone stuck around the roots of the ones I collected but even after cleaning them out it took some effort to get the chainsaw through. Maybe I need to sharpen the blades.

It only takes one small stone to take the edges of every tooth on a chainsaw. There is really no point keeping on when it stops cutting properly.
A blunt chain does not do the tree, the saw or the operator any good.

I forgot to add this before - here's a pic of the area we've had permission to dig in. Olives in all directions. What you can't see is the gorge that drops down in between the hills.


Someone dug this monster, although it wasn't the biggest.


Matt.

Some of the hawthorns are putting out some decent growth now - the ones in the greenhouse are definitely ahead of the others that I left outside, but all are showing signs of life.

It's a nice sunny day here, so I've put a couple of the happier hawthorns out for some fresh air. Good to see some green buds just starting to emerge on some of the olives too.