AusBonsai

Just thought I'd post a few pics of my "roadside pine".
Was collected yesterday somewhere on the outskirts of Bathurst, had pulled over to get something out of the boot and this was literally at my feet when I opened the door.
No tools on board so it came out with a tight grip and a hefty pull-still had decent root ball and roots.
Into the grow box to see what evolves, my first pine!!! Approx dimensions
25cm from soil to chop (chop not done by me-must've been nature!)
51cm to top of tree
4cm base diameter

Thats exactly how I have collected radiata pines over the years. A few die, but then again they are free to take.

My thoughts exactly Brian, a free tree is a great tree!

Hi Insitangus , chop top pines are usually the result of councils or eradication programs that don't often work as they cut the top too high and leave a shoot which sprouts . As i have collected hundreds of pines the chop tops usually have a very good shallow feeder root mass which makes for easy collection . If those euca' chips is still green i would move it away from the trunk just a bit or it may result in burning the lower trunk . Decomposition of fresh mulches and chips produces a lot of heat and can easily cook the bark at ground level , even the foliage above . Nice score by the way .

Cheers Alpineart

Thanks for the advice re mulch. Next time I'll bring my hand shovel ready for some more!

When you wrote that you hadn't chopped the top I wondered if some other bonsai collector had, and was coming back to dig it . . . still, you got in first!
Is there anything to be gained by chopping then waiting? Similar to driving a spade in around the roots then leaving it to develop some closer feeder roots before digging, perhaps? But the Council suggestion is no doubt right.
Cheers, Val Garth

Hi val I thought the same thing initially but it was in a fairly remote spot with dozens of other pines around it. Also the chop is flat across the top-so didn't think it would be a bonsaist???

I cut lots of feral trees off flat, sometimes several times over a few years then check to see which ones have grown back to give better trunks before collecting. Cuts can be refined later. Not enough room at home to be collecting rubbish. Needs to be at least good or better to be worth the trouble of digging and to justify the space on the bench.

shibui wrote:I cut lots of feral trees off flat, sometimes several times over a few years then check to see which ones have grown back to give better trunks before collecting.

I've done that too but I can never remember where the bloody things are, sometimes I'd swear someone else has pinched them

Ozzy your so funny!!! This one definately wasn't one of yours!!!!
(or was it )