Any suggestions for best practices to collect this tree? (Time of year, etc) I live near central Alabama/Tenn border
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Dig it out early Spring before buds swell and open. Chop it low and go hard on the roots too. They’re a very tough species and can take whatever you throw at it.
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Agree with above. These things are mega durable. I’ve seen them dug up with almost no roots in mid summer as hardwood cuttings and still leaf out and grow roots, so there is an almost 0% chance that it’ll die if you dig it up in Spring.
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My only complaint with CMs is that they are so vigorous, growth is unbelievable… As strong or stronger than trident maples. Can’t hardly keep them contained in their pots and you have to continually prune them! Hahaha… Did I really just complain about a tree species that is durable, resilient, hardy, and a prolific grower? Hahaha unbelievable! I love them in all actuality. You have a nice peice of material there! Cut back hard, don’t be afraid and then let it grow. You’ll have an amazing bonsai in the not too distant future.
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Thank you all for the advice and encouragement. This tree has been on the chopping block several times over the years, because it long ago lost the battle for space and light, being wedged between another CM and a big pine. But I was determined to keep it since even before I became more deeply interested in bonsai. As soon as I started to watch videos about hollows and what-not, I knew why I had been saving it.
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One thing I will say to watch out for - is dieback. Out in the landscape I’ve cut and chopped them for years and have never noticed any dieback. But for whatever reason in a container, I get a lot of it. Try to cut above a branch where you to keep dieback from going too far down.
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