I know the owner of the property and am thinking about approaching them about collecting this (I think it’s a Vine Maple) stump. It’s on a bit of a slant so I think it probably goes pretty deep. Wouldn’t try until this fall and it Would probably be quite an excavation effort. What do you think?
Leaves definitely look like a vine maple. Vine maple roots grow deeper than a lot of maples. I’ve seen them planted close to buildings and heard they grow extensive (but not destructive) root systems. I imagine the collection could be a challenge but I’ve never done it myself.
This year I planted some a couple of clusters in my backyard and saved one for training as a bonsai. All of them came in bigger pots that I would have expected for the size of the tree and roots were definitely exploring the entire volume their containers.
For what it’s worth, I did significant root pruning this spring when some leaves were pushing (but most hadn’t). So far it seems to be doing okay but it’s only been about a month.
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Thanks. I’ve heard some people have succes with digging around the tree and pruning some (half) of the bigger roots and leaving the rest, then coming back and doing the rest. Doing it this way seems like it would be a multi year project.
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Do not try to dig it up this fall. That’s possibly the worst time to dig up deciduous trees. Great way for it to die during the winter. Just wait until spring before the buds push. Also, i’m Curious about what attracts you to this material other than its size? I don’t see much taper or even the possibility of developing taper without having massive massive scars. Though carving a stump with massive scars can be a style of bonsai in itself, kind of a popular approach by some bonsai artists in the U.K. . Graham Potter for example. I personally would leave it in the ground because it looks like more trouble than it’s worth, but maybe you will prove me wrong.
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Fair question. I’m still a newbie when it comes to collecting and have only collected smaller trees to date, and thought this might make a good test case for my first time collecting something larger. I agree it’s not the most exciting piece of material. My thinking was that I’d much rather collect an old stump no one wanted and have it die than a really good piece of old yamadori and have it die.
Yea for sure, I’m not trying to discourage you necessarily. Just wanted to throw around some ideas about what makes a tree worth collecting. But definitely wait until spring. Collectors out west will collect certain conifers in the fall but only because they have heated greenhouses and beds with heating pads underneath them. Unless you have a pro setup, just stick with spring collection 
. By all means, experiment on unwanted stumps, any chance to learn something through experience is always valuable. I will say though that there are unwanted landscape shrubs/trees out there in peoples yards that can be pretty nice. Just gotta find them. My buddy even makes craigslist posts offering to dig up trees and shrubs for free if it’s somethjng he wants for bonsai. He’s got some decent material from people by doing that. But yea, give it a try man.
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I’ve thought about trying to collect unwanted shrubs. Creating Craigslist listings offering to collect is brilliant.
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Collecting a stump like that is a great way to see what collecting larger material is all about. You’ll come away having a much better ideal of what tools you need and what it takes to get something like that out of the ground.
The root ball will be heavy enough to require help getting it out of the ground and into a container.
Also, that tree may not look like much, but that’s when you get creative and take low-cost risks.
I have had really great success posting for unwanted hedges and trees on nextdoor.com
I pulled out sixty 40+ year old boxwood from a lead I got on nextdoor.
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I have done the Craigslist thing as well, I will have to try it on Nextdoor and keep it in my 'hood----that’s a great idea. Urban digs can be a great way to make friends in your local club as well, and collecting en mass like @ryan.marin did with those boxwoods can make for great auction stuff for your club, and again make you club pals. Showing up 6-10 deep for a shrub dig makes for a good time and a lot less work than if you were alone…trust me.
Learning with free stuff is the way to go. Collection, and carving, is a learning curve I’m more than happy not to pay for when possible.
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Could try to ground-layer?