When headed into the wilderness or just into a neighbor’s backyard to collect material for bonsai, you should be prepared with the right equipment. Old junipers and landscape trees have had a head start reaching their roots deep into the ground and are not prepared to leave quietly. With a few collecting trips on the schedule for the BSSF, we would like to offer a few suggestions on what to bring along on your trip.

Shovels: Shovels with rounded tips made for digging deep holes. Long handles are most useful if there is enough room and the site is accessible by driving. Shovels with short handles are necessary in close quarters and may be preferable for packing on foot.

Mattock: Two are recommended. Both a large four to six-pound model with a three foot handle and a small hand mattock are useful. Some have a pick on one end and others have an axe shaped blade on both ends. The axe blades are best for root cutting while a pick may be necessary in extremely rocky situations.

Shears and Pruners: A hedge shear may be helpful and a big, strong pair of scissors can be helpful. Also bring standard garden pruners (branch cutters) and long handled lopers if you have them.

Saws: All sizes of saws can be useful. Folding saws with blades about 8 to 12 inches long are excellent as well as larger fixed blade models.

Hori Hori and trowels: Hori Hori is Japanese for “dig, dig”. Thee are good for on the knees close work.

Pry bars: Steel bars for leverage in lengths from about 16 inches to 6 to 8 feet can help get a plant out of the ground. Wooden blocks as a fulcrum are often necessary to get a lever to work.

Containers and Soil: Large pots or containers and soil mix to cover the roots. Organic products that retain moisture may be needed to keep the roots moist after a plant has been dug out of the ground. Burlap and twine for balling the roots may be better than a pot.

Rakes, Brooms, Trash Bags: Usually it is expected that the site will be left clean with holes filled back in with soil. In a group dig, everyone should be prepared to take out some trash bags of green waste and transport it to a green waste disposal site. Also a plastic trash bag wrapped around wet roots can be good to transport freshly dug plant material home for more permanent potting.

A length of rope can be helpful for tying foliage close together for transport.

Sturdy shoes, protective clothing and sunscreen should be always on the list.

Good Luck!

Tags: collecting, Hiking, yamadori