A New Project!!!!!

    I had a Trident Maple that had grown for 7 years in my backyard.  It was over 6' tall and totally dormant!   I asked David, my bonsai guru, to looked at some pictures and we decided to collect the tree.
    Many bonsai are collected from yards, woods, gardens, etc, and then cared for  and  managed , nurtured to become a bonsai.    We dug up the Trident maple today.  This is the beginning of my new project...  The top was trimmed off, we don't need it.  All the roots that grew outward were cut about 12" from the trunk.  We, very carefully cleared the sandy soil away from all the tiny roots.  The tree was then put in a bag and taken to the nursery.  It will be potted in a combination of pearlite and coarse soil, about 3/4 - 1/4, put in a pot and placed under the mister.  After the roots re-establish themselves.
    The rest of this year we will let it grow and recover from being dug up, to grow new roots, to get strong again.  Next winter, when it is dormant, we will try and reduce the large roots  by 6 " or so.  In order to do that, the new root structure of fine feeder roots will be able to take over.  
   This is a new project...  it will take years to develop the tree.   The joy of bonsai is not the final tree,  but the process of creating it.  I am very excited about this tree, like a kid in candy land!