Seems how we don't have many big rivers or beaches covered in driftwood up here in Northland I've taken the liberty of getting my own 'drift' wood straight out of the ground. Its a little more work than wandering the coastline picking it up but can yield some stunning pieces. Here's how I spent my Sunday morning;
Found a suitable stump in the Manuka* on my in-laws property (trust me, they don't all look this good!);
Removed the tree part, dug/pried it out of the ground, then scratched off as much dirt as possible to make it lighter;
Dragged it back down the hill on a furniture trolley, it only just fits in the back of the ute;
Attack it with the water-blaster to unearth the beauty;
Many guys moan about their wives constantly hassling them about the hobby, I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine likes to get involved!
After about 40 minutes with the water-blaster its clean;
This piece will be the main feature in my new tank, well worth the effort I think! For now its drying out under the house so it hardens and I can check for any rotting patches before soaking it. Not sure it this stage is necessary or if you're better off just keeping it wet and submerged, but to me it seems better to let it harden before putting it back in the water. Fresh pieces like this may leach a heap of tannin, especially if the tree is still living when you cut it down, but after a month or two of soaking in a large body of water (pond/lake/stream would work, I'm lucky my folks have an unused swimming pool!) most of it seems to be gone IME.
If you want to have a go at it you'll want a spade, trowel, crowbar/similar for levering and scratching, axe for chopping roots in the ground, and a saw. Having something with wheels to help carry large pieces is a big help too, and obviously knowing someone with a stand of suitable trees who doesn't mind you chopping down/digging up the odd one is fairly important (don't go trying it on the local council reserve!). The above also works for branches as well, and they're certainly a lot easier to get and clean, but don't usually have as nice a shape as the stumps.
* Manuka is a NZ native hardwood that makes great driftwood for aquariums, as well as good firewood and fantastic wood for smoking fish/meats. Not sure what species would be suitable for doing this in the US/Europe, but there is bound to be a local hardwood that would work.
Found a suitable stump in the Manuka* on my in-laws property (trust me, they don't all look this good!);
Removed the tree part, dug/pried it out of the ground, then scratched off as much dirt as possible to make it lighter;
Dragged it back down the hill on a furniture trolley, it only just fits in the back of the ute;
Attack it with the water-blaster to unearth the beauty;
Many guys moan about their wives constantly hassling them about the hobby, I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine likes to get involved!
After about 40 minutes with the water-blaster its clean;
This piece will be the main feature in my new tank, well worth the effort I think! For now its drying out under the house so it hardens and I can check for any rotting patches before soaking it. Not sure it this stage is necessary or if you're better off just keeping it wet and submerged, but to me it seems better to let it harden before putting it back in the water. Fresh pieces like this may leach a heap of tannin, especially if the tree is still living when you cut it down, but after a month or two of soaking in a large body of water (pond/lake/stream would work, I'm lucky my folks have an unused swimming pool!) most of it seems to be gone IME.
If you want to have a go at it you'll want a spade, trowel, crowbar/similar for levering and scratching, axe for chopping roots in the ground, and a saw. Having something with wheels to help carry large pieces is a big help too, and obviously knowing someone with a stand of suitable trees who doesn't mind you chopping down/digging up the odd one is fairly important (don't go trying it on the local council reserve!). The above also works for branches as well, and they're certainly a lot easier to get and clean, but don't usually have as nice a shape as the stumps.
* Manuka is a NZ native hardwood that makes great driftwood for aquariums, as well as good firewood and fantastic wood for smoking fish/meats. Not sure what species would be suitable for doing this in the US/Europe, but there is bound to be a local hardwood that would work.
