Collected Sierra Juniper - Tips

[MrBonsai19]

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping to get some feedback about the after-care for this collected sierra juniper as well as share what I thought was a kind of interesting formation. Firstly I will say I overcommitted myself a bit here and have learned some lessons about making good judgements and how to better preserve the root ball. I made a big mistake that cost me a lot of native soil.

That said I am doing everything I can to set this tree up for long term survival. Welcome any tips or input to give myself the best chance. I am based in Oakland, CA. The tree has been boxed up in 100% sifted pumice (large/medium size). Its been kept in shade. I would like to keep it in more sun exposure but I am limited on locations that would also provide the kind of safety from yard critters and my dog. If moving into full sun seems critical then I can try to put some kind of protective structure to make that happen but I am hoping that morning sun will be OK.

The part I thought was most interesting was that there was actually a large taproot which I didn't realize until the tree was almost fully collected was likely originating from a separate, larger tree. It seems to me the tree I collected was growing off this taproot from a tree that was likely further uphill. Has anyone seen a "root sucker" from a sierra juniper develop like this ?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

It seems to me the tree I collected was growing off this taproot from a tree that was likely further uphill. Has anyone seen a "root sucker" from a sierra juniper develop like this

It's probably a branch that got buried over time, not a sucker from a root.

As for the survival of this plant, since you planted it at such an extreme angle, first thing I would do is to anchor it to stop it from moving and build something around the soil mound to stop it from shifting. I believe spring is the best collection time for junipers.
Keep in mind that exploration is a good part of collecting, and if you are halfway digging and you find something like a huge branch feeding the whole plant and you need to cut it off, you can also fill the hole and go home.
It's better to not lose a plant you've invested some time in, than to lose a plant you've invested a lot of time in.
Partially severing the feeding branch was also an option, so that the plant could naturally gain some more roots by force. But that would be a two, maybe three year project.

With so little roots, and bare roots at that, the chances of survival are slim. But it's not impossible. Keep it stable, keep it safe, mist and water it regularly and go easy on the nutrients.
I'd keep it protected from cold over winter and put it in full sun in the spring. Maybe think about caging it so that the dog and the critters can't get to it.

 

[MrBonsai19]

It's probably a branch that got buried over time, not a sucker from a root.

As for the survival of this plant, since you planted it at such an extreme angle, first thing I would do is to anchor it to stop it from moving and build something around the soil mound to stop it from shifting. I believe spring is the best collection time for junipers.
Keep in mind that exploration is a good part of collecting, and if you are halfway digging and you find something like a huge branch feeding the whole plant and you need to cut it off, you can also fill the hole and go home.
It's better to not lose a plant you've invested some time in, than to lose a plant you've invested a lot of time in.
Partially severing the feeding branch was also an option, so that the plant could naturally gain some more roots by force. But that would be a two, maybe three year project.

With so little roots, and bare roots at that, the chances of survival are slim. But it's not impossible. Keep it stable, keep it safe, mist and water it regularly and go easy on the nutrients.
I'd keep it protected from cold over winter and put it in full sun in the spring. Maybe think about caging it so that the dog and the critters can't get to it.

thanks for the feedback! definitely some lessons learned and things I would/will do differently moving forward. I chose that planting angle basically just to mirror the position of the tree as I found it. I see what you're saying now though it could be optimized a bit better and didn't need to go in at that angle necessarily. it is definitely tied down aggressively to minimize movement. That's also quite interesting to consider that it is a growing out of a buried branch. That certainly could be the case as the "taproot/branch" it is growing off was so incredibly thick it was probably 1.25x thickness of the trunk which struck me as quite unusual.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

This looks like a ground layering of a branch from the parent tree which rooted and grew further on his own.
The part which you call the taproot is a part of the branch which was somehow burried into the soil where the ground layer started growing roots.

 

[PaulH]

Misting and protection from wind are critical for collected junipers survival. If you can get into a small greenhouse or humidity tent and mist on a timer for a minute or two every hour. Make sure it is wired securely into the box so it absolutely can't move. Cover the soil with plastic so it doesn't get too wet. Until the roots start to grow the tree can only absorb moisture from its foliage. I've collected dozens of junipers and this is the way.

 

[ponderingsage]

I would also recommend you put a vertical wood post tied to tree in. That has been super helpful from my recovery rate just tying it to the box doesn’t seem to work for me.
I agree with others that mist thing can help a treat like this pull through, but my experiences cutting any taproot that is more than thumb thick can be dangerous and collecting junipers.

Also minimizing the box and how wet it is inside that box can be helpful as well.

Hang in there collecting is really hard. I’ve been at it for seven years and feel like I’m just figuring it out. I hate to say it, but sometimes losing a tree is part of the process.

I do think collecting has to come with some degree of reverence for the age of trees that were taking out and just the nature of taking anything out of the environment. This includes permits and permission, of course.

I’ve found that taking more time to walk their areas and finding those perfect pocket trees are well worth it for not only respecting the tree, but knowing that you have a better success rate. I personally have had only trees where l collect like 80% of the entire pocket make it.

Others may disagree, but I keep the native soil. I just try to reduce extra dirt from the top of the pocket where aren’t typically aren’t growing.
A picture of a tree where I was able to get the entire pocket lifted out.

 

[MrBonsai19]

I would also recommend you put a vertical wood post tied to tree in. That has been super helpful from my recovery rate just tying it to the box doesn’t seem to work for me.
I agree with others that mist thing can help a treat like this pull through, but my experiences cutting any taproot that is more than thumb thick can be dangerous and collecting junipers.

Also minimizing the box and how wet it is inside that box can be helpful as well.

Hang in there collecting is really hard. I’ve been at it for seven years and feel like I’m just figuring it out. I hate to say it, but sometimes losing a tree is part of the process.

I do think collecting has to come with some degree of reverence for the age of trees that were taking out and just the nature of taking anything out of the environment. This includes permits and permission, of course.

I’ve found that taking more time to walk their areas and finding those perfect pocket trees are well worth it for not only respecting the tree, but knowing that you have a better success rate. I personally have had only trees where l collect like 80% of the entire pocket make it.

Others may disagree, but I keep the native soil. I just try to reduce extra dirt from the top of the pocket where aren’t typically aren’t growing.
A picture of a tree where I was able to get the entire pocket lifted out.

Thanks for the feedback and the encouragement ! I love the idea of adding a vertical post to support the overhanging trunk. I will do that right away. I don't have an automatic mister and will start looking into some options. Curious if there are any recommendations for a budget product that can do this. I am seeing some misting solutions for reptile tanks and might go with that.

For now I do my best to get out there and mist a few times daily. i have also sprayed the foliage with an anti-transpirant called WiltStop which I do hope will act similar to misting in terms of keeping the foliage from drying out. I am a little bit uncertain about that product but I did get some advice about its efficacy. The part I don't understand is whether the anti transpirant seals the leaf from moisture both directions. It will seal moisture in but then also reduce the efficacy of misting as well? Hard to say what the right balance is but I am hoping that over time the anti transpirant coating will break down and the mist will fill in the gaps and I may spray it again in the mid winter and repeat the process.

Here is the current set up I have tried to protect it as much as possible with plastic sheets and a heat mat which is sitting on top of a foam exercise mat for better insulation. The root box is about 68F which is markedly higher than the ambient temperatures.

 

[Matt3839]

On the subject of misters- I use the Gardena aquabloom system for vacation and added several .8gph misters to my lines. I used the purple ones from Home Depot.

It works pretty well. I wouldn’t add too many misters because I don’t think the water pressure is that strong but with 15 droppers and 2 or 3 misters my system is holding up well. Would be nice if I could find a smaller gph mister but .8 was the least I could find.

Only downside is the settings on aquabloom are 12h, 24h, 48h. And duration of 5 min.

You could do 5 min every 12 hours but not sure if that would be frequent enough for what you need.

 

[bonsaiwood]

I would like to keep it in more sun exposure but I am limited on locations that would also provide the kind of safety from yard critters and my dog. If moving into full sun seems critical then I can try to put some kind of protective structure to make that happen but I am hoping that morning sun will be OK.

Maybe try to find an area in your yard where you can safely install a 3ft wire fence. You can find rolls of them at Home Depot and cordon off the area you plan to keep your trees. I use 3/8” rebar for staking every 4ft or so but you can set it up a million different ways. Think of it as building a small dog kennel for your trees.