Great big One Seed

[Hartinez]

Decided to start the thread on this big One Seed juniper I collected the week after returning from nationals back in 2023.

Found on a hill side in Northern NM.

The clay root ball was so heavy that I thought I might have to abandon it and come back with help. I made it up, barely lugged it into the back of my truck and tied it down.

I did not tie it down well enough and the whole tree tipped over as soon as I started driving.

Once home I built a huge box and at repot the rootball began to collapse. Which is typically a death sentence for trees growing in our heavy clay soils.

I persisted and to my surprise the tree not only survived, it through out massive extensions of beautiful mature, not juvenile, growth.

I left it to grow all last summer and this spring I put it into this big mica pot I bought from wigerts. It’s an over sized pot and this tree will need something much cooler once I compact the foliage at design. Which I may do this fall, possibly next spring.

 

[Hartinez]

Here it is yesterday.

 

[Hartinez]

 

[Wood]

Nice find and it's so frickin healthy too! Excited to follow this one

 

[Hartinez]

Nice find and it's so frickin healthy too! Excited to follow this one

Me too! So many of the branches are ripe for a great styling. May go for a multi apex styling.

 

[Ruddigger]

Very cool tree. I always wait to see long runners all over before styling yamadori, just to make sure it’s really ready to rock out.

 

[Hartinez]

Forgot I took a few pics at repot. The roots were abundant, though I did need to remove a few rather large roots.

My daughter helped me carry the tree to the porch with some handles I attached. Not a light tree.


Roots looked good and were pushing everywhere


Here was the big pot I bought. $175 or so.


Just after the deed was done.

 

[Hartinez]

Very cool tree. I always wait to see long runners all over before styling yamadori, just to make sure it’s really ready to rock out.

Agreed Rudd. We’ll see how it looks in September. Next year probably the best idea.

 

[Hartinez]

Went through and cleaned up the live vein/veins. The deadwood still needs cleaning up.

This was originally the back, but may become the front due to the live vein.

 

[Hartinez]

I have 3 distinct lines of foliage. I’d like to use all 3 and potentially create 3 distinct apex and trunk lines.

 

[Hartinez]

Though I’m also not opposed to a radical change in angle. Thoughts anyone? @Ruddigger ?

 

[Ruddigger]

I like the new front. I’d probably stick to a single apex, but that’s just a matter of personal style. You could probably get away with removing B and making everything using A and C.

 

[Hartinez]

I like the new front. I’d probably stick to a single apex, but that’s just a matter of personal style. You could probably get away with removing B and making everything using A and C.

B feels like the obvious line to remove for sure. The other two coming from the trunk in a far more interesting way

 

[Hartinez]

I like the new front. I’d probably stick to a single apex, but that’s just a matter of personal style. You could probably get away with removing B and making everything using A and C.

I may also remove a lot of the twiggy deadwood sticking out the top

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Really cool interplay between the deadwood and the live vein twist about halfway up. Definitely want to let the viewer see it.

 

[Dav4]

Really great material, and it already has a dropped branch... perfect! It looks like that branch is moving to the back? Ideally, you'd be able to move it so it's coming forward a bit but I love it's inclination coming off the trunk. I agree that lines A and C are keepers, but I wouldn't lose B until you feel you can build a nice, tight canopy highlighting the awesome deadwood and live veins.


I have a collected RMJ with tall deadwood jin. They've been shortened slowly through the years... as in I accidentally break them every time the damn tree gets moved or placed in my truck .

 

[Hartinez]

Really cool interplay between the deadwood and the live vein twist about halfway up. Definitely want to let the viewer see it.

Absolutely. It’s why I’m leaning towards this side as it’s front. There is fun interplay on the other side
But not nearly as dynamic. It’s also another reason I’m considering shortening the deadwood significantly, to get the viewer focused on that area.

 

[Hartinez]

Really great material, and it already has a dropped branch... perfect! It looks like that branch is moving to the back? Ideally, you'd be able to move it so it's coming forward a bit but I love it's inclination coming off the trunk. I agree that lines A and C are keepers, but I wouldn't lose B until you feel you can build a nice, tight canopy highlighting the awesome deadwood and live veins.


I have a collected RMJ with tall deadwood jin. They've been shortened slowly through the years... as in I accidentally break them every time the damn tree gets moved or placed in my truck .

That big drop branch is one of my favorite natural aspects of this tree!! Unfortunately though it does mostly move to the back if this ends up being the front. Going to take some serious rafia application to move some of this stuff.

 

[Dav4]

That big drop branch is one of my favorite natural aspects of this tree!! Unfortunately though it does mostly move to the back if this ends up being the front. Going to take some serious rafia application to move some of this stuff.

I've slowly moved heavy branches on my RMJs over a year or more, just occasionally tightening the guy wire every month or two. If there isn't much deadwood on that branch, I'm pretty confident you can move it where you want it.

Fwiw, I love projects like this... definitely worth the time and consideration to do it right.

 

[Hartinez]

I've slowly moved heavy branches on my RMJs over a year or more, just occasionally tightening the guy wire every month or two. If there isn't much deadwood on that branch, I'm pretty confident you can move it where you want it.

Fwiw, I love projects like this... definitely worth the time and consideration to do it right.

Yes absolutely. I don’t even think I’ll do any of the work this year. Probably early summer next year. Just pondering and considering ideas. Plus the deadwood still needs lot of cleaning.