bonsaiDerek
Mame
what exactly is Dan Robinsons root enhancing technique?
growing roots on newly collected rocky mountain juniper
- Thread starter bonsaiDerek
- Start date
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
There is none.
At least, none that we - the collective bonsai society of the internet - don't already know of. None that is confined to his mind alone.
If you want your juniper to grow good roots, you provide a good soil and an overall good environment. Not too much water, and lots of air. Not too much nutrients and surely not too much nitrogen.
There are about a hundred ways to provide that environment and none of them are wrong.
If I were you, I'd stick with the practices that people have extensively described in a number of internet pages. Andersons flats for instance are a good way to start your quest for good rootage. Hundreds of people have built and used them.
I can call my perlite - lava rock - clay pellets soil, in a wooden box a "MGRE* 3000XS-ULTRA V1.02", but it's still just a soil mixture in a wooden pot to most people. ;-)
I can't wait until I build the V1.03! It's going to be radically different, because I'll be drilling a few extra holes and add a Trademark to the name. Does that change the basic idea of good aeration, good drainage, lots of air? I think it does not. I also think that that's exactly what you found in that thread; someone giving a magical name to a regular practical technique.
*Magic Growth Root Enhancer
At least, none that we - the collective bonsai society of the internet - don't already know of. None that is confined to his mind alone.
If you want your juniper to grow good roots, you provide a good soil and an overall good environment. Not too much water, and lots of air. Not too much nutrients and surely not too much nitrogen.
There are about a hundred ways to provide that environment and none of them are wrong.
If I were you, I'd stick with the practices that people have extensively described in a number of internet pages. Andersons flats for instance are a good way to start your quest for good rootage. Hundreds of people have built and used them.
I can call my perlite - lava rock - clay pellets soil, in a wooden box a "MGRE* 3000XS-ULTRA V1.02", but it's still just a soil mixture in a wooden pot to most people. ;-)
I can't wait until I build the V1.03! It's going to be radically different, because I'll be drilling a few extra holes and add a Trademark to the name. Does that change the basic idea of good aeration, good drainage, lots of air? I think it does not. I also think that that's exactly what you found in that thread; someone giving a magical name to a regular practical technique.
*Magic Growth Root Enhancer
augustine
Chumono
Check out Peter Tea's blog
Lazylightningny
Masterpiece
Sadly, he stopped blogging in 2014.
bonsaiDerek
Mame
Since his blog is gone... Can you please tell me what he said that your referring to
The blog is still there. Here is the link to his Utah juniper article. His ''mix'' is 100 percent pumice. https://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/
wireme
Masterpiece
If your tree has too few roots then it s mainly the above ground portion that needs extra care, keep it alive long enough that it’s able to generate new roots. I can offere a suggestion or two if you like.
bonsaiDerek
Mame
Sure any advice Is great
wireme
Masterpiece
So one thing that might help is bottom heat, cool, moist top, warm bottom. I’ve never tried that though, it’s just conjecture.
So, not knowing anything about your tree, maybe it has plenty enough roots and can be stuck out on the bench like any other for all I know. I can just say what I’ve come up with for trees that I think require a little extra care. It’s a total backyarder method, cheap and easy. It won’t compare to the 2 years in a special misting house like the tree in the P. Tea blog, I wish he updated, I think of that tree with curiosity every now and then.
So, you want high humidity around the foliage, low temps, slow air movement and bright but diffuse light. With that you can keep juniper foliage green for a season easy even without any roots.
The part that is usually overlooked is the pathway to the roots, the trunk. Foliage send down the goods to grow roots and the roots send back moisture etc to the foliage. So you can keep the foliage green and give the roots a happy home but still lose a tree if the pathway between dries out while roots are not functional. That’s my theory anyways...
So first step, wrap the trunk or live vein in a good layer of moist long fibred moss. Then stuff a bunch of moss wherever you can throughout the canopy, obviously leave the green bits sticking out but some can get slightly buried, no big deal. Then drape some reemay garden cover cloth overtop and sides lightly secured somehow. Then mist the hell out of the whole works every chance you get. I mist from underneath with a foggit nozzle so I don’t have to pull the cover. It takes quite a lot to keep the moss around the trunk moist, if getting that much water into the soil worries you you can wrap it in plastic instead of misting it all the time. But still mist the mossy canopy a lot. Full sun because it’s under the cloth.
It might all sound a little crazy but I’ve had good results and if you think of the objectives we’re after it makes sense, at least to me. I also have a creek to collect moss right here and have the cloth around anyways so it’s easy, may be different in your circumstances. I certainly don’t do that to all collected rmj, it’s just my makeshift ICU.
The above is also not common advice or technique, just so you know.
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