Initial collection of a Nana Juniper - Looking for advice.

[Bad_Bonsai]

Hello,

My wife has given me the go-ahead to change up the front lawn this spring, So I now have two sizable Juniper to work with and I'm really excited. They were on opposite sides of our south-facing home and show slightly different growth patterns. The one on the easternmost side grew kind of longer and lankier (not in an unhealthy manner) but the one on the west, grew really, really dense foliage. All to say, I think I have two different but really great pieces of material to work with.

What I'm questioning is, how exactly should I go about the collection. Should I reduce the root ball, or should I attempt to detangle the roots to preserve as much as possible?
Is this the right time of year? I'm in Ottawa, Canada. Weather shows lows of 5*C in the forecast going forward - The highs go into the high teens, so I'm not concerned about frost.

I'm not completely lost in the ozone on this. I know I shouldn't bare-root it, and I have my additives selected; Hyuga Pumice, Vermiculite, Garden soil with perlite.
But I have some other trees I threw into straight pumice and they're still looking great.

EDIT: I'd be looking to move these two junipers into Wooden Crates I'd build. I don't think I have pots suitable for these yet. In the crates, they would remain for the year, mostly untouched and out of direct sunlight.

What are your experiences with collecting lawn junipers?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Do not prune the top. Get as much of a root ball as you can. If your soil isn’t hard clay, it will be ok to have some native soil. Build a wooden box, only just large enough to contain the root ball...make sure it’s a tight fit, and drill lots of holes in the bottom for drainage. Secure the tree into the box so the root mass does not move. Work pumice into the soil with a chopstick. Keep in a shady place, and mist the foliage and trunk as often as you can...like every time you walk by it. Water the soil sparingly, make the roots search for water, never totally dry, but not soggy. By summer, if it’s showing signs of growth, you’ll be able to move it to more sun.

If the interior foliage turns yellow in a few weeks, but the tips are still green, it’s a good sign. If the whole thing takes on a dull gray hue, it’s a bad sign. Take some photos now and when you box them up so you have a way to compare relative health of the foliage.

Next year, you’ll be able to shorten some branches and chase growth back closer to the trunk. The following year, you’ll be able to repot them and eliminate the old field soil. Here is how that will look:

Collected Rocky Mountain Junipers repotting

Longtime followers of the blog may remember the post from May 2013, showing our potting method with some newly-collected rmj…which was basically stuffing them B&B into wooden boxes, and p…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Best of luck.

 

[Shibui]

So I now have two sizable Juniper to work with and I'm really excited.

You can obviously see the trees and know what 'sizable' means to you. The rest of us probably all have a different idea of how big these may actually be. I've seen J. procumbens more than 3m across. I hope yours are a little smaller than that!

I have taken a few J. procumbens from gardens but I do thinks slightly different to the methods outlined by @Brian Van Fleet above. Still get plenty of successful transplants so I guess that means there is some latitude in what works.

Big garden junipers can be BIG! It can be almost impossible to take the whole plant so I am happy to reduce the top by up to 50% if necessary. I do make sure to leave healthy and active growing tips on most of the branches I keep which may be the key to juniper transplant.
You will also need to cut some roots. It is probably not even possible to give a % reduction because you can't actually estimate the root coverage before you dig or how far down and out they go pat the dig zone unless you were to do an archaeological type excavation and take all day to do it.
Getting ALL the roots is not possible so just do the best you can. Again, I am happy to reduce roots to fit the container. I see long roots as a waste of space. In my experience new roots usually grow from the cut ends of the old roots and new roots will grow just as well from a cut closer to the trunk as they will from one way out on a long root.
Maybe it is just experience that helps us tell how much is enough but junipers can be transplanted with shortened roots.

I also avoid field soil as much as possible when transplanting to containers. There are so many posts telling us how dangerous fine soil is for bonsai but then we deliberately fill a container with garden soil around the roots of a compromised plant. Where is the sense in that? Any soil life that may be helpful will still be present on the residual soil clinging to the roots. It is not necessary to retain buckets full in order to transfer fungi and other soil life. Most garden soil will fall off without further damage to roots if the tree is given a gentle shake. If the soil is resistant I try to poke more out of the roots with a stick, fork or the crowbar that is usually on hand at a plant dig.

Not saying you have to follow any or all of this. Just offering a different experience.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

Do not prune the top. Get as much of a root ball as you can. If your soil isn’t hard clay, it will be ok to have some native soil. Build a wooden box, only just large enough to contain the root ball...make sure it’s a tight fit, and drill lots of holes in the bottom for drainage. Secure the tree into the box so the root mass does not move. Work pumice into the soil with a chopstick. Keep in a shady place, and mist the foliage and trunk as often as you can...like every time you walk by it. Water the soil sparingly, make the roots search for water, never totally dry, but not soggy. By summer, if it’s showing signs of growth, you’ll be able to move it to more sun.

If the interior foliage turns yellow in a few weeks, but the tips are still green, it’s a good sign. If the whole thing takes on a dull gray hue, it’s a bad sign. Take some photos now and when you box them up so you have a way to compare relative health of the foliage.

Next year, you’ll be able to shorten some branches and chase growth back closer to the trunk. The following year, you’ll be able to repot them and eliminate the old field soil. Here is how that will look:

Collected Rocky Mountain Junipers repotting

Longtime followers of the blog may remember the post from May 2013, showing our potting method with some newly-collected rmj…which was basically stuffing them B&B into wooden boxes, and p…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Best of luck.

Thanks for the insight and the link! I feel a lot more confident in how I was going to go about this. I'll be sure to get photos.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

I hope yours are a little smaller than that! [...]

They're definitely not 3 meters across but for scale; they were 1 foot across (12$) when I bought them, and they're now about a meter across, like a 70 ish dollar garden tree. - So I guess they're not that big, haha, but they are remarkably bigger than when I first bought them.

Big garden junipers can be BIG! It can be almost impossible to take the whole plant so I am happy to reduce the top by up to 50% if necessary. I do make sure to leave healthy and active growing tips on most of the branches I keep which may be the key to juniper transplant. [...]

I'd at the worst have looked to remove branches I knew wouldn't want. I'd be too squeamish to even approach the 50% removal mark. - I imagine any wire is out of the question.

It is probably not even possible to give a % reduction [...]

I was afraid someone would say that.

[...] Not saying you have to follow any or all of this. Just offering a different experience.

I appreciate the input. I'll make the risk assessment and from there with your's and Brians's processes in mind.

 

[Shibui]

I imagine any wire is out of the question.

The only wire you should use on new collected trees is to tie them in the new pots. No more pruning or shaping until they recover and grow well. Occasionally that can be 12 months but usually allow 2 years or more before looking at serious styling attempts. New junipers roots are quite slow and it will need plenty of new roots to cope with styling and further pruning.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

@Shibui @Brian Van Fleet
on the right is a multi-limbed monstrosity that I don't know what to with but on the left, I immediately see a really nice cascade in the works.

They stayed in the sun only long enough to take these photos. Let me know what you think!

Only question now is, what to do with the rest of my day.

[Edit] I think I got lucky with the forecast, it'll be overcast and rain for the next few days. I imagine that's good for recovery.

 

[Shibui]

I thought these were 'sizable'?
Pleased to hear the transplant was not too difficult. This size and age should cope with transplant much better than an older larger one.
Transplants seem to be able to cope with a lot worse than many of the pedants talk about. Having said that I am always a little relieved to have good weather like you after any transplant. Procumbens has been one of the easier species to transplant here so I hope both these respond as well.

Now you must resist the temptation to do anything else. These need at least 12 months to recover and grow some more roots before even considering any branch removal or training. Just water and fertilizer through the coming summer. Early new growth is not a sure sign of success. If you still have new shoots by mid summer the worst is usually over.

Consider cascade but don't get stuck on that as the only option. Cascade appears easy but is quite hard to do really well. Just because a tree has some trailing branches does not mean cascade is the solution. Trunks can often be re-orientated so the cascading trunk becomes an upright if that suits the tree better.
As for the 'multi-limbed monstrosity' I would consider plenty of branches a bonus. They can sometimes be difficult depending where the branches originate but usually more branches can give more options for development.

All the best for these over your summer. I look forward to seeing what comes of them but not till next year or the year after.

 

[sorce]

I think I got lucky with the forecast, it'll be overcast and rain for the next few days. I imagine that's good for recovery.

I think rain is good but I'm in the full sun camp.

More accurately, I think they'll recover best right where they were. They know exactly what to do with that light.

Sorce

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

I thought these were 'sizable'?

Haha, they're bigger than the $12 dollar junipers they were when I bought them.

Alot of my trees are really small. This is only my 3rd year and I'm still getting the ropes.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

Do not prune the top. Get as much of a root ball as you can. If your soil isn’t hard clay, it will be ok to have some native soil. Build a wooden box, only just large enough to contain the root ball...make sure it’s a tight fit, and drill lots of holes in the bottom for drainage. Secure the tree into the box so the root mass does not move. Work pumice into the soil with a chopstick.

Sorry, all of a sudden, I'm starting to doubt myself here. I've reported those junipers in hyuga pumice, (with a good root ball). Not a bit of work was done above, no tips clipped, no wire used.

Is there any curve ball I just sent my way by putting the root ball into a pure pumice mix? Curves balls such as having to use fertilizers and enriching the 'soil'

Drainage has always been my problem. Should I correct my soil asap or is is pure pumice OK for recovery? I'm hoping I haven't made a pretty novice mistake.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

They should be ok. They’re relatively young plants. Keep them in shade, not moving them around, misting the foliage as often as you can, without watering the soil too much (make roots grow searching for water). You’ll know in a few weeks if they’ll make it. Don’t overthink it or love them to death...

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

@Brian Van Fleet it's gonna drop to -2°c tonight. Just freak weather. Should I take the repotted junipers (and other repots) Inside over night? Or keep em out? My initial instinct is to huddle everything together and cover it. Am I in the ballpark?

 

[HorseloverFat]

It was 27F here last night... everyone came in.

But, in the week prior, my spring-repot junis were just waking up... and any temps approaching 32/33F with less than 32 dew point... the repots got “stepped”... that’s how I roll, though. BVF will CERTAINLY offer more insight.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I would leave collected junipers alone at 28f for one night. Sitting on the ground, they’re unlikely to be damaged by temps as much as by moving them. Water them when you wake up this AM to thaw them out.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

@Brian Van Fleet

So far everything's playing out like you said it would, more or less. The sub zero days we had last week didn't seem to bother any of my repotted trees. Alot actually look like they'd gotten a second wind, cause I've seen noticeable growth in a week alone.

there's light yellowing of the internal foliage but the outside remains lusher green. The very tips however are brighter green, what would you make of this? Is this healthy growth?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

@Brian Van Fleet
there's light yellowing of the internal foliage but the outside remains lusher green. The very tips however are brighter green, what would you make of this? Is this healthy growth?

Looks like you’re right in track with my original reply:

If the interior foliage turns yellow in a few weeks, but the tips are still green, it’s a good sign. If the whole thing takes on a dull gray hue, it’s a bad sign. Take some photos now and when you box them up so you have a way to compare relative health of the foliage.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

Looks like you’re right in track with my original reply

Going into septembre, its still looking alright, I think it survived the worst of the summer.

Here's one of them. The deep green had brightned a lil since april but that seems normal to me.

Thoughts?

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

Here's a better close up of the foliage.

 

[Shibui]

Looks good.
I usually see signs of failure by mid summer. Continued good growth and healthy foliage through summer should mean they have survived the transplant.