Unknown Yardadori Juniper

[Orion_metalhead]

Dad is having his driveway expanded so he offered me anything in the path. One juniper was waaaay too big for me to handle right now with my limited time. This one he cut back haphazardly thinking he was helping but this is what was left.

Not sure of a style or ideas. Right now, I just want it to survive. I removed about 60% of the roots but theres only about 30% foliar mass left. Hoping it recovers and in a couple years I can make some better decisions. Has a > 4" trunk at the base. Will take more pictures in sun tomorrow. Had some bad thunderstorms roll in as I was finishing up. I also have a video I will maybe post later.

Grow box medium im trying here:

40% compost, 30% perlite, 15% stone chip, 15% pine bark. Basically what I had around. Seems like a well draining but water retentive mix. I think the juniper will like it.

In car on way home:


From above


From lower angle, no front considered.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Collection looks to have been successful. Lots of good new growth. Need to still figure out what/how Im going to style it. Until I do, I am just going to keep chasing the foliage back on the longest branches.

 

[PonderingSage:]

It’s always nice when the pull through

 

[jszg]

J. chinensis 'Old Gold', if I had to guess.

 

[Paradox]

Nice that it is pulling through. Looks like it might have been a rough collection though. Let it grow and recover this year and maybe next before you start chasing back foliage

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Collection wasnt too bad. My dad hacked it up before i got there so im working with what was left. I'm definitely leaving it this year. Jury is out on next year. If it has a good spring I might wire a branch or two.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Still need a confirmed identification. I think it may be chamaecyparis pisifra and not j. chinensis.

Its been sitting in the same spot all summer. Full sun, water, light fertilization since the soil is 50% compost.



Still need to figure out a front. I think there are a few options. Two would be a fairly drastic angle change if I want to preserve as much of the old tree as possible. A less drastic option would be the angle shown below with a lot of removal

 

[PowerTap]

I have a very similar tree collected under almost identical conditions (expanding driveways) and similar looking foliage. Are you seeing that new growth is more compact than the old foliage which was long and spindally?

Old:

New:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Yeah, it has seemed to get denser towards the tips.

 

[Esolin]

I would agree that I think it's an Old Gold juniper, especially if the new growth is tightening up. It doesn't have that flatter, thicker false-cypress growth pattern when I look at the foliage. Could be wrong, but it reads 'juniper' to me.

 

[Potawatomi13]

There is great tree in there somewhere. Use existing movement wisely. Consider planting angle in design of tree.

 

[rockm]

Definitely not a chamaecyparis (false cypress). It's a juniper. Exactly what kind doesn't really matter. The kind that survives collection from a yard is always the best kind.

 

[snowman04]

Any update on this one? Looks like it was doing ok...

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Doing great. Haven't brought it in for the fall cleanup / go through / etc. It's pretty heavy. I'll get some photos of it in the next few weeks for you.

 

[snowman04]

I have several that look similar that I put in the ground over the past few years.
Looking at using a few as bonsai material so I am looking forward to seeing how yours is progressing.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

So some history. My dad put these in about.... 20yrs ago... so as far as ground grown... its been ground grown for about that old... its probably 25 - 30 overall.

On the other side of the driveway were two even larger ones which I honestly did not bother to try collecting giving everything going on in my own life. Those were 30-40yr old trees and had 5 or 6" trunks. I ALMOST was going to pay the mason to burlap them for me and deliver to my house but I just didn't have time to set it all up.

Im planning on buying a trailer for next spring for myriad purposes, one of which is being able to collect large, massive landscape specimen for bonsai / resell.

 

[czaczaja]

Juniperus Sabina would be my best guess. Lovely mature specimen. I'm jealous

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Pulled wire off... Fertilized, clipped a few branches in bad spots to open up to some light. I want to maximize the trunk thickness so may go for a change in front and sweep growth to the left and up from the current angle.

Current front:


New front:





Other photos:

 

[pandacular]

Looks quite a lot like my old gold junipers.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Rewired for fall. Cleaned out a bit, reducded the undesired long dead branches closer to where I plan to have deadwood. Still a ways to go. Next spring I plan on repotting. Been two or three years so I want to get a better look at the roots, and possibly get into a smaller grow box if possible.

Before:



Dead branches reduced:


Rewired:



The far right is still a bit of a mess. Not sure if it will have foliage or not. Might deadwood it all also. Need to also invest in some lime sulfur for next year.