Yamadori Rocky Mountain Juniper

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks great Dave!

 

[Dav4]

I'm posting this update mainly to show how happy the Rocky Mountain Juniper can be down south despite some of the horticultural obstacles(?), mainly increased heat and humidity, and more pest and fungal issues.

This tree, which is anywhere from 500 to 1000 years old, has been here in North GA almost exactly four years. It has seen historic rainfall (20 inces of rain over 5 days in Sept., '09'), 90 days of 90 F plus highes in '11', and 5 days in a row of 105 F plus temps last year. The one thing I think this tree would actually enjoy, long term freezing cold, is few and far between here in North GA.

I wish the spider mites were uncommon here...they've been an issue in my collection the last 4 summers, and this year every juniper has them, including this one. It's the same with fungal infections...both my big RMJs needed quite a bit of unwanted pruning in early spring to remove all the gelatinous cedar apple rust fruiting bodies. Luckily, most of the pruning was to foliage only, and only a few smaller branches needed to go.

Anyway, this is a picture from this morning. As usual, the picture does not do the tree justice...the foliage is an absolutely gorgeous light blue that belies the fact that mites have been there. The close up of the foliage gives a better idea of the color, which I truly love.

 

[october]

That is one impressive tree. The foliage looks really full for a RMJ. There is a chunin size rough material one at the nursery. I almost bought it last week, but passed on it. I am thinking of making another trip up there to check it out again. The foliage is very thin and sparse, not lush like yours. One question...What is your preferred pruning method this tree? Pinching or just let it grow then cut back or both?

All your trees are so large, it must make it difficult to care for them sometimes. Like when you mentioned about not using oils for the burn caused by the sun. I think my juniper that had mites is now free from them. I used the homemade stuff first, the used the horticultural oil. It seemed to work very well. The tree I used it on is a 6 inch cascade though. No problems moving it.

Rob

 

[fourteener]

Your doing a great job bringing this along. My one suggestion is the middle piece of jin. Being so wide it takes up more visual space than it should. Instead of disappearing into that branch above it begins to cry out to be a focal point. Of all the cool places to gaze at this tree, that place is not it. It's the combo of being so wide and being so white. The eyes are drawn to the lightest part of any composition. Diminishing that would make the eye move around more.

Great tree, my .02

Terry

 

[Dav4]

None of my junipers, excluding the San Jose that was shown this year, have been pinched in over two years. I honestly doubt this tree will ever be pinched.

Yeah, the size of some of my trees does complicate maintenance quite a bit, but a trunk (and foliage) like this is worth a bit of extra work, I think. Secondly, Because these trees get moved around on a semi regular basis, I can still toss around an 80 pound pot and tree with the best of them and my biceps and shoulders look like they did 20 years ago....kinda.

 

[Dav4]

Your doing a great job bringing this along. My one suggestion is the middle piece of jin. Being so wide it takes up more visual space than it should. Instead of disappearing into that branch above it begins to cry out to be a focal point. Of all the cool places to gaze at this tree, that place is not it. It's the combo of being so wide and being so white. The eyes are drawn to the lightest part of any composition. Diminishing that would make the eye move around more.

Great tree, my .02

Terry

I appreciate the comments, Terry. You're right about that particular piece of deadwood, and you aren't the first to suggest reducing its mass. I'm always reluctant to change naturally created deadwood, and relatively speaking, the canopy in that particular area is still fairly weak and isn't doing a great job of covering the offending deadwood trunk. I'm hoping that as the foliage there increases in density, the visual weight of that particular portion of deadwood will minimized, or at least, that's my plan for now.

 

[fore]

I agree Dave. Yes, I've got weak foliage on mine too, but my jins are also huge. But like you, I'm reluctant to reduce a naturally made deadwood. It's a big decision to change something like that on such an old, and usually a big investment.

 

[Dav4]

For Judy

So, it's only a few days until Christmas here in North GA, the days are short and particularly dreary lately, and everything is sleeping in my backyard...except my RMJs. They continue to grow slowly right through the winter. Anyway, it's been raining all day long, the wife and kids are baking and wrapping gifts...and I'm watching football and thinking about bonsai. The Patriots are up 20-0 in Baltimore so I decided to run out into a deluge to snap a picture of this tree.

 

[tmmason10]

Looking so good. I'm enjoying the pats game myself. I don't know why they are playing flacco still.

 

[Dav4]

Looking so good. I'm enjoying the pats game myself. I don't know why they are playing flacco still.

Thanks Tom...I think they pulled Flacco toward the end. I don't think his replacement faired any better.

 

[JudyB]

I like the way the foliage almost sparkles! This is such a good tree, you have done well with it, and were lucky to have found it.
Thanks for braving the rain!

 

[daygan]

So, it's only a few days until Christmas here in North GA, the days are short and particularly dreary lately, and everything is sleeping in my backyard...except my RMJs. They continue to grow slowly right through the winter. Anyway, it's been raining all day long, the wife and kids are baking and wrapping gifts...and I'm watching football and thinking about bonsai. The Patriots are up 20-0 in Baltimore so I decided to run out into a deluge to snap a picture of this tree.

That's amazing that this tree continues growing through the winter. Does that mean that this tree doesn't really require a dormancy period to survive?

 

[Dan W.]

Looking great Dave!

Daygan, I have come to believe that some of these Rocky Mountain natives have adapted/evolved to face some of the hardships of our climate here. I've talked to other collectors who claim that they've pulled a frozen root pad out of the rocks and found actively growing root tips in the lowest portion of the pad that wasn't entirely frozen. (I think this means that some of these trees grow whenever there is opportunity.) -- The winters are incredibly cold and harsh, but it warms up periodically in the middle of winter; and our summers can be so hot and dry that the trees go dormant again. I could be entirely mistaken, but it seems to me that they have adapted the ability to kick on and off growth as our quickly changing environment allows. We can get snow in July (middle of summer) and melting 60's (and up) in January (middle of winter). If I was a tree in Wyoming I'd be very confused much of my life! -- We loose a lot of trees that aren't native out here after such weird seasons, but the native trees just role with it.

Someone tell me if I'm crazy, or if this makes sense to you...

 

[Dav4]

Looking great Dave!

Daygan, I have come to believe that some of these Rocky Mountain natives have adapted/evolved to face some of the hardships of our climate here. I've talked to other collectors who claim that they've pulled a frozen root pad out of the rocks and found actively growing root tips in the lowest portion of the pad that wasn't entirely frozen. (I think this means that some of these trees grow whenever there is opportunity.) -- The winters are incredibly cold and harsh, but it warms up periodically in the middle of winter; and our summers can be so hot and dry that the trees go dormant again. I could be entirely mistaken, but it seems to me that they have adapted the ability to kick on and off growth as our quickly changing environment allows. We can get snow in July (middle of summer) and melting 60's (and up) in January (middle of winter). If I was a tree in Wyoming I'd be very confused much of my life! -- We loose a lot of trees that aren't native out here after such weird seasons, but the native trees just role with it.

Someone tell me if I'm crazy, or if this makes sense to you...

What he said!
Seriously, this is my understanding as well. When you consider how harsh a climate these deadwood trees inhabit, ambient air temps in the 30's to low 40's F with a partially frozen root ball would seem to be smack dab in the middle of the spectrum of weather related issues that they deal with every year. As Dan put it, taking advantage of these relatively mild periods of weather makes sense from an evolutionary point of view. These trees are extremely adaptable, and according to Dirr, they are planted in the landscape as far south as Orlando, FL. Whether they get a adequate dormancy down there I can't say, but they do just fine here in N.GA, growing almost year round, but slowing down significantly during the heat of summer(July and August) and after the first hard freeze, which typically happens in late November. Here are two pictures of the tree taken 4 months apart, December 2011 and April 2012.

 

[ChrisV]

beautiful tree dave! Good job.

 

[discusmike]

Really nice work Dave, that's a gorgeous tree.

 

[Vance Wood]

Looking great Dave!

Daygan, I have come to believe that some of these Rocky Mountain natives have adapted/evolved to face some of the hardships of our climate here. I've talked to other collectors who claim that they've pulled a frozen root pad out of the rocks and found actively growing root tips in the lowest portion of the pad that wasn't entirely frozen. (I think this means that some of these trees grow whenever there is opportunity.) -- The winters are incredibly cold and harsh, but it warms up periodically in the middle of winter; and our summers can be so hot and dry that the trees go dormant again. I could be entirely mistaken, but it seems to me that they have adapted the ability to kick on and off growth as our quickly changing environment allows. We can get snow in July (middle of summer) and melting 60's (and up) in January (middle of winter). If I was a tree in Wyoming I'd be very confused much of my life! -- We loose a lot of trees that aren't native out here after such weird seasons, but the native trees just role with it.

Someone tell me if I'm crazy, or if this makes sense to you...

I usually gobble up this kind of information. It is from the observations of people like you and your friends where we learn and develop things that go beyond the accepted methods and care guides from the traditional bonsai community, where we have learned you have to do this and you can't do that blah blah blah. But;---- no where in that list of stone engraved principles can you find the formula for success with certain trees. If we don't take note of things particular to our own area of endeavor we will forever remain ignorant and our successes will be the product of accident.

 

[daygan]

Looking great Dave!

Daygan, I have come to believe that some of these Rocky Mountain natives have adapted/evolved to face some of the hardships of our climate here. I've talked to other collectors who claim that they've pulled a frozen root pad out of the rocks and found actively growing root tips in the lowest portion of the pad that wasn't entirely frozen. (I think this means that some of these trees grow whenever there is opportunity.) -- The winters are incredibly cold and harsh, but it warms up periodically in the middle of winter; and our summers can be so hot and dry that the trees go dormant again. I could be entirely mistaken, but it seems to me that they have adapted the ability to kick on and off growth as our quickly changing environment allows. We can get snow in July (middle of summer) and melting 60's (and up) in January (middle of winter). If I was a tree in Wyoming I'd be very confused much of my life! -- We loose a lot of trees that aren't native out here after such weird seasons, but the native trees just role with it.

Someone tell me if I'm crazy, or if this makes sense to you...

Thank you both, Dan, and Dave, for your replies. This is very interesting. If indeed they kick on and off as soon as the environment favors growth, then they aren't actually dormant, but quiescent. Quick explanation: in dormancy (like sleeping), a plant requires the fulfillment of certain other environmental prerequisites (like chill hours) before dormancy ends, and won't become active, even when the environment is favorable for growth, until those requirements are fulfilled; in quiescence (like temporarily resting), activity restarts any time the environment is favorable for growth. In deciduous trees, roots are quiescent during the winter, while branches are dormant.

If your Rocky Mountain Juniper is growing through the winter in Georgia, and they also grow and survive in Florida, honestly, it sounds to me like they don't require winter dormancy. Of course, I'm no expert

 

[Dav4]

This one FINALLY had the guy wire and the rest of the raffia that had been applied in 11/2011 removed...almost 2 and 1/2 years! It's been unwired/rewired, thinned a bit but needs more. The main right branch is beginning to catch up strength wise to the rest of the tree but the lowest portion still needs more volume. Growing like gangbusters this spring.

 

[Neli]

What a progression! I am very impressed.
As usual I like to do virtuals on trees I like to practice and see if there are other options and how will it look in different situations.
Not too sure if any of this look better and most of the time I dont post the virtuals, but this one was fun, so here you are.