Bare rooting junipers
- Thread starter WNC Bonsai
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Johnathan
Omono
I always try to repot when it's going to rain for a day or hopefully 3. Something special about the healing power of rain.
I have neighbors who use sprinklers in the yard everyday, yard stays a nice healthy green... but once it rains is truly when the yard growth takes off.
I've never tested rain water vs tap water on the fancy water test, but in the deep South (where folks are naturally smarter) rain water has been used for all sorts of things. I mean, why do people go through so much trouble to collect it if it's not special.
Rain water is nature's Neosporin!
Vin
Imperial Masterpiece
I think it depends on the Juniper species as well. I'm sure I'm losing my RMJ because of the humidity and heat.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
It's not special but the air at the time of this event has more natural and available Nitrogen in it. As to why do people in the South collect rain water? Maybe because it's free?
Johnathan
Omono
Wait a minute, are you bare rooting Mugo too?
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
I usually do not bare root Mugos but if someone is getting away with it I would like to know.
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
I have, for years, been bare rooting them out of garden/nursery-pot soil and b&b muck.
I am shocked that you don't, Vance. Truly shocked.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
We have talked about Mugos around here for years and this is the first time I have heard you mention that you actually worked on them. On top of that, why have you never posted a picture of one of your Mugos? If you have been doing them for years you should have something worth showing.I have, for years, been bare rooting them out of garden/nursery-pot soil and b&b muck.
I am shocked that you don't, Vance. Truly shocked.
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Well, it has been a couple of years, but we (you and I) discussed my big mugo several times. In that thread I told you it was definitely completely bare rooted. You responded
I'm sorry that you don't remember it.
If it interests you, I have posted a BNut album of its progression.
Johnathan
Omono
and this was bare rooted in summer correct?
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Thanks 0so!
I only ever efrooted one Mugo that lived..
The other died.
For me...the twisted mass of bullshit from little 3in square pots is too much to bareroot straight away....(near too much to even bother with at all)...
Barerooting them is always a disappointment.
I may just do a few heavy pie cuts with no removal in the future....
And bareroot them, or closer to bareroot them later after a few colander years...
Sorce
I only ever efrooted one Mugo that lived..
The other died.
For me...the twisted mass of bullshit from little 3in square pots is too much to bareroot straight away....(near too much to even bother with at all)...
Barerooting them is always a disappointment.
I may just do a few heavy pie cuts with no removal in the future....
And bareroot them, or closer to bareroot them later after a few colander years...
Sorce
Johnathan
Omono
We are supposed to get rain this evening, all day Wednesday and Thursday morning. I'm just going to have at it.
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Yah, those little things are real trouble. One root, THE root has made umptygillion trip around the inside of the pot, run back up though the middle, then went on a tour again.
I haven't had such issues with 1 gallon and larger. B&B mud is not so bad. Soak, jet, soak, jet, a little root combing to tease some clumps out, a little more jetting with water from the hose and voila! The only root pruning I do is to have maybe sawed off the bottom third when I first took it out of the pot.
Growers out here switched to bark several years ago. Much of it will just crumble out, but there are always chunks into which the roots have grown - I leave 'em. But, if you can easily recognize that it is bark, there's no rush - its good stuff for growing trees.
If the soil is like that stuff you use to make pots, either don't buy, or go FBR at the first opportunity.
Keep all the foliage as is.
Minimal root pruning.
Full sun after it is in the pot.
Only JBP, JRP, tsuga canadensis must be HRB in my experience.
HBR is always safer --> lower chance of fatality.
How long to you want to be fiddly farting with bad dirt? Your choice.
The timing window for root work in spring is narrow.
The 'summer' repot window for conifers is mid-July to (roughly) first frost, IMHO.
Johnathan
Omono
Disclaimer, before bonsai, my only knowledge of plants was in grams, ounces and pounds lol maaaaan
Holy craptacular!
Sooooooo, in the words of @sorce I completely fuckrooted my broken Mugo and Literati Blue Rug (Don't judge me, I'm ambitious) I'm pretty sure they will both die as I probably removed Waaaaaay to many roots.... but the knowledge.....
OOhhhhh the knowledge!!!
Im excited! I feel like I got blue balls for the first time!
My ficus was pre-bonsai so its been trained, so the roots were in pretty decent shape. My "collected" trees were pretty much ripped from the ground, and died so no root work there lol. Its one thing to hear and read about root work, and crossing roots, and thick roots, and wrapped roots and tap roots and all that stuff, but to FINALLY see it in person. Was kind of intimidating and mind-blowing. See, I feel like this is something that I should've done in my first year in Bonsai. But again, I also feel like I'm learning this at the proper time as if I had seen this before keeping trees alive for a year I feel as though I may have been overwhelmed with the challenge of "straightening" out this mess and getting a tree to live in a pot.
I reduced a ton of foliage. I reduced a ton of roots. I collected a gallon or so of rain water (Didn't rain like advertised, imagine that) Tomorrow I will bare root my Sea Green Juniper. I will be more patient. I'm on cloud 9. I feel like saying thank you to you guys. THANKS EVERYONE!
Holy craptacular!
Sooooooo, in the words of @sorce I completely fuckrooted my broken Mugo and Literati Blue Rug (Don't judge me, I'm ambitious) I'm pretty sure they will both die as I probably removed Waaaaaay to many roots.... but the knowledge.....
OOhhhhh the knowledge!!!
Im excited! I feel like I got blue balls for the first time!
My ficus was pre-bonsai so its been trained, so the roots were in pretty decent shape. My "collected" trees were pretty much ripped from the ground, and died so no root work there lol. Its one thing to hear and read about root work, and crossing roots, and thick roots, and wrapped roots and tap roots and all that stuff, but to FINALLY see it in person. Was kind of intimidating and mind-blowing. See, I feel like this is something that I should've done in my first year in Bonsai. But again, I also feel like I'm learning this at the proper time as if I had seen this before keeping trees alive for a year I feel as though I may have been overwhelmed with the challenge of "straightening" out this mess and getting a tree to live in a pot.
I reduced a ton of foliage. I reduced a ton of roots. I collected a gallon or so of rain water (Didn't rain like advertised, imagine that) Tomorrow I will bare root my Sea Green Juniper. I will be more patient. I'm on cloud 9. I feel like saying thank you to you guys. THANKS EVERYONE!
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Howd this go?
S
S
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Hopefully everything goes good for you.
You'll know soon enough on the pine if it will make it.
The juniper will take longer.
On pines look for continued bud development.
On the juniper,new growth in the crotches will appear first.
??? Do gray owl backbud. ??
