Another collected Rocky Mountain Juniper

[Neli]

Thank You for posting. Newbies can learn a lot. I did.

 

[Dav4]

I got this one re-potted yesterday. I was quite happy with the root system because there were loads of healthy, fat root tips wrapped around the bottom of the mica pot, and, the thicker roots were very flexible...I was able to place the entire root system into the new pot without reducing it, and there is plenty to spare....gotta give a shout out to Brian Van Fleet as he convinced me to use a drainage layer here, and I did.

Plans going forward include strengthening the lowest left and right branches while continuing to increase the density of the canopy. At the next re-pot, I'm hoping to plant the tree a bit higher to expose more of the base of the tree. Let me know what you think.

Dave

 

[Nybonsai12]

Thanks for posting updated pic. Tree looks awesome! Can't wait to see it fill out a bit.

 

[mcpesq817]

Looking great Dave - it's really filling out nicely.

Just out of curiosity, do you usually repot collected trees this early? And do you give it extra protection the rest of the winter/early spring from frost? The reason I'm asking is that I usually repot my collected conifers in late March to early April, but I will probably not have time to do so this year so I'm thinking about moving up my repotting schedule a bit.

Thanks!

 

[Dav4]

Looking great Dave - it's really filling out nicely.

Just out of curiosity, do you usually repot collected trees this early? And do you give it extra protection the rest of the winter/early spring from frost? The reason I'm asking is that I usually repot my collected conifers in late March to early April, but I will probably not have time to do so this year so I'm thinking about moving up my repotting schedule a bit.

Thanks!

It is a bit early...I guess there is the potential for freezing temps here for another 6-7 weeks. Still, my heavily wooded yard is on a small mountain (that sounds kinda funny, 1200' elevation, it's higher then it's surroundings) and relatively protected from late season frosts. If a hard freeze is forcast (the only cold weather for me might be tomorrow AM...), it'll go under my deck or into the garage. Honestly, even if it were to freeze, I bet it would be fine, as it's an incredibly cold hardy tree, and very few of the roots were actually damaged during the re-pot, though they were certainly disturbed. Let's hope I know what I'm talking about...the new pot with all the soil is HEAVY.


...but seriously, I'm really not planning on letting it freeze solid. I have a weather station, so I can follow trends in temps AND dewpoint during a day or early evening. Personally, I think the dewpoint is your most important factor in predicting how cold things might get that night. The lower the dewpoint, the lower the temperatures might fall.

 

[JudyB]

Your new chosen pot works well to my eye, how do you feel about it? This tree will be fantastic, once you are able to show the roots off too.

I'm going to try to force myself into doing drainage layers too this year, now that you commented on it.... I've always had the perched water table as a problem in my mind, so have never done it. How much larger substrate did you use for it?

 

[Dav4]

Your new chosen pot works well to my eye, how do you feel about it? This tree will be fantastic, once you are able to show the roots off too.

I'm going to try to force myself into doing drainage layers too this year, now that you commented on it.... I've always had the perched water table as a problem in my mind, so have never done it. How much larger substrate did you use for it?

I like the pairing alot. Right now, though, the pot is, visually, a bit too heavy for the tree...I suspect this will not be an issue as the canopy fills in and matures. I used this for the drainage layer...I was going to use pea gravel, but this stuff is SO much lighter.

 

[berobinson82]

Looks kind of like Permatill. I found 40 lb bags of the stuff at a local nursery for about 4 bucks. Might be worth a phone call JudyB.

 

[JudyB]

Yeah, I think I can probably find one of those two...
Thanks guys!

Dave, you are right, it'll grow into that pot, probably in no time at all. Exposing the roots when you get to it, will dramatically change how the tree will look in the pot as well.
Good choice.

 

[tmmason10]

Looks good Dave. You really do hear a lot of criticism about drainage layers but that's how they do it in Japan from what I've seen. Gradually smaller akadama from bottom to top.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks great!

 

[fore]

I like the pairing alot. Right now, though, the pot is, visually, a bit too heavy for the tree...I suspect this will not be an issue as the canopy fills in and matures. I used this for the drainage layer...I was going to use pea gravel, but this stuff is SO much lighter.

Looks like a good lava substitute for soil maybe Dave?

 

[Dav4]

Looks like a good lava substitute for soil maybe Dave?

The material I used here is about a cm in diameter, so I'm thinking too big for my soil mix. I suppose it could work if your other components are big enough.

 

[Dav4]

Thought I'd update this one, mainly because I had a picture with a plain background and descent lighting.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It's looking great Dave, I like this tree. Glad to see it doing well in our part of the country. It was part of what helped convince me to go after RMJ this trip out west.

I just wish more trees with natural deadwood were collectible where I was. Is the deadwood on yours mostly natural, or have you been adding to it?

 

[Dav4]

It's looking great Dave, I like this tree. Glad to see it doing well in our part of the country. It was part of what helped convince me to go after RMJ this trip out west.

I just wish more trees with natural deadwood were collectible where I was. Is the deadwood on yours mostly natural, or have you been adding to it?

Brian, all I've done in regard to the deadwood is to shorten the lowest left branch, which still needs some work, and clean away residual bark from portions of the trunk and branches that had died back before I acquired the tree. In other words, 100% natural. I'm a descent carver, but there's NO WAY I'd try to improve on it. You really need to swing by the next time you're in the area, if only for a few minutes, to see it in person.

As far as RMJs down in the deep south, they seem to grow well without significant winter cold, and don't seem to mind the summer heat either. They seem to be extremely prone to cedar-apple rust... I'll be applying a copper fungicide later today, for the third time this spring.

 

[fore]

It's looking great Dave, I like this tree. Glad to see it doing well in our part of the country. It was part of what helped convince me to go after RMJ this trip out west.

I just wish more trees with natural deadwood were collectible where I was. Is the deadwood on yours mostly natural, or have you been adding to it?

You've collected before Brian, do you think it's just environmental reasons some have incred. deadwood and others have none? Perhaps altitude/wind?

 

[Dan W.]

You've collected before Brian, do you think it's just environmental reasons some have incred. deadwood and others have none? Perhaps altitude/wind?

I think that's the biggest factor Fore; you need places like this:

Places with the harshest environmental factors make the most dead wood. Rock faces in this pcture are completely exposed to the environment. These trees literaly get sand blasted, ice blasted, (heck... I found a meteorite the other day while collecting.. so space blasted..?...lol), these trees get the worst mother nature has to throw at hem. -- It's blowing an average constant of 30mph at my house here in town as we speak.. with gusts 10-20mph over that; imagine another 1000' to 2000'+ higher in elevation on an exposed granite face... That's where the spectacular dead wood is. BUT, they have to be in there TIGHT to stay where they are at, so only a very small fraction of these trees are collectible... ethically collectible.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Dan's right on. Compare his spot to mine. His is nearly solid rock, mine is rocky, but had a lot of soil, so we could actually dig the trees out with a good root mass. Digging (prying really) on a solid rock means fewer viable options for collecting, but much more impressive camera candy!


Interesting you mentioned meteorites, I took this photo from the top of that ridge thinking it could only be a meteorite crater, considering it was 400' higher than anything else around. No machines were up there.

 

[fore]

Those do look like totally diff. environments. Thanks Dan for the explanation.

To my thinking though, seems it'd be easier (and maybe higher success rate?) to pry a smaller root mass out of rock pockets, than to dig them like from Brian's area? Prob. not as simple as that.