California juniper yamadori postcare

[JuniperMasterRace]

I've been holding my tongue here, but for crying out loud, why didn't you ask all of this BEFORE you collected the tree? If you're going to make the effort to hike 13 miles, dig a tree then haul it out--you'd think you might have thought about how the tree is going to survive.

Hope you had a permit.

Please if you're going to collect UNDERSTAND WHAT YOURE GETTING INTO BEFORE you get into it...Being careless and selfish with a 200, 300 or 1,000 year-old living thing is not cool...and more importantly, it reinforces negative stereotypes of unethical, careless collectors.

Here’s a tree I got from the same location 10 years ago. I just potted it with no wire or anything in the soil around where it was. I basically did what I’ve been doing now but learned there’s better ways to
go about this and expedite the recovery process. I’ve never killed any yamadori I’ve collected. This tree actually still wobbles around in its shallow pot. I definitely need to secure it when I repot it this spring!

 

[W3rk]

Here’s a tree I got from the same location 10 years ago. I just potted it with no wire or anything in the soil around where it was. I basically did what I’ve been doing now but learned there’s better ways to
go about this and expedite the recovery process. I’ve never killed any yamadori I’ve collected. This tree actually still wobbles around in its shallow pot. I definitely need to secure it when I repot it this spring!

Looking good, that's a cool trunk. But FYI it's harder to read your tree/trunk with the other tree directly behind it.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Update for last years yamadori trip. Roots have escaped from the pots into the earth below! I’m going to start fertilizing them this grow season and leave them in there for at least one to two more years to get really strong. Any thoughts about doing some work on them February 2022 or should I wait until 2023?

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

This years dig. I notice these California junipers on the mountainside don’t have too much of a root ball, just long stringy roots. I dug it out like the previous successful yamadori (100% success on all 3!) and reported and post care just like the others. I mixed in pumice with perlite and a little bit of cactus mix soil. I did not put sphagnum moss on the roots in the repot. Wrapping it in a burlap sack.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I worked my own junipers too soon. I got a real good reminder that at least one year of vigorous growth is necessary for them to perform well.
If the previously dug ones have a year of vigorous output, I think it's safe to start work in the next year.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

The first big tree from last year I really lucked out. It was on a precarious cliff face and I just used my legs to dislodge a massive bolder exposing the entire root ball and that was it, took me less than 30 minutes. This years it took me 4 hours to dig it out. Digging these out are such a workout! Plus walking through the wilderness in pitch black darkness is a little spooky.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

I worked my own junipers too soon. I got a real good reminder that at least one year of vigorous growth is necessary for them to perform well.
If the previously dug ones have a year of vigorous output, I think it's safe to start work in the next year.

I have some decent new growth, but I’ll take that to heart and just wait and see how they do this season. I have not fertilized at all, I’m excited to see now that their roots have escaped through the bottom. Vigorous root growth at least!

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Happily in its pot! Wrapped sphagnum moss directly to the roots and put in perlite. The store ran out of perlite so the top layer is vermculite. Hope that’s not a problem.

Roots have escaped through the bottom, but I haven’t seen much vigorous growth so I’m going to leave it be until I see some growth next year.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Update for last years yamadori trip. Roots have escaped from the pots into the earth below! I’m going to start fertilizing them this grow season and leave them in there for at least one to two more years to get really strong. Any thoughts about doing some work on them February 2022 or should I wait until 2023?

These 2 have shown pretty good new growth. I’m trying to decide if I leave them in their pots for another year and let them get stronger or repot them this early spring in a proper bonsai pot.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

This years dig. I notice these California junipers on the mountainside don’t have too much of a root ball, just long stringy roots. I dug it out like the previous successful yamadori (100% success on all 3!) and reported and post care just like the others. I mixed in pumice with perlite and a little bit of cactus mix soil. I did not put sphagnum moss on the roots in the repot. Wrapping it in a burlap sack.

This one sadly did not make it

 

[Potawatomi13]

Good advice given why continue to use crap substrate? Don't get cocky. See what happens?