Collected ERC......starting a bit early

Joe Dupre'

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I walked a couple of miles on the roadside today. I found these ERC that had been mowed over, probably more than once. This is how they came out of the ground, with most of the dead branches and twigs removed. No attempt at styling. They seem to respond to mowing ( and , maybe pruning??) by sending out shoots like crazy. The first one has about a thumb-sized base. It's got a funny angle because it was literally under the edge of the asphalt and it grew out, down and then up towards the light. The second one has a base that is just shy of 1 1/8". It got whacked pretty good on the last mowing and is showing a bunch of brown tips. Again, no styling, just removing much of the dead stuff.

I figure they can be styled into a pretty decent shohin in the spring of 2021.

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TN_Jim

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Did you bare root them? If so they really don’t like that, but it is possible to get them to live despite this.

Either way, I really wouldn’t wire or cut anything at all until they push healthy new growth.

I’ve collected and killed many such roadside erc, the above thoughts have led to near 0 mortality. Following new growth they seem pretty bulletproof, even if pushed to extremes (not recommended😂).
 

Joe Dupre'

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Awesome material. What is your way to measure shohin?

Windswept for the first one?

Shohin is normally about 10" high or less. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule.

I'll consider windswept. It's really a strange little tree. At collection, all the branches were pointing straight up. That's how contorted the root ball was. That is the only position I could get it in where the roots on the right side were just barely covered.
 

Joe Dupre'

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Did you bare root them? If so they really don’t like that, but it is possible to get them to live despite this.

Either way, I really wouldn’t wire or cut anything at all until they push healthy new growth.

I’ve collected and killed many such roadside erc, the above thoughts have led to near 0 mortality. Following new growth they seem pretty bulletproof, even if pushed to extremes (not recommended😂).

I kept a good bit of the native soil with the root ball......about half the diameter of the trees and about 1 1/2" thick. The soil was really crumbly so I was able to tease a lot of roots out without cutting. Really nasty soil.........gravel, limestone, crumbled asphalt, caliche, fresh water clam shells......you name it. Tough customers!

About midway through the coming summer, I'll trim out just a little of the long, spindly old growth and open up the canopy a little to let light in. No major pruning. Cedars here grow almost all year, so they catch up quickly.
 

TN_Jim

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I kept a good bit of the native soil with the root ball......about half the diameter of the trees and about 1 1/2" thick. The soil was really crumbly so I was able to tease a lot of roots out without cutting. Really nasty soil.........gravel, limestone, crumbled asphalt, caliche, fresh water clam shells......you name it. Tough customers!

About midway through the coming summer, I'll trim out just a little of the long, spindly old growth and open up the canopy a little to let light in. No major pruning. Cedars here grow almost all year, so they catch up quickly.
Right on Joe.
Yea, I’d just baby them for a spell. I’ve been coming back around to this species after having kinda given up on them. Part of this has just been accepting them as a needle juniper -I see scale foliage now and cut that jazz clean OFF!! They’re tough as hell & I bet they will indeed put on some fast growth in your climate even in a pot.

Just for the sake of saying it and likely preaching to the choir, aside from the common name this is Juniperus virginiana, not a cedar (Pinaceae). That said, I have cut off virtually all of the foliage off of a couple and they’ve snapped back.
Thanks
 

Joe Dupre'

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That said, I have cut off virtually all of the foliage off of a couple and they’ve snapped back.
Thanks

I figure that's how these two got most of their shape. They get mowed (trunk chopped?) every year or two by the road crews. A standard ERC, on open flat ground would not have an interesting trunk at all. That could be the reason people don't find them suitable for bonsai. A straight 2" black pine sapling 6 feet tall, with no branches in the bottom third would not be a good candidate either. Like junipers and pines in general, you almost have to find ERC suitable for bonsai out of the gate.
 

Joe Dupre'

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Just wait until you see the one I'll harvest this spring. 3" base and about 3 feet tall with branches all the way down to the ground and chopped back by the road guys for who knows how many years.
 
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