Collected large landscape Juniper, help!

[Bonsaihead]

Collected this large landscape Juniper from an estate sale. Unfortunately and when I went to dig it I realize that there were very few routes other than two incredibly long Roots jetting straight down and was unable to recover either one. I must have dug down three and a half, four feet and both were still an inch in diameter and were unmovable and the only way the Juniper was coming home as if I was to cut both so I obviously did. I removed probably 40% of the foliage with the majority coming from one large cut on a branch that was about 5 feet long. I know you are not really supposed to remove that much of a juniper at once but what they're being so few roots even with what I have removed I have a hard time believing that they will be able to support all the foliage. So my question is which is the Lesser of the two evils? I feel like I need to remove more of the foliage to even out what has been removed from the roots and foliage but then I also know that I shouldn't remove that much. Any help would be greatly appreciate it!

 

[Dav4]

Leave the canopy as is, 100 % Pumice for soil, mostly shade until shoot tips green up, don’t water the soil much but mist the foliage multiple times a day, cross your fingers but don’t hold your breath. Good luck!

 

[JosephCooper]

Would be cool if you kept the drooping in the branches, unless the drooping means it's unhealthy

 

[Bonsaihead]

Leave the canopy as is, 100 % Pumice for soil, mostly shade until shoot tips green up, don’t water the soil much but mist the foliage multiple times a day, cross your fingers but don’t hold your breath. Good luck!

Thanks for the quick reply it's probably a little late for the pumice considering I already potted it. I put it in half lightweight potting soil and half perlite. I will avoid watering it much and I have already started the process of misting often. Do you think I should remove the berries?

 

[Bonsaihead]

Would be cool if you kept the drooping in the branches, unless the drooping means it's unhealthy

I think the droopiness is because of the obvious recent transplant and it's also a drastically new planting angle. This side that's full of foliage used to be the top

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Don’t remove any more foliage, you need what’s left to regrow the roots. Remember, a tree with no roots or foliage is just a log ?. The concept of “balancing” the foliage and the roots does not apply to a juniper nearly as much as to deciduous species for example. Generally keeping more foliage on junipers if you know you’re going to be losing a fair amount a root is a good idea because it can help your roots recover faster. You just have to make sure you protect to foliage from wind/sun and mist it etc.

 

[Dav4]

You can remove the berries.

 

[Bonsaihead]

You can remove the berries.

OK cool I just figured they would just draw moisture. Even though it's not in pumice I shouldn't leave it in its current medium, correct?

 

[Bonsaihead]

Should*

 

[Dav4]

I’d remove it if you had access to the right medium… Pumice. If not, I’d let it be.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

If the local nurseries don’t have pumice check hydroponics stores, they use if for substrate.

 

[Bonsaihead]

The ace down the street actually carries it. I was just concerned of pulling it back out and doing another repot now would just stress it out even more and sever the thread that it's hanging on by

 

[Dav4]

The ace down the street actually carries it. I was just concerned of pulling it back out and doing another repot now would just stress it out even more and sever the thread that it's hanging on by

If you only collected it with in the last several days, you can repot it safely now. Wait a week or more and you may be stressing it out further.

 

[Bonsaihead]

I mean we are talking a very tiny amount of root tips. Very. I could probably fit them into a 4-inch pot lol

 

[Bonsaihead]

If you only collected it with in the last several days, you can repot at Safely now. Wait a week or more and you may be stressing it out further.

Oh OK heard! Thanks! I guess ace it is. AGAIN... Was just there to buy soil and petite lol oh well you live qnd you learn. So is pumise the way to go with all freshly collected martial? Or is that just a conifer thing?

 

[Dav4]

Oh OK heard! Thanks! I guess ace it is. AGAIN... Was just there to buy soil and petite lol oh well you live qnd you learn. So is pumise the way to go with all freshly collected martial? Or is that just a conifer thing?

It’s the go to soil medium for collected conifers out west and really seems to foster great root growth. I suspect it would be too dry for deciduous trees as a rule.

 

[Bonsaihead]

OK so last two questions, promise. Lol first does anyone know what type of juniper this is? Second, what about the pale, almost grayish foliage that's been up under the thick mats of fresh foliageShould I leave that alone as well or is it not serving any purpose and should be removed? Just want to make sure I'm being as thorough as possible considering the odds are so far against me. Thanks in advance

 

[thomas22]

OK so last two questions, promise. Lol first does anyone know what type of juniper this is? Second, what about the pale, almost grayish foliage that's been up under the thick mats of fresh foliage

Kind of looks like Hollywood Juniper to me. The greyish foliage is the foliage not receiving enough sun.

 

[Bonsaihead]

Yeah I know it's due to lack of sun but I'm wondering though if at this point is it actually providing anything to the tree or is it just pulling nutrients away from the healthy foliage