Collected RMJ from Western CO

Colorado Josh

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This is a Rocky Mountain Juniper that I spotted about 3 weeks ago in Western Colorado at an elevation of 8600ft on private land. It was in decomposing granite in a rock pocket with 3 large rocks guarding it. Temperatures had been in the high 60s and mid 30s at night. We had a little bit of rain, but not much the past week. When I found it I wasn't quite ready to collect, and of course the moon was in the wrong phase (if you believe in that stuff).

On Saturday morning I went back and soaked it with a good gallon of water or so. Sunday morning I was ready for the procedure with tools in hand. I removed the 3 guard rocks, each weighing a good 35lbs and several smaller rocks around the root ball. I was surprised to find that this tree was literally sitting in a basin about 20"x20"x10". I ended up cutting on larger root 3/4",that dove into a small adjacent basin. After about an hour, I was able to free the beast from it's previous home. The hardest part was maneuvering myself on the small ledge that the tree was located on. When I finally had it wrapped it weighed a solid 40lbs. That sucked getting it off the mountain! I had never seen humus so tightly packed. The root ball was so intact and did not fall apart at all. I'm guessing I got about 75% of the root mass.

I have been very nervous about collecting larger specimens because I have certainly lost a few. Over the past 2 years I collected a couple of smaller RMJs that have since thrived once I got them home. I felt comfortable that I could provide the care that this tree would need. It's hard to tell how old it is, but judging by the thickness of the main trunk (3.5") it could be well over 100 years old, given the climactic conditions it was living in.

From collection to in the box was about 8 hours. It is now living in pumice and bark. It gets incredibly dry here in Western Colorado, and i have found that including a good dose of bark helps with moisture retention.

This is my first big collection, and I am still quite nervous about it. I couldn't sleep last night. I have read Walter Palls collection blogs, read and listened to everything I could find by Todd Schafer, Backcountry Boys, and Larry Jackel. If anybody has any tips from their personal experience with RMJ I would greatly appreciate it. I have heard conflicting reports about when to put it in full sun and when to give it it's first fertilizing.

Thanks for listening to my trip report!_DSF6177.jpg_DSF6186.jpg_DSF6183.jpg_DSF6185.jpg20200516_110813.jpg20200516_110159.jpg
 
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misfit11

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Nice. Congratulations! It sounds like you've done your homework and provided it with the best possible chances for survival. You didn't mention it but I'm sure you know that most collectors keep them in the shade and must frequently.

Nice material and nice work 👌
 

Colorado Josh

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Nice. Congratulations! It sounds like you've done your homework and provided it with the best possible chances for survival. You didn't mention it but I'm sure you know that most collectors keep them in the shade and must frequently.

Nice material and nice work 👌
Thanks. I had it in partial shade today on a stand. But of course we went into a red flag warning today while I was at work. It was a hot dry wind! It has since been moved to a shady location that mists the foliage 3 times a day.
 

Colorado Josh

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One concern that I do have, is that the box is reused. Im afraid that it may be too big. I would say it's a probably 3" too long and 3" too deep. I was so freaking tired when i got home last night. I guess I could just remove some of the pumice to make the soil level more shallow. Would you suggest that I build a new box. Im only one day since transplant.
 

Colorado

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Not trying to be an a-hole, but is it really that hard to build a good box when you collect a new tree? If you have some 1-bys on hand, circular saw, and the appropriate screws it takes maybe 10 minutes.

Seems to me that is just a part of collecting.

that said, current box looks fine for 2 years.
 

Potawatomi13

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Not trying to be an a-hole, but is it really that hard to build a good box when you collect a new tree? If you have some 1-bys on hand, circular saw, and the appropriate screws it takes maybe 10 minutes.

Seems to me that is just a part of collecting.

that said, current box looks fine for 2 years.
.
Then DON'T be one! Box is better than place it had🧐.
 
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@Colorado Josh that is a great RMJ with some interesting deadwood. Exciting right! I bet it will thrive for you but one major recommendation for next is your box is probably too big. It will be harder for the tree to properly dry out the soil and too high of a moisture content is likely, I would try keeping the box on an angle for faster draining. The box size issue is huge in my experience.

GREAT TREE, just make sure it does not stay too wet. Keep us posted!
 

Bonsai Nut

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If anybody has any tips from their personal experience with RMJ I would greatly appreciate it.

Here's a couple of tips from folks who collect California juniper from the high desert. I assume this would apply to collected RMJ(?)

(1) When the roots are compromised, you have to protect the tree by reducing transpiration. Some folks swear by humidity tents, others by misters. I tend to prefer humidity tents because we occasionally have fungus problems with junipers in SoCal.
(2) Light is critical - but you can't bake the tree. Morning sun with afternoon bright indirect lighting seems to work best. If you have your tree in a humidity tent you have to watch temps closely. Do not let any part of the humidity tent touch tree foliage.
(3) Watch the tree for signs of when to move into full sun. You are looking for healthy new growth in the foliage - which usually indicates the same is happening below the soil. Start uncovering your tree in late afternoon and leave it uncovered until the following late morning, at which point you want to protect it during the heat of the day.
(4) Do not fertilize at all until you see new growth. Be really careful to not over-fertilize and stress/burn new roots.
(5) Do not wire or prune the tree for at least a full season.
 
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