Hello! First Post and New User: Questions about the future of my blue rug juniper

[FirstArchetype]

Hello!

I found this community today, and it seems really kind and helpful. I used to graft and grow japanese maples with my family, but I've been out of practice for a while and I've never done anything with bonsai. I am starting to get my hands dirty with it, so I thought I'd ask for advice and opinions.

I've attached a photo of my blue rug juniper. I am waiting to see what happens to it. It is trimmed to about half its original size, but to get it in the container I trimmed nearly 1/2 to 2/3 of the roots. I hope it does not die from root shock. It's been about a week since the transplant.

The bark looks a little flakier than usual, but I can tell if that's because of the transplant, because of the grow lights (I'm keeping it in my office), or some combo of both. Any thoughts on its current state as well as my proposed growth plan? Is it too ambitious?

 

[Cypress187]

It looks great for an indoor juniper, nice schematics and planning also, welcome to the forum!

 

[_#1_]

I used to graft and grow japanese maples with my family

Indoors or outside? I'm curious

The bark looks a little flakier than usual, but I can tell if that's because of the transplant, because of the grow lights (I'm keeping it in my office), or some combo of both.

It might be dying or dead...

 

[FirstArchetype]

Indoors or outside? I'm curious

Outdoors. We have a few greenhouses on a couple acres of land

It might be dying or dead...

That was my fear, though I thought I'd have seen a lot more indications of it dying. There's been no symptoms in the young growth, but I do know I trimmed the roots a little aggressively for a Juniper. I really hope it will survive.
Here's a shot of the bark:

 

[A. Gorilla]

This should answer ALL your questions, chief.

 

[FirstArchetype]

It looks great for an indoor juniper, nice schematics and planning also, welcome to the forum!

Thanks! I appreciate it!

 

[TN_Jim]

Hey FirstArchtype, you certainly came to the right place. However, you should prepare for some blunt advice, because that’s likely what this tree needs.

Right now, you should think of it like it’s in the ICU at the hospital, and you’re waiting for the doc to come tell you how bad it is....I’m not that person. I’m like the guy with the jello cart...

Still tho, first thoughts..

plants don’t like to be moved around a lot

I’ve yet to hear any positive things about keeping a conifer indoors...lights or not

Winter + heavy work is biggest problem...because it needs to be outside, and survive those fast approaching freeze/thaws following the work done...

I’m curious to hear experienced advice...if I had none...in your position , i’d mulch it high right up against the house out of the wind...mist foliage on warm days...

thanks

 

[TN_Jim]

This should answer ALL your questions, chief.

damn...I can see my breath up in this piece

 

[FirstArchetype]

Hey FirstArchtype, you certainly came to the right place. However, you should prepare for some blunt advice, because that’s likely what this tree needs.

Right now, you should think of it like it’s in the ICU at the hospital, and you’re waiting for the doc to come tell you how bad it is....I’m not that person. I’m like the guy with the jello cart...
Still tho, first thoughts..
plants don’t like to be moved around a lot
I’ve yet to hear any positive things about keeping a conifer indoors...lights or not
Winter + heavy work is biggest problem...because it needs to be outside, and survive those fast approaching freeze/thaws following the work done...
I’m curious to hear experienced advice...if I had none...in your position , i’d mulch it high right up against the house out of the wind...mist foliage on warm days...
thanks

Thank so much for your post. Right now I give it 6-7 hours of artificial (direct) sunlight each day. My hopes is that by keeping it in a place with a better-regulated temperature, I can avoid the issue of winter weather taking it out.

Yeah, I also got a little excited and did some heavy pruning in the wrong season.

 

[TN_Jim]

Thank so much for your post. Right now I give it 6-7 hours of artificial (direct) sunlight each day. My hopes is that by keeping it in a place with a better-regulated temperature, I can avoid the issue of winter weather taking it out.

Yeah, I also got a little excited and did some heavy pruning in the wrong season.

Good luck homie...if you insist on keeping inside, I’d mist the shit out of that foliage and keep that light on...it don’t use CAM photosynthesis -light (your artificial) is way more important than dark here

 

[FirstArchetype]

Good luck homie...if you insist on keeping inside, I’d mist the shit out of that foliage and keep that light on...it don’t use CAM photosynthesis -light (your artificial) is way more important than dark here

Thanks man! Really appreciated. I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Shinjuku]

I’m like the guy with the jello cart...

Funniest thing that I’ve read this week!

I’ve yet to hear any positive things about keeping a conifer indoors...lights or not

Winter + heavy work is biggest problem...because it needs to be outside, and survive those fast approaching freeze/thaws following the work done...

Listen to the man serving you Jello.

“Kindly let me help you or you will drown,” said the monkey putting the fish safely up in a tree.

“Kindly let me help you or you will die,” said the person putting the juniper safely indoors under a few hours of grow lights.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@FirstArchetype - first, welcome to the forum. I'm one of the old farts here. I don't always get the humor, so I don't know if you realized that the video @A. Gorilla posted for you was meant as a joke, or rather it was a video that we all laugh at for its...........oh I can't even begin to tell you how bad that video is. I think you got it, but I'm over explaining, just in case you thought the video was to be taken seriously.

So you were a Japanese maple grafter. Well, you should know that growing a juniper indoors is likely to be less successful than growing a Japanese maple indoors.

Blue rug juniper is Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Rug' is hardy to zone 3b or 4a, it originally was a wild collected clone of J. horizontalis found on a rocky shoreline near Bar Harbor. Maine. They really need a cold winter rest. The usual ''Indoor Juniper'' is Juniperus procumbens, which is a juniper from more sub-tropical climates, like Taiwan. Juniperus procumbens the only Juniper that has a small chance of surviving indoors. Most of the others turn crispy pretty quick. Blue rug is much more winter hardy than the post by @TN_Jim , I'm north of Chicago, I take my J. horizontalis, J 'Itogawa', and J chinensis 'Kishu' and simply set their pots on the ground, and walk away for the winter. They get sun, cold, wind and snow down to -17 F (-32 C ) and bounce right back in spring all the stronger.

Because of the heavy pruning, perhaps set it in one of the greenhouses you winter Japanese maples in. Cool, but not total artic blast. Anything under 40 F in the daytime, and maybe above 28 F at night and it should be fine.

Next year, do all your hard pruning after the summer solstice. and finish all your heavy work at least 12 weeks before average first frost and you will be able to keep it outdoors all winter. Likely can keep it on your patio table. because Raleigh NC is so much warmer than Chicago or Maine. Wiring and light pruning (less than 10% of foliage) are okay for late autumn, and over the winter, but no heavy pruning.

 

[Iowa newbie]

I’m not that person. I’m like the guy with the jello cart...

 

[Smoke]

This should answer ALL your questions, chief.

This was the video I started with on my journey. I have found that cutting every fourth stem is a much better option. The wire technique is proper although she kind of skimps a little towards the end. I always like to get two wraps of wire around the main clump of branches before I wrap it around the entire tree in order to compact it. She is correct as the wire techniques have been around two thousand years as she tells us early in the video.
I can really appreciate the proper enunciation of the word BONEsigh. It really sells it.

Not many will catch it but the best piece of advice is given at the end when she talks about the "flat wave technique" for finishing the apex!

All that and pretty sexy too!!

 

[coh]

This was the video I started with on my journey. I have found that cutting every fourth stem is a much better option. The wire technique is proper although she kind of skimps a little towards the end. I always like to get two wraps of wire around the main clump of branches before I wrap it around the entire tree in order to compact it. She is correct as the wire techniques have been around two thousand years as she tells us early in the video.
I can really appreciate the proper enunciation of the word BONEsigh. It really sells it.

Not many will catch it but the best piece of advice is given at the end when she talks about the "flat wave technique" for finishing the apex!

All that and pretty sexy too!!

Can't argue with the result - that's an incredibly beautiful BONEsigh! I'm sold.