Help with struggling juniper nursery stock

[Mwoodiwiss]



I got these five Rocky Mountain junipers saplings from a nursery clearance for really cheap. They are definitely struggling. I've dabbled in indoor bonsai but this is my first attempt at outdoor trees. I've repotted one and wired another one. they're in a really wet compost type soil and the roots are extremely dense. Could this be why they're struggling? To much moisture and the roots too dense? Should I repot all of them in a faster draining soil mix? What about pruning and shaping, should I hold of on that until they're healthier? Any advice on how to proceed is much appreciated.

I live in Boise Idaho.

 

[0soyoung]

In my experience, such deals are because the nursery personnel recognize that the soil is breaking down and that your problem is the first step toward an inevitable end if they don't a)sell it or b) up/re-pot it asap, So, YES, repotting them into a better draining mix is a logical thing to do. Roots need oxygen to grow and do their job. The air spaces in organic soils vanishes as the organics breakdown/decompose --> no air spaces for air to get to the roots. If the soil is saturated with water, the roots cannot get oxygen (they are drowning), Either way, roots are not getting oxygen and the plant is in serious trouble..

Lastly, I'll say that being 'pot/root bound' is rarely a problem. In fact most bonsai are maintained in this state because we really don't want vigorous growth - healthy, yes; vigorous, not so much. Drainage can get kinda slow in this state, but it isn't a worry IF the foliage is healthy green.

 

[Joe Dupre']

If the soil is really too wet, allow it to dry out some. Maybe run a chopstick into the soil in a couple of dozen places from soil surface to the bottom of the pot. That will allow more air in and promote drier soil. I would not subject them to repotting or heavy pruning in their weakened state. I've bought a lot of nursery stock and have never come across any with actual "bad" soil. "Too wet" can be controlled. "Pot bound" is not a pot full of roots, it's a pot so full of roots that water can't penetrate. I know you want to start doing "bonsai stuff" like repotting, but patience may do you better in this situation.

 

[bwaynef]

I'd hold off on anything else until you've repotted these trees. You'll have to be the judge of whether now's a good time, but I'd at LEAST consider repotting those trees if they were in my yard here, and I'd suspect potatoland is a little behind us. Then, hold off on fertilizer until you see signs of growth, and hold off on working them until you see signs of vigor.

You didn't ask, but the one you've bent needs more bend in the lower section of the tree, ...when its ready to be worked.

 

[Mwoodiwiss]

I repotted all but two. On those two, I teased the roots just a little and added bonsai soil under and on top of the root mass. I’m worried I may have removed too much soil from the ones I repotted though. Time will tell I guess.

@bwaynef The tree that is bent has a big scar halfway up the straight section with a little exposed deadwood. I was worried about snapping the deadwood and the rest of the trunk. Should I worry about that when I restyle it next year?