I bit off way more then I can chew...buttttt

GnoMercy

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Ok so I bit off way more then I can chew...

Long story short...wife wanted a juniper gone...it needs to go cause when we put a pool in it’ll get taken out by the equipment needed for the pool...so it’s getting trashed... it’s prob original to the house in 92....so I was going to take it out next year...we moved up the timeline and probably getting the pool next month ish. Or this summer. Sooooo it needed to come out now or be trashed.....

Sooo I dug it out tonight...I kept as much dirt around the ball as possible but it was all stupid long surface roots....but to late. It’s out. Placed in a 1/2 whiskey barrel back filled with well draining soil...

Is there anything else I can do to help it live. Or just keep fingers crossed and pray...i was going to prune it a bit but from what I understand the more green the more alive a juniper is....any help or advice I welcomed. Just know there’s no turning back now...

Think I should mix soil with whatever bonsai mix I have left (5-7gals worth). Or leave it. I plan on misting daily and it’s in 90% shade. Btw in Vegas and I know summers coming which is why I pulled the trigger now.
 

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defra

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Misting allot is good for aftercare and the aftercare is crucial to this plant's survival
Some reduction (no more than 20%?)of the foliage might help since it lost roots it will probably have a hard time getting moisture to all of the foliage

Does the barrel have holes in the botom?
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Damn, talk about misleading titles.. Chewing butts.. I thought I'd drop in and learn some new bedroom techniques!

Anyhow, I agree with defra apart from removing foliage. As far as I know junipers - and I don't know jack shit about junipers but I have 6 of them doing pretty well - they're quite indestructible until you start removing foliage.
The foliage is needed to provide food, "life juices" and whatever roots need to bounce back. In other plants, it would be a wise decision to reduce foliage mass after taking cuttings or heavy root work, for junipers - again, I'm talking from what I've read online, not actual experience - there was this thing about the foliage being the only stuff that is keeping the roots and trunk alive.
So cutting it off would sound to me as counterproductive.

What's your take on that @defra ?
I'd like to know your reasoning behind this, maybe I'll learn something new.
 

defra

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Damn, talk about misleading titles.. Chewing butts.. I thought I'd drop in and learn some new bedroom techniques!

Anyhow, I agree with defra apart from removing foliage. As far as I know junipers - and I don't know jack shit about junipers but I have 6 of them doing pretty well - they're quite indestructible until you start removing foliage.
The foliage is needed to provide food, "life juices" and whatever roots need to bounce back. In other plants, it would be a wise decision to reduce foliage mass after taking cuttings or heavy root work, for junipers - again, I'm talking from what I've read online, not actual experience - there was this thing about the foliage being the only stuff that is keeping the roots and trunk alive.
So cutting it off would sound to me as counterproductive.

What's your take on that @defra ?
I'd like to know your reasoning behind this, maybe I'll learn something new.

I agree on the fact that the foliage is important on junipers.

Digging up a tree mostly means allot of roots are lost and reading that it had only long surface roots suggests that it indeed lost probably allot of the roots.

Misting allot and a shadowy and wind free place will help the tree to sustain the moisture level.
but still the roots will play a big part in this too even with juniperus.!
Im no "expert" but
IMO
its safe to remove about 20% green to help the left over roots to sustain the rest of the 80% foliage
at the same time the tree will be opened up some so the light and air will get trough the foliage keeping the (for future styling) important inner parts of the foliage healthy.

Its not my tree but this is how i would work!
 

GnoMercy

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So it’s way way to heavy to move. It’s in its resting place for the next year. I have been misting folage at night trying to keep the soil dryish so we’ll see. Honestly it’s huge and tbh the rootball is 21” inch wide by like 4 inch deep. If it lives it’ll be a masterpiece someday. Lol. I hope...honestly first step I just hope it lives...
 

GnoMercy

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Thanks for the replies I haven’t cut anything yet, I just might clear some of the little limbs out that are leggy and not up the right taper
 

Bonsai Nut

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Keep it out of direct sun completely until you see new growth. This could mean keep it under shade cloth through the entire summer. Do not put it out in Nevada sun until you see bright green tips that are at least 1/2" long or you'll fry it.

Consider building a humidity tent around it. I would not reduce foliage, but instead reduce the NEED for water (and roots) by keeping it in a humid environment (ie humidity tent). This is standard procedure for people collecting California junipers from the high desert.
 

leatherback

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Last week we had a big discussion at a workshop about late repotting junipers and proper aftercare when it is hot. We have had some odd springs the last few years. We would get crazy fast temperature changes and very dry weather where we would flip from deep frost to 90+c in a week and no rain in the first weeks of spring, causing huge problems in repotting. This might be related..

Junipers can take care of ~50% of their water needs though their foliage. So make sure the foliage gets nice and moist frequently and focus especially the underside of the foliage (At that nursery they would place critical specimen near a waterfeature in a pond in the spray or in a "recovery shed": out of the wind with filtered sunlight. It does need light, but wind & direct hot sun are killers. If you cannot shade, use only the early morning light when everything (including the air) is still moist from the night time dew. In the shed they would spray every 2 hours during the day. They never lost a juniper with this method. And yes. Keep the soil from going soaking wet, and do not remove foliage. The foliage is the starter engine needed to get the roots going. Also, use a bit of foliage fertilizer (It is appearently a specific type of fertilizer; I never understood the exact difference though) during the recovery, but not too often or in high concentrations.
 

Bonsai Nut

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Does the continue high humidity due the misting and shade dont cause fungal problems if the air cant get trough to the inner parts of the foliage?

It is something you need to watch for, but generally I haven't had a problem.

If I am transplanting junipers in landscape, I actually wrap the foliage in a single layer of burlap which I set up to get sprayed twice per day with a timed sprinkler. It looks like a brown ball, but I have had 100% success moving big junipers this way (4'+ foliage balls).
 

River's Edge

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Thanks for the replies I haven’t cut anything yet, I just might clear some of the little limbs out that are leggy and not up the right taper
The more foliage you keep the better chance the juniper has. As others have noted the aftercare for humidity is very important. There will be plenty of time to reduce unwanted branches and or Crete Jin. The foliage creates the hormone and fuel to repair the roots. Every lit bit helps with conifers.
 

GnoMercy

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Been misting every morning and night....covered in burlap but I think it’s dying....or dead ??
 

leatherback

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Odd. Could it be that you handles the foliage during extraction? As said, dying of juniperus is usually a long and windy road, certainly is the foliage is kept moist.
 

Potawatomi13

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You are aware you live in desert? All of H20 wasted on personal comfort of pool is stolen from and destroys natural desert environment and all that lives there?
 
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