JUNIPER Ant Infestation / Bare Root?

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Posted a little while back about a larger nursery stock with some possible blight issues, lighter green foliage and noticed tons of ants in soil when removed from pot...should I completely bare root? What COA would you take?

plant seems to be on the outs, can't really hurt...
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Bare rooted as much as I can have it down in a pot in shade under deck until I get back this afternoon. There are just endless thick matted clumps of roots, can those be mostly removed or will that kill it? I have many large cacti and have always bare rooted with never a death, but looking to you more experienced juniper heads. Thanks!20220522_093252.jpg
 

Dav4

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Hmmmm, you're asking for advice about something you've already done? Well, I personally wouldn't have bare rooted a juniper in late may during a heat wave :oops: . Junipers are tough and can tolerate bare rooting, but I don't think you could have picked a worse time to do it. Also, I doubt the ants were causing any health issues with the tree, though I will say the old soil looked pretty "muddy" so a better soil will hopefully help. If this tree had been in my care,and assuming I couldn't re-pot it a month ago, I would have sawn off the bottom half of the root ball, then used chop sticks to remove as much of the poor soil/ants from the exterior of the root ball, then put back into a nursery can with better soil, then back out on the bench. Anyway, in bonsai, timing and proper technique is important... fingers crossed your tree does well.
 

Japonicus

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plant seems to be on the outs, can't really hurt...
Remember next time, this is not an accurate statement.

Daves advice is spot on. I prefer late April to early May myself to pot and repot juniper.
However, if a juniper is not healthy, potting it up or repotting can kill the plant in some instances.
This will benefit from frequent misting, but don’t let the roots stay wet, nor dry out too much.
 
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I totally get it. I'm risking it and to keep that's all a part of learning, though not in all cases. I've already considered ousting this plant so here's to experimenting...
 

yashu

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When ants are present and you have blight like symptoms it’s often pertinent look for and then treat aphids as all go hand in hand.
 
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I just repotted it and am going to see how it lasts. I couldn't 1000% bare root as heat and time were a factor, so just glad to get a bit of fresh soil in there. Soil mix wasn't even ideal, should test the limits of the species perhaps. A bit sacrilegious in this arena, but life's not always perfect.
 
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Ordered 20QT of pumice today to amend this plant in a couple days. Does anybody think there will be any quick noticeable signs of improvement or decline?
 
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Wanted to share an update. Seems greener, lusher, and some new growth opening up. Waiting on some pumice today to amend soil a bit further. 20220524_084646.jpg20220524_084702.jpg20220524_084720.jpg
 
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Listen, I understand it sounds Loco. 🀣 Based on the awful soil condition I found like compacted mud, severely degraded fertilizer pellets and the ants holed up inside, perhaps some o2, fresh fertilizer and soil made it happy. It did have new buds all around, but they were staying closed, and to me, in a very green opinion, the amount of growth for the size plant in spring didn't seem very great. It's an experiment plant and I have another I bought the same day, same 5G pot, still in the old crap soil. If this one does better it'll at least be a good sign to me.

I'm not saying it's a miracle plant, but yes it looks happier-- and a little rain πŸ’§ never hurts!
 

LanceMac10

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If it makes you feel any better @We're all Mad Here...🎩 a well known nursery in my area just had a Juniper workshop last weekend.

Note, I'm far north of your location. Colder climates start re-potting deciduous early April thru various species until you round it off with the last Junipers.....


.......it's a Juniper, tough and can take an "ill-timed" re-pot.
 
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If it makes you feel any better @We're all Mad Here...🎩 a well known nursery in my area just had a Juniper workshop last weekend.

Note, I'm far north of your location. Colder climates start re-potting deciduous early April thru various species until you round it off with the last Junipers.....


.......it's a Juniper, tough and can take an "ill-timed" re-pot.
Thanks, I have high hopes for this one! Hate to keep referencing my cactus collection, but I've bare rooted more than 20 at a time to treat for mealybugs and they've kept on kicking. Yes, different worlds, but I enjoy seeing just how plants will go, that way it can at times be easier to build up from that platform. Bonsai is new for me and while it's been hard, I am doing pretty well with growing them out in normal soil to strengthen them, rather than chopping them all to hell. It's allowed me to better understand and learn more about that species as a "normal" tree first, and not just a trained one right away.

Cheers and thanks for the kind words and insight!
 
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