Juniper Yamadori

[Nor Cal AC]

Don’t change anything. It has green growing tips to work with, and it will shed some foliage along the way. Bagging the foliage is a really bad idea.

I will post a more current picture after work. Nearly all of the foliage is now light green and very dry.

 

[Kodama]

Don’t change anything. It has green growing tips to work with, and it will shed some foliage along the way. Bagging the foliage is a really bad idea.

I still have alot to learn so wondering why this is not a good idea? I've seen it recommended in other cases but so many other nuances I'm respectfully curious.

 

[Bu-Jetjet]

It is in a 2 gallon black pot in 100% pumice. I feel like I should have left it in its native soil. I took it out of the humidity tray. This picture is two weeks old. It is much more crispy now.

Hey bud, if you say the photo is 2 weeks old, then it would probably be best to upload a most recent photo. I would take @Brian Van Fleet 's advice and not change anything. Pure pumice for collected materials (yamadori) is a proven recipe. There's a reason why renowned collectors (Randy Knight, BackCountry Guys) use it.
If you don't mind, I'm going to share some photos of my collected materials just so you know I also practice what I preach.




They are all in pure pumice. The dark stuff is misleading, but it's fertilizer.

 

[chicago1980]

It is in a 2 gallon black pot in 100% pumice. I feel like I should have left it in its native soil. I took it out of the humidity tray. This picture is two weeks old. It is much more crispy now.

Question:

You removed all the native soil and replaced with pumice?

Or kept the native soil and added pumice?

 

[Nor Cal AC]

I removed all soil, and put in straight pumice. As per suggestions.

 

[Bu-Jetjet]

I removed all soil, and put in straight pumice. As per suggestions.

Wait, wait, wait... did you bare root it? I could be wrong (I'll go back and read all the recommendations), but I don't think anyone told you to "remove all soil".
I know I suggested to put it in straight pumice (no other substrate like lava rock, akadama, organic mixes), but not remove all soil.

 

[NinjaHawk]

The hardest part of this website is who’s advice your gonna trust…

If Brian Van Fleet gives you advice - listen to it. That guy definitely knows bonsai and has the results to back it up.

 

[Nor Cal AC]

Well I just looked back at the comments. I asked if I should remove all dirt, no one answered. I thought they did. I screwed up big time!! I tested some branches, and there dry as a bone. Snapped with ease. I think it's a goner.

 

[chicago1980]

Well I just looked back at the comments. I asked if I should remove all dirt, no one answered. I thought they did. I screwed up big time!! I tested some branches, and there dry as a bone. Snapped with ease. I think it's a goner.

Bummer. Well it's a learning lesson. Collection of trees to become Bonsai is a learning process.

Most juniper species cannot be bare rooted when collected.

We most often pot the native soil into a container with pumice. The pumice will give an opportunity for new roots to grow at a faster rate. There are a lot of other details.

Enjoy and keep on with the learning and journey.

 

[rootpuma]

Yes. And repot it into a tight fitting container.

Collected Rocky Mountain Junipers repotting

Longtime followers of the blog may remember the post from May 2013, showing our potting method with some newly-collected rmj…which was basically stuffing them B&B into wooden boxes, and p…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

well if you go back to this post BVF said yes wash the soil out....so....he followed instructions.

 

[PaulH]

keeping the foliage moist all day is not in the cards.

I'm retired now. But when I was working I used a battery operated water timer to mist the collected trees every 4 hours. I lost very few. You were correct to put it in pumice but the key to survival is misting the foliage and not over watering the soil.

 

[PaulH]

Most juniper species cannot be bare rooted when collected.

WRONG. I always bare root collected junipers and pot in pumice. The key is misting and allowing new roots to grow. I have 80 -90 % survival on yamadori junipers.

 

[chicago1980]

WRONG. I always bare root collected junipers and pot in pumice. The key is misting and allowing new roots to grow. I have 80 -90 % survival on yamadori junipers.

I'll disagree that I am wrong. Seems you found a process that works for you. Same as I have found a process that works for me

 

[rockm]

well if you go back to this post BVF said yes wash the soil out....so....he followed instructions.

This looks to me like a landscape garden juniper or a San Jose juniper, both are Chinese juniper varieties. Both are notoriously hard to dig and transplant. Severing a major root on one is a death sentence (I had killed a few doing that). Repotting days after initial collection likely didn't help either. This looks like a rush to collect -- a practice that's usually fatal with conifers (I speak from long sad experiences). A gradual collection, half circle one year, partially severing the main root...backfill wait for new roots, then dig it up. Junipers and conifers can't be treated like deciduous species as what works for an elm or a hornbeam is fatal to a conifer.

Barerooting most any juniper is not the greatest thing to do--unless you have adequate aftercare--like a misting set-up and a specific shelter to put the tree in. Collected RMJ and other natives often bareroot themselves, but doesn't mean removing all native soil all at once is very common practice. It's not. I re-read the post, I didn't see anyone advise barerooting the tree. I saw advice on planting in pumice, which isn't the same thing...