Juniperus Oxycedrus sub. Deltoides

[Treelord]

The other day i collected this very old juniper from private land that has had its trunk snapped down low, a rear branch with a bit of foliage, and an abundance of backbuds everywhere. I managed to get a few fine feeder roots, but i had to cut some very thick ones.
I put it in pumice, and in a sheltered spot. I dont know how this species reacts after collection, and if the root mass i secured is enough/ root regeneration is enough- i hope it survives

I have read about the species that its extremely drought resistant, it can handle almost total root loss, and it backbuds from ANYWHERE even the oldest wood, so its very easy to build branches from nothing.
This is a deltoides, which has shorter, more bright green needles than oxycedrus.

All these traits make it very valuable for bonsai, and i would like to know why i cant find anyone else dealing with this species? Am i missing something here? Will it just die like Juniperus Communis do?


A few 'resources' i have scrutinized state that Mediterranean Junipers almost never survive digging up because they have a long taproot(this one did not), designed to help them survive dry hot summers, and that they dont do well in pot culture or root regeneration- but i suspect these 'resources' state that because they want to discourage people from digging up public property from the heat-afflicted Mediterranean flora. While i agree conservation is a must, i believe one does what one wants in privately owned land. I am simply looking for information, not moral posturing so please refrain from discussing ethics.


Any info on this subject(Juniperus Oxycedrus/Deltoides/Eastern Prickly Juniper) or relevant hot climate/Mediterranean Juniper Yamadori would be helpful.


on the photo maybe you cant see it but there are buds everywhere in the top, and some down low just above soil level(it literally backbuds anywhere)
Apologies for the AI background

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I am completely unfamiliar with the species, but it looks very interesting! I hope it survives!

 

[akillas]

I have several of these in training. They are amazing for bonsai.

They regenerate like crazy, so foliage and root damage means nothing to them if the reduction happened at the right time. The needles are already shorter than other needle juniper species, and they reduce even more with standard bonsai techniques, and you are right they do backbud from anywhere quite aggressively. In fact one of my main activities with this species is scraping off buds. They can form very dense pads or clouds of foliage, and the wood has this amazing brown beige after you clean that flaky outer peel. You have a very old one there, they thicken extremely slow. I would venture more than 100yo

The reason you find no information online as a bonsai is because people assume it behaves similar to communis Jun. but its a totally different scenario, and its also quite specific (deltoides is mostly in Greece, where bonsai is nearly not existent)

If you dont water log it it can survive pretty much anything, its an amazing species and i think an improvement on the Tosho juniper. I think once people discover them they will get a lot of traction..

Have fun with it!

 

[akillas]

Here is one of mine after some work