New Old Juniper!

[Pals_id]

Well, I bit the bullet and probably spent more than I should have on this tree, but I saw it at a local nursery that does bonsai and just had to have it after thinking it over for a few days. It has some issues, the deadwood is rotting at the base and it needs to gain some strength.. I root pruned it, pruned the branches back to hopefully encourage back budding and then I stuck it in the ground. Here are some shots of how it was when I purchased it and one of it in the ground.







Hope it makes it!

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Awesome trunk. I'm hoping it makes it as well as I think you've made some serious mistakes. The more experienced will chime in.

 

[Pals_id]

Awesome trunk. I'm hoping it makes it as well as I think you've made some serious mistakes. The more experienced will chime in.

What would those mistskes be? I think it was essential to get it out of the pot, as it was root bound and really needs room to grow for a season or two.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

You're likely right about it being rootbound, but I'm not so sure planting in the ground was a great idea. Pruning the branches certainly weakened the tree futher than it already was.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I wouldn't have done that. Instead, I would've scraped the top inch of soil out and top-dressed it with some fresh, coarse soil. This would have bought you the time needed until it's time to repot it into good soil next spring.

This tree has a great trunk, but by the foliage, is incredibly weak. This means the roots won't be pulling a lot of moisture from the ground, and it's likely to stay wet...leading to root rot.

How much did you disturb the roots? If not much, I'd move it back to a bonsai pot, keeping the root ball intact as possible, and pack new, inorganic soil around the sides and top. Then feed every 5-7 days with fish emulsion.

Something to read and consider:
https://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/shimpaku-health/

 

[klosi]

If the tree was weak maybe you should not prune and remove the branches.
Also not sure what repoting this time of year will do for this tree. Can anyone please share some thoughts?
Mist it few times a day. Hope it will get better soon, it looks real nice

Fish what? What is this you speak of BVF? never heard of it...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yes, too late to repot. In MI, I suspect late April is better.
Yes, too much foliage removed. What grows should be allowed to stay this year.
Yes, misting several times a day (trunk and foliage) may help.
Fish emulsion:

 

[justBonsai]

Though I'm no expert I repotted the same foemina juniper twice slightly late in the season because I made a mistake the first time repotting. Initially I replaced the old soil with an almost purely organic mix. Given that the tree wasn't in the best health the soil medium would be too damp. What I did 2 weeks later was remove the plant, knocked off all of the outer soil and kept the soil mass that was clinging to the roots. Then I replaced everything else with a good quality bonsai soil blend I made myself. From the formation of buds and lots of growth of recent the 2 repottings did not significantly affect the health of the tree. That said I did not remove anything other than dry or dying branches. I kept about 70% of the foliage which I will later prune after it extends a bit. Maybe you too can repot your juniper a second time while being very careful not to disturb the root mass and use a good inorganic mix. Though I don't know if the tree could handle the stress.

 

[sorce]

Man. I really do like that trunk too!

I'm in for you got this....

Maybe a Pond Basket, if you can't jam it in a Bonsai Pot again without pissing it off.

I figured a nice trunk cleaning and some TLC, right hard to bend over so far to tend that beauty!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

I would have just slip potted it into a collander or something similar for this year. I would have just left the foliage alone.
Nice tree. Let's hope it will be ok.

 

[klosi]

Hmm I don't think we have this fish stuff here. Or I never heard of it (more probable).
Anyway, I hope the tree will bo Ok. Keep us updated, I would like to see this develop into a great tree.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

In Europe, you should find it, or you can order online. I've used it a few years ago, having not enough experience it was at that time not obvious for me it does something. I might try it again sometimes.
For the juniper: especially for junipers the foliage is the motor of the tree. Repotting late is not the best thing to do but depending on the thing you done with the roots it will thrive. Keep in mind that ground growing has only a significant impact if you can leave your tree there for 2 or 3 years. Be careful cutting so many branches. It will be all or nothing, depending on the reserves it had.
Fingers crossed. Nice trunk by the way.