Utah Juniper

dalberti

Sapling
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32
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Location
St. George, Utah
USDA Zone
8a
Hey all,

A few days back a friend dug up a Utah Juniper on his property and gave it to me.

Since he was not going to do anything with it (obviously, since I have it), I figured I might as well try my hand at making it a Bonsai.

The first thing I did was place it in a mixture of Diatomaceous Earth, Perlite, and Bark.

I haven't really touched it at all in the past few days - I figured I'd just let it do its thing.

Should I size this sucker down right away? Heavy pruning way too early? From reading about collected trees, I figured I should let it grow and not attack it for a while.

The reason I'm posting is to ask what are some immediate things I should be worrying about. Any and all advice is welcome. If not - it's experimental and I'll try to do my best to keep this sucker alive and healthy.

Below are some pictures (it just rained here, a rare phenomenon in these parts ;) ):

Thanks everyone.
 

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0soyoung

Imperial Masterpiece
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Anacortes, WA (AHS heat zone 1)
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8b
IMHO, roots are the first order of business. Roots are built from stuff made and supplied by the foliage, so
  • don't remove any foliage
The air is dry in your climate. The existing roots may not be able to keep up with the water demand, which means you may loose foliage (dessication).
  • mist the foliage several times a day,
especially during the afternoon when it is hottest and the air is driest.

If you start to see yellowing tips,
  • move it from full to part sun and mist more often
If it doesn't perk up
  • make a humidity 'tent' for it (ala rooting cuttings)

Then, start 'sizing this sucker' next season (if it is alive).
 

Adair M

Pinus Envy
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NEGeorgia
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Do what osoyoung said. Otherwise, leave it alone for a year.
 

dalberti

Sapling
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Location
St. George, Utah
USDA Zone
8a
Wow, Osoyoung, thanks so much for the advice. The reason I'm hopeful is that these trees grow all over this area - so it should be good in the heat. I'll be sure to mist it in the hottest part of the day.

Hopefully it survives the potting. That will be the true test I suppose.

Thanks guys..
 

KennedyMarx

Omono
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Nice find. If you get it to survive it could end up being a cool tree. I would have used a lot more perlite if it were me collecting it. I've been using perlite as a cheap replacement for pumice this year and it's been working well.
 

dalberti

Sapling
Messages
32
Reaction score
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Location
St. George, Utah
USDA Zone
8a
Nice find. If you get it to survive it could end up being a cool tree. I would have used a lot more perlite if it were me collecting it. I've been using perlite as a cheap replacement for pumice this year and it's been working well.

Thanks, I was very excited for the opportunity! I've been doing quite a bit of research on the inorganic soil to use for collected trees and all I know is that there are hundreds of opinions. I hope the mixture I put in will be sufficient. Thanks for the advice.
 
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