Yamadori Rocky Mountain Juniper

It's not as healthy as others I've seen. It's not on the verge of death, but it's not as vigorous it could be.
 
Dave, until I started going to Boon's I hadn't seen very many of the yamadori junipers. I had no idea what they were like. And there's so many: Sierra, California, Utah, Rocky Mountain, Western, to name a few.

At the workshops, the local guys bring in the collected trees they still have in boxes. Every one of them uses straight pumice on newly collected trees. Larger particles than Drystall. And they're getting great growth. They put them in Boon mix to slow them down!

So... Based on that, I recommend a dryer soil mix.
 
Adair M said:
It's not as healthy as others I've seen. It's not on the verge of death, but it's not as vigorous it could be.
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Adair, I'm not going to get into another soil debate on this one. Unless you can show me a large group of ancient RMJs grown in a climate similar to Atlanta's, at a latitude similar to Atlanta's, where the trees get full sun from 11 am to 3-4 pm (what this tree has received for 7 years), that are fed and watered with the same ferts and municipal water...and they are consistently healthier in clay king...well then, you'll have an argument. There are too many variables. I owned this tree for 3 years before moving to GA...it threw runners almost a foot long up in MA. Down here, I'm lucky to get 4 to 6 " of growth. It's a rust magnet here, too. Is it the heat, the lack of cold, the sun, the humidity, the increased ramification....I don't know and it doesn't really matter to me as long as the tree is healthy enough to work, which it is. If I could pick one thing, including soil, that I would change, that would be sun exposure, which I can't change. Fwiw, I am planning on eventually transitioning this one to Clay king or something similar...If I win the NBE best in show 3 years after I do so, dinner's on me.
 
Dav4 said:
Adair, I'm not going to get into another soil debate on this one. Unless you can show me a large group of ancient RMJs grown in a climate similar to Atlanta's, at a latitude similar to Atlanta's, where the trees get full sun from 11 am to 3-4 pm (what this tree has received for 7 years), that are fed and watered with the same ferts and municipal water...and they are consistently healthier in clay king...well then, you'll have an argument. There are too many variables. I owned this tree for 3 years before moving to GA...it threw runners almost a foot long up in MA. Down here, I'm lucky to get 4 to 6 " of growth. It's a rust magnet here, too. Is it the heat, the lack of cold, the sun, the humidity, the increased ramification....I don't know and it doesn't really matter to me as long as the tree is healthy enough to work, which it is. If I could pick one thing, including soil, that I would change, that would be sun exposure, which I can't change. Fwiw, I am planning on eventually transitioning this one to Clay king or something similar...If I win the NBE best in show 3 years after I do so, dinner's on me.
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Do I get to pick the restaurant? Lol!

I do hope you win! And you don't have to buy dinner.

No need for a war, we've both said our piece.

(Although, I do wonder how it would do in straight pumice?). I'm not saying this to argue, I'm just thinking out loud... Hmmm... I wonder if anyone has a RMJ we could experiment with? Put one next to Dave's big RMJ, but have it in straight pumice.

I'll see if I can find one!
 
Eric Group said:
Have you thought of shortening it? It would look a bit older and more powerful if you took that last curve off the top and left it more rounded IMO... With such an interesting base, there is no need for the extra curve up there.
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Actually, I've considered both shortening it and making it taller. Imo, based on where the 2 main branches leave the trunk and the lack of branches that could be trained as a new leader, the apex can't really be shortened without making the top of the canopy overly flat. For the size of the trunk, I think the height of the trunk is spot on, and once everything is wired, it'll lose a few inches anyway.
 
That has merit but I wouldn't consider anything like that until I was able to get the foliage to tighten up and come in closer to the trunk.
 
Vance Wood said:
That has merit but I wouldn't consider anything like that until I was able to get the foliage to tighten up and come in closer to the trunk.
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I'm not disagreeing with you, Vance. But I've known this tree several years, and Dave is doing about as well in that regard as can be done given the amount of sun he has available in his garden. And in our climate.

And sometimes, the natural genetics of a particular tree determine its foliage growth habit.

Which is why many yamadori get better foliage grafted on.

I'm not saying that I think that's what Dave should do with this tree, it will take a decade for a couple shimpaku grafts to fill out the canopy.
 
Adair M said:
I'm not disagreeing with you, Vance. But I've known this tree several years, and Dave is doing about as well in that regard as can be done given the amount of sun he has available in his garden. And in our climate.

And sometimes, the natural genetics of a particular tree determine its foliage growth habit.

Which is why many yamadori get better foliage grafted on.

I'm not saying that I think that's what Dave should do with this tree, it will take a decade for a couple shimpaku grafts to fill out the canopy.
Click to expand...
I'm currently grafting shimpaku onto another RMJ of approximately the same age...it has always had coarse, green semi-juvenile foliage that just isn't worth working with. When healthy, this one has beautiful, tight, blue scale foliage. It was there in abundance until last year, but fungus and mites have played havoc with all my junipers. Spraying the foliage to keep the mites in check wasn't enough, so I've up'd my game with a new mitacide and more pre-emptive fungal treatments. Hell, this one may end up in Boon's mix...but it aint gonna get grafted. That other RMJ undergoing grafts doesn't seem to like them and I've yet to successfully have a graft take...but I digress.
 
Dav4 said:
Actually, I've considered both shortening it and making it taller. Imo, based on where the 2 main branches leave the trunk and the lack of branches that could be trained as a new leader, the apex can't really be shortened without making the top of the canopy overly flat. For the size of the trunk, I think the height of the trunk is spot on, and once everything is wired, it'll lose a few inches anyway.
Click to expand...
It is a great tree no matter what you do Dave! I am you will take it in the right direction.
 
I think if the average bonsai-ist on here could have just one tree with the same potential that one has, they'd probably be pretty darned happy. Very nice.
 
SKBonsaiGuy said:
I think if the average bonsai-ist on here could have just one tree with the same potential that one has, they'd probably be pretty darned happy. Very nice.
Click to expand...
This tree changed everything for me. When I acquired it, it was- 1) the most expensive tree I'd ever purchased ($540 American), 2) the only collected tree I had ever owned or worked on, 3) the oldest....by about 6 or 7 centuries :), 4) the most complicated tree I'd ever owned, 5) the most potential laden tree I'd ever owned by a long shot, and 6) the most intimidating, due to all the previous points I just listed. It's taught me more then any other tree I've owned and/or worked on.... and it's still teaching me new things each year.
 
Dav4 said:
This tree changed everything for me. When I acquired it, it was- 1) the most expensive tree I'd ever purchased ($540 American), 2) the only collected tree I had ever owned or worked on, 3) the oldest....by about 6 or 7 centuries :), 4) the most complicated tree I'd ever owned, 5) the most potential laden tree I'd ever owned by a long shot, and 6) the most intimidating, due to all the previous points I just listed. It's taught me more then any other tree I've owned and/or worked on.... and it's still teaching me new things each year.
Click to expand...
Where did you acquire this tree? Great tree.
 
chicago1980 said:
Where did you acquire this tree? Great tree.
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It was purchased at New England Bonsai Gardens almost 12 years ago during their annual Summer Sell Down Sale. The sticker price on it was $1800.00... but it was 70% off. It had it's flaws, like all of the smaller roots appearing to originate from the top of one single 4" wide root that had burst almost 5 " above the soil almost 2 feet from the main trunk, but it was an absolute steal for the price.
 
Dav4 said:
I'm currently grafting shimpaku onto another RMJ of approximately the same age...it has always had coarse, green semi-juvenile foliage that just isn't worth working with. When healthy, this one has beautiful, tight, blue scale foliage. It was there in abundance until last year, but fungus and mites have played havoc with all my junipers. Spraying the foliage to keep the mites in check wasn't enough, so I've up'd my game with a new mitacide and more pre-emptive fungal treatments. Hell, this one may end up in Boon's mix...but it aint gonna get grafted. That other RMJ undergoing grafts doesn't seem to like them and I've yet to successfully have a graft take...but I digress.
Click to expand...
What miticide worked for you?
 
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