Collecting a Juni in the North? Timing Question...

brewmeister83

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So I read through about 10 pages of the juniper forum trying to find info on when I should go collecting, but to my dismay all I found were posts on Sierras, Rocky Mountain, and Cali Junipers... Nothing in my growing zone!

This may be all moot because I have yet to approach the property owner about this plant (I only discovered it last week), but let's suppose I had permission to dig up this juni... when should I go about doing it here in zone 5 New England? Any fellow northerner's care to chime in? As far as species, I haven't seen it close up yet, so my best guess is some kind of landscape chinensis...

Horrible Pic via Google...

Juni.jpg

And another from the opposite angle:
juni3.jpg

A little explanation is in order... This scan was from 2012, the plant looks considerably different now:

It sits against a rock about 2 yards from the edge of the highway, so it gets pummeled every winter by snow plows. (kinda like an artificial avalanche on rocky, mountainous terrain) It has lost several branches in the past 3 years (marked with blue X) including the two other plants on the right. The current canopy is approximated with the white outline. The trunk is done in red as best I can remember. Where it gets lighter, it comes towards the viewer, darker is away. Above the black line is where I can't clearly see the trunk from the road.

Juni2.jpg

And Here's an older pic from 2008 - compare it with the second one above to see how much of a beating this plant has taken... another few years and it might be killed off if left in place!
juni4.jpg
 

Vin

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My understanding is you collect when they're dormant. They should be dormant in Connecticut.
 

brewmeister83

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My understanding is you collect when they're dormant. They should be dormant in Connecticut.

"Dormant" is a 6 month time span up here in Connecticut, the majority of which the ground is a solid block of ice for the first couple feet. :confused: Unlike you folks down south, our collecting window is rather limited (just a week or two) because of said frozen ground. I'm referring to when that "window" is for junipers up here because I've never collected one before and would rather not inadvertently kill this one by being a couple weeks too late or early... It's a tricky business collecting in the frozen north, the first year I started collecting I misjudged digging out a beautiful hawthorn I really wanted by two weeks and it was a disaster!:oops:
 

Vin

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If you're friends with Colin Lewis on Facebook he's from up your way and should be able to help.
 

sorce

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I pulled a small 3-5 yr old one just starting to regreen, it did well.

Being one to get repotted latest, I reckon you could wait.

I'd want to get it early enough to grow some new roots before the hot of the summer hits.

Hope they like finely brewed brew brewmeister!

Sorce
 

Dav4

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Nick Lenz's discusses timing of collection in "Bonsai From the Wild". Of course, he's refering to indigenous juniper species and not ornamentals. Don't forget that junipers are the last trees we repot, typically, so you may have a larger window to collect then you think.
 

brewmeister83

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Move the boulder first. :p

Boulder? What Boulder? Oh, you mean that rock! My grandmother's moved bigger with a crowbar... (Seriously, I'm not joking - I wish I had a pic to share, she's the kind of tough old yankee who still goes out and works on stone walls... )
 

M. Frary

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Boulder? What Boulder? Oh, you mean that rock! My grandmother's moved bigger with a crowbar... (Seriously, I'm not joking - I wish I had a pic to share, she's the kind of tough old yankee who still goes out and works on stone walls... )

Coming from such sturdy stock I will be expecting you to maybe dig this up with a kids beach shovel. Lol!
 

Giga

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I collect junipers once the frost leaves, of course we just had a Radom one last night. Junipers are tough so you should still have a few weeks to collect
 

brewmeister83

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Coming from such sturdy stock I will be expecting you to maybe dig this up with a kids beach shovel. Lol!

beach shovel?!? That would be a luxury! I did archaeology all through and after college, all I need is a trowel and a toothbrush and I can dig to China... It's how I get all my elms... ;)
 

brewmeister83

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I collect junipers once the frost leaves, of course we just had a Radom one last night. Junipers are tough so you should still have a few weeks to collect

Considering Virginia is about 2 months ahead of us growing wise, that actually gives me a good approximation as to when I should think about digging. Ok, so now I have 2 months to get the owner of this juni to hand it over...
 

Dav4

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Considering Virginia is about 2 months ahead of us growing wise, that actually gives me a good approximation as to when I should think about digging. Ok, so now I have 2 months to get the owner of this juni to hand it over...
I wouldn't hesitate to collect a juniper in your neck of the woods any time in May.
 

brewmeister83

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Nick Lenz's discusses timing of collection in "Bonsai From the Wild". Of course, he's refering to indigenous juniper species and not ornamentals. Don't forget that junipers are the last trees we repot, typically, so you may have a larger window to collect then you think.

I wouldn't hesitate to collect a juniper in your neck of the woods any time in May.


I just took a look through Lenz's book, he suggests late summer for eastern red cedar (J. virginiana) collecting.... Now I'm confused. I've only collected broadleaf trees before, this would be my first conifer, so is my thinking "spring is the time to collect" wrong for junipers?
 

Dav4

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Yeah, Lenz found through trial and error that erc do better with summer collection. Having worked with many juniper bonsai over the years, I've always found that they do well with spring time root work, and I've also successfully transplanted all kinds of landscape material in the spring. My gut says spring is the time to get this one.
 

brewmeister83

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Thanks all for your responses, now I just need to get permission to dig it! :D
 
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