Advice on collecting Florida parking lot juniper

[Coooltan]

Hey y’all,

So I was dropping some things off at my wife’s work last fall. I parked and what I saw made my draw drop. There is a parking lot full of 30+ year old junipers of all shapes and sizes. I promptly got permission from her boss who owns the property to remove the half dead trees for free

This is where the questions come into play.

I have never collected anything. I’ve only dealt with nursery stock and pre bonsai stock. It has also been quite challenging to try to find any advice on Florida as it’s so very different from the rest of the US.

When is the best time to collect here? I’m in Orlando. I’d imagine it is right now but it was 78 degrees today so idk.

How would I collect a parking lot tree like this?

What container should I place them in?

What soil mixture should I use?

What type of Florida specific after care should I implement?

I’ll post pictures soon so that you can see what I’m working with. I’m new to all of this, but I think I hit the jackpot.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

I don’t have answers to most of your questions, but I do know a lot of people will make a box out of wood so they can make it custom for the root size. Lots of people also use 100% pumice for the soil, but you also want to leave all the roots you can, so there will be lots of the soil it’s in now.

 

[snowman04]

Pictures would help also...

 

[Eckhoffw]

I would imagine this is a great time to collect for you. Get as many roots as possible. I would advise in making a grow box just big enough to house the roots. I would use a 50-50 in organic to organic mix for recovery.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

I also live in Florida (southwest) and was told the yamadori window for Bald Cypress is basically end of month. Not sure if this applies to juniper though.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

A lot depends on how big your trees are...

 

[sandy-ob]

Our local club just collected Juniper Prostatas this past Saturday as the opportunity arose due to some re-landscaping. Some Junipers probably won't survive but hopefully most will live.
I hope you collected the 'parking lot' trees already as it will be in the 80's soon and we seem to be having an early spring. If they have a lot of roots, that will help. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Coooltan]

Our local club just collected Juniper Prostatas this past Saturday as the opportunity arose due to some re-landscaping. Some Junipers probably won't survive but hopefully most will live.
I hope you collected the 'parking lot' trees already as it will be in the 80's soon and we seem to be having an early spring. If they have a lot of roots, that will help. Let us know how it works out for you.

I unfortunately haven’t collected them yet. I planned on it this weekend but this spring weather rolled in. It was such an off winter this year. It would probably be best to wait until next year to collect them.

 

[snowman04]

I unfortunately haven’t collected them yet. I planned on it this weekend but this spring weather rolled in. It was such an off winter this year. It would probably be best to wait until next year to collect them.

Where are you located?

 

[Cajunrider]

I also live in Florida (southwest) and was told the yamadori window for Bald Cypress is basically end of month. Not sure if this applies to juniper though.

I don't understand the restriction on bald cypress collection. For me I will collect BCs all the way to August. 3 months for the collected trees are enough to grow and gather energy to survive winter.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

I don't understand the restriction on bald cypress collection. For me I will collect BCs all the way to August. 3 months for the collected trees are enough to grow and gather energy to survive winter.

I was told they needed to be dormant! Great news as this widens the collecting window significantly.

 

[Tieball]

How about a few Juniper photos?
Chilly weather, Florida 70s, at this time is likely ideal for collecting. You’ll get a warm hot fairly soon. You could box them up at home. Bring along several large burlap or plastic bags to contain the roots and soil collected. Once home you’ll have a better idea of box or other container size needs. Have a saw, a reciprocating saw would be best for some tough roots.
Ask first if there are any utility or watering lines buried where you’ll dig.