Bargain bin shopping - $20 Juniper

[Iowa newbie]

I was at my local nursery and found this Sea Green Juniper I believe. Great size trunk, big root flare and some nice structure. I did a light clean up, foliage is sparse but I think she’ll live. She’s pretty pot bound, it’s falling apart currently so I’m going to repot this weekend into a big grow box. My first goal is to get it growing vigorously. I’ve never repot a juniper before, I live in eastern Iowa, this will be outside year round. Any suggestions for a soil mix? I’ve got some DE, Chicken grit, perlite, spahgnum Moss.

 

[0soyoung]

I’ve never repot a juniper before

No sphagnum in the mix.
Saw off the bottom third to half of the root 'ball'. Loosen roots from the sides. Then figure out how much more you want to do, given that, when you are done, it should go into FULL SUN.

If you are fearful, you might call this good enough for now, OR maybe comb out an inch or so of the perimeter soil. If you are braver, you might half bare root it = remove all the pot soil from one side of the trunk. And if you are really daring and wanting to cut to the chase, fully bare root it.

I've always brazenly fully bare rooted my 'new' junipers, ones that I brought home from a local garden center nursery or dug from my landscape (I've only killed one that I dug from the landscape - the other one I dug is this today). I prefer to repot junipers around August, but I think it should be fine to do repot now in your climate, just don't reduce the foliage any further. In particular keep those long green shoot/runners. They are the primary producers of auxin which stimulates root growth. You will have achieved your goal when you see these and new-ones extending afterward in its new home.