Can anyone Identify and help these trees recover?

[Oceanman113]

Can anyone identify this juniper?

I found this tree under a thorn bush in my yard. It had been deprived of light and space for years. I gently removed it (turns out it was 2 trees). The trunk had made a fascinating shape over the years so I took a closer look.

The trunk had thin bark that was shedding and a scratch test showed it was very alive in 80% of branches, but the foliage was brown. I checked the roots and they were all very healthy, so I potted them in good soil/original soil-gave them sun, feed them just a mild recovery liquid and let them recover for a few weeks. Some new leaves have spouted, so I recently fertilized with an all around Slow release bonsai fertilizer I had. Some of the branches are dead so I was thinking about turning them into “Jin” style once the trees recovers more. I wired up one of the branches and gently adjusted.



I guess I’m looking for thoughts about the trees and any suggestions to help them recover. It may help to know the exact species also. Thanks.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

If you can put them in some shade their chances of recovering from the transplant will increase.

Some close ups of healthy foliage on the tips will help with an ID.

That moss lawn is lookin good.

 

[penumbra]

Awesome bones.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Excellent., You have bends and twists in the first 12 inches of trunk on both these trees. THat means they can indeed become good bonsai. Nice find.

I believe they are Juniper chinensis, they might be Shimpaku, or they might be any of the related cultivars used for landscape plantings. Between the 1940s thru the 1970s the 'Blaauw' cultivar was pretty commonly used. But it is impossible to be certain which cultivar you have. Just assume they are Juniper chinensis and treat them accordingly.

You have done enough collecting them this year. Let them recover and grow new roots and the sun will cause back butting, Let new foliage develop for a year or two before any further styling. You can do some wiring, but no more pruning for a while.

Nice trees, they have potential.

 

[Oceanman113]

thank you, moss took a long time to get right! The best foliage is in the 5th photo, just above the moss lawn. If it grows any healthier buds will post.

 

[Oceanman113]

Excellent., You have bends and twists in the first 12 inches of trunk on both these trees. THat means they can indeed become good bonsai. Nice find.

I believe they are Juniper chinensis, they might be Shimpaku, or they might be any of the related cultivars used for landscape plantings. Between the 1940s thru the 1970s the 'Blaauw' cultivar was pretty commonly used. But it is impossible to be certain which cultivar you have. Just assume they are Juniper chinensis and treat them accordingly.

You have done enough collecting them this year. Let them recover and grow new roots and the sun will cause back butting, Let new foliage develop for a year or two before any further styling. You can do some wiring, but no more pruning for a while.

Nice trees, they have potential.

That timeline adds up as the previous owner did most of the major tree/plant gardening in the 1950s. I won’t touch them for a while. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing an important step that could be done during the growing season. Thank so much for the information!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

It's not a blaauw, the foliage (always compact) and growth habbit (upright) of a blaauw are very different. It's giving me a media/pfizer vibe.
Keep an eye out for irregular bark shapes, things that look overly weathered compared to the rest of the bark, it could be a sign of Apple cedar rust. With plants of that age, it's pretty common.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Oceanman113]

It's not a blaauw, the foliage (always compact) and growth habbit (upright) of a blaauw are very different. It's giving me a media/pfizer vibe.
Keep an eye out for irregular bark shapes, things that look overly weathered compared to the rest of the bark, it could be a sign of Apple cedar rust. With plants of that age, it's pretty common.

Ok, will keep an eye out, nothing that looks like cedar rust so far. Thanks for the heads up! It does look like stock photos I found of a pfizer-hope to get better growth soon and confirm.