Eastern red cedar

[Spdyracer]

Just dug this beast up today. It ended up being a little harder to get than I thought it would because the soil was so full of large rocks. In the end it did help out because there was no large tap root and the rootball was pretty compact. Dug this one because the trunk has some good movement and isn't pole straight like most of these. Now I just need to keep it alive and maybe start styling it next year

 

[Wilson]

I do love me some ERC, and I am sure @sorce will give the j crack some love!

 

[GrimLore]

Now I just need to keep it alive

Nice pull for that species, serious. Keeping it alive until it wakes up will require very little except water - do not let it dry out, do not wory if you must water when it it warm and going to freeze in a day or two - they are tough but never tolerate dry, ours do best damp and don't care about frozen.

Grimmy

 

[sorce]

Yup!

They should reclassify these.

Ain't nothing like a Damn Juniper of any sort!

I found some beautiful stands by Starved Rock.

And some 40 footers by me.

I'll get them pics.

Nice!

Sorce

 

[VAFisher]

Good luck with it. I worked on an ERC forest for about 3 years and finally had to give up. It had a bad case of cedar apple rust and I couldn't get rid of it. I finally decided it wasn't worth the trouble for a marginal species. Yours looks nice.

 

[Spdyracer]

Nice pull for that species, serious. Keeping it alive until it wakes up will require very little except water - do not let it dry out, do not wory if you must water when it it warm and going to freeze in a day or two - they are tough but never tolerate dry, ours do best damp and don't care about frozen.

Grimmy

Thanks for the tips on watering that's really good to know.

Don't have experience on styling junipers, better with deciduous trees so I'll be leaning on people here when I get to that point.

 

[sorce]

e on styling junipers, better with deciduous trees

I'm basically using clip and grow on mine.

Not that I would suggest that for yours...
And I haven't any backbudding in old wood, or new wood for that matter. Except where a bud is already.

But I have never let it build up energy either.

I have seen backbudding on older trees, even trunk buds, so it's not out of the question.

I have snapped back hundreds In the woods and in parks and they ALWAYS keep growing from what is left.

Got one in the park that had a 8oz pop can thick trunk half ripped off that is still alive, laying on the ground, and a New shoot popped below the rip. Its 3/4 inch thick and 2ft high now.

Only mature foliage I've seen comes after about 8ft tall with mature bark.

But I've seen immature foliage so dense and tight, I'll get a pic today. Its a riverside joint that likely has constant water source.

Totally useable In my taste.

Here's them ones by me.


Juniper? Eegh.

Sorce

 

[rockm]

ERC are rarely worth the trouble...

 

[Giga]

ERC are rarely worth the trouble...

 

[Vin]

ERC are rarely worth the trouble...

but true..

 

[Spdyracer]

ERC are rarely worth the trouble...

Since I've read some mixed feelings on this species and since I've gotten rarely worth it three times in a row can someone expand on that some. I've heard about cedar apple rust and that it's hard to find one that's not a telephone pole. Is there other features besides those like hard to keep alive or hard to style? Just curious what else is there besides the two things I listed that turn people off to this species

 

[GrimLore]

Just curious what else is there besides the two things I listed that turn people off to this species

Tough leaf, may as well be thorns.
Hard to train to a respectable shape.
Other then what you already mentioned.
Myself I keep cutting back several small ones for what I think can be an interesting landscape or forest someday. They are very hardy and really don't seem to need special care otherwise and take little space on the grow shelves here.

Grimmy

 

[Vin]

Personally, I think many experienced artist try to make them something they aren't. I'm trying to maintain the integrity of the species with the ones I've been working on (sparse droopy foliage and all). Maybe someday ERC will make it to a "Big" show and a well known Master will make a positive comment about it and then everyone will want one. Until then, I just enjoy trying to make something out of the ones I have. Just my opinion.

 

[Waltron]

I love them for landscaping my yard, I think what you have here is perfectly great for that purpose as well, love the tree in the barrel.hell it may even be front yard worthy! I've been making a privacy wall out of these.

 

[Spdyracer]

Thanks for the responses and insight. If this tree falls into the realm of an ok bonsai or a great piece of landscaping I'm fine with that. I wanted something larger next to my bonsai tables and this fit the bill.

These things are literally everywhere by me and using something that is native appeals to me. I was happy to get one with a decent trunk and was still full almost to the bottom. I see a lot that only have foliage towards the top, figure it gives me more styling options.

I like what you said Vin about keeping the integrity of the tree and not trying to make it something it's not. That's the approach I'll be taking when I start to style it.

 

[sorce]

and not trying to make it something it's not.

Like a juniper?!

Cuz they ain't!

I swear!

More notes....

My 3 planting has been regularly cone shaped pruned...and I lost no bottom branches.

The single, which has been twisted and left to grow, I removed some foliage to get light to the bottom, but not enough, I lost some important branches.

But, more than light, I think being close to the soil and staying soggy, especially thru winter, is what did them in.

I haven't had Cedar rust, though it has been present in small amounts on my buckthorn leaves, wet foliage will invite that too.

So prune prune prune, and make sure airflow is good.

Sorce

 

[rockm]

Since I've read some mixed feelings on this species and since I've gotten rarely worth it three times in a row can someone expand on that some. I've heard about cedar apple rust and that it's hard to find one that's not a telephone pole. Is there other features besides those like hard to keep alive or hard to style? Just curious what else is there besides the two things I listed that turn people off to this species

Um, the tree you've posted here is not really all that remarkable and will work into a mediocre tree. This is not a "rare" specimen. I hope your others are a bit more interesting.

Look, I'm not trying to make you look bad, or be an asshole, but what exactly makes the tree here worth digging it up? I mean, beyond being free. what is pictured is typical ERC nothing more nothing less. I know most collectors who have been at this more than a few years wouldn't give it a second glance. What you have will take a very long time to make into a "meh" tree.

The specifics:
It's trunk has no real significant taper with the first two feet.

It has a double trunk that doesn't have any coherency as a design element that can be used--there are just two trunks that grow parallel to one another.

The "main" trunk has branching all at one point, and those are BIG branches that can't be removed for danger of killing the tree. None of those three branches has much of any interest visually. Removing two and leaving one, leaves a mostly uninteresting trunk behind...

the smaller of the two trunks has one low branch, but not much else. It's long extension trunk is bare for what looks like a foot or more before more branches appear.

The bark is typical ERC. Nothing special about that either. All ERC have flaky bark.

 

[sorce]

I'll be in Ohio for baseball this year...

I'll be happy to take that off your hands!

If it survives this year...

Hell....if it grows for a month.....

Cut them big branches off..

And if it dies....

I'll buy you a fifty dollar Iker pot.

Swear to God.

Sorce

 

[greenboy21]

Here is an ok ERC

 

[Spdyracer]

Um, the tree you've posted here is not really all that remarkable and will work into a mediocre tree. This is not a "rare" specimen. I hope your others are a bit more interesting.

Look, I'm not trying to make you look bad, or be an asshole, but what exactly makes the tree here worth digging it up? I mean, beyond being free. what is pictured is typical ERC nothing more nothing less. I know most collectors who have been at this more than a few years wouldn't give it a second glance. What you have will take a very long time to make into a "meh" tree.

The specifics:
It's trunk has no real significant taper with the first two feet.

It has a double trunk that doesn't have any coherency as a design element that can be used--there are just two trunks that grow parallel to one another.

The "main" trunk has branching all at one point, and those are BIG branches that can't be removed for danger of killing the tree. None of those three branches has much of any interest visually. Removing two and leaving one, leaves a mostly uninteresting trunk behind...

the smaller of the two trunks has one low branch, but not much else. It's long extension trunk is bare for what looks like a foot or more before more branches appear.

The bark is typical ERC. Nothing special about that either. All ERC have flaky bark.

You still didn't say why erc is a bad species to use. All you have done is bash the tree I have. The fact is I get that certain species may work better than others to make some master piece bonsai one day. Please point out where I ever said I thought this tree would ever be such a tree one day.

A few others on here have told me about there experiences with their erc trees and what they like and don't like about the species. That's the information I was asking for not a critique on the tree itself. Would like to hear your experiences with the erc trees you've had and what issues you've had working with them so I know what I'm getting into by taking on this project.