fore
Omono
http://peterteabonsai.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/utah-juniper-aka-big-sexy/
Phenomenal tree and documentation.
Phenomenal tree and documentation.
Great New Peter Tea Blog Post
- Thread starter fore
- Start date
quietobserver
Omono
I was pumped when I got the blog email notification, its been forever since he posted and always really enjoyedhis work/posts.
sikadelic
Chumono
That thing is a beast! I'd like to see how they got that thing out of the ground.
Nybonsai12
Masterpiece
Pretty crazy! I bet you never thought a friend with a forklift would come in handy for your bonsai hobby.
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks for sharing. That was a good read! 
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
This portion seems contrary to most I read as Juni collecting advise here.
"During the repotting process, I went through the tree and cut a few branches off so that the roots don’t have to work as hard to support the foliage. Balancing the root mass to the foliage mass is very helpful when working with newly collected trees. This could be the difference between life and death of the tree"
"During the repotting process, I went through the tree and cut a few branches off so that the roots don’t have to work as hard to support the foliage. Balancing the root mass to the foliage mass is very helpful when working with newly collected trees. This could be the difference between life and death of the tree"
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
Yep...I think proper aftercare is the key.
I would agree with that
Vin
Imperial Masterpiece
Any ideas on the age of tree? I didn't read anything in the post about it.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Interesting though; if you go back in the archives of this forum you may find some big shooters in bonsai who claim that Junipers are driven by their foliage and the concept of removing foliage to balance the load on a diminished root system. This is a concept I have believed in for many years and may be one of the techniques that helps me get my Mugos through the summer replant etc. I have been hesitant to teach it because so many bonsai big shooters seem to think it is not such a good idea.
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
Vance,
I always believed in balancing root and foliage too and had difficulty accepting the "leave as much foliage" mantra for juniper. BUT being totally clueless about juni, I accepted it as a fact. Just as it is sinking in, someone like Peter Tea is reinforcing my old (tried and true for other plants) belief...it gets very confusing.
I always believed in balancing root and foliage too and had difficulty accepting the "leave as much foliage" mantra for juniper. BUT being totally clueless about juni, I accepted it as a fact. Just as it is sinking in, someone like Peter Tea is reinforcing my old (tried and true for other plants) belief...it gets very confusing.
bonsaibp
Omono
junipers do get most of their strength from the foliage but its just common sense that if you remove half or more of any trees roots but remove none of the foliage that the remaining roots won't support all that foliage. You could leave more foliage then on some other types of trees but there has to be somewhat of a balance. Where does the foliage get its strength from?
bonsaibp
Omono
Beng
Omono
Definitely does. I will stick what I've been taught and what's worked for me and not touch a junipers foliage when repotting.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Vance,
I always believed in balancing root and foliage too and had difficulty accepting the "leave as much foliage" mantra for juniper. BUT being totally clueless about juni, I accepted it as a fact. Just as it is sinking in, someone like Peter Tea is reinforcing my old (tried and true for other plants) belief...it gets very confusing.
I learned that old concept from an old master landscaper back when I worked for $1.45 an hour;-----long time ago, before the Viet Nam War. He used to move large landscape trees in the middle of summer and that's how he did it.
thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
At the start, there was no "balancing" the foliage. There was apparently not any fine roots when Peter collected the juniper. Is it different for that stage? The care is definitely different. The juniper spent a while in a room with frequent misting.
You beat me to it Thumbless. I was going to point out the same thing. I'm not advocating one or the other. I personally don't remove any foliage at collection. I'm not saying that's "the right way" or the only way, just the way I do it.
The tree obviously survived collection with almost no roots and no foliage reduction. I'd attribute much of the success to the misting house, and some to the larger sized pumice allowing for maximum oxygen in the root zone.
Peter's technique may be a safety in case he's not planning to mist the tree.
The tree obviously survived collection with almost no roots and no foliage reduction. I'd attribute much of the success to the misting house, and some to the larger sized pumice allowing for maximum oxygen in the root zone.
Peter's technique may be a safety in case he's not planning to mist the tree.
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
I noticed the lack of roots and massive foliage at the start...but aftercare is special and something I cannot provide. (BTW, that was not done by Peter...it is the collector whoever he is)
I know the answer is most likely in between...just not sure where.
I know the answer is most likely in between...just not sure where.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Not meaning to start something that really has no resolution bitching at each other can resolve. I am forced, by my own cantankerous nature and my perception of the truth to make an observation of your conclusion. You are only making an assumption here. You do not know how much foliage was removed by the collector, if any. I do not know either. The collector may indeed have removed a significant amount of the original tree's foliage, observing how dense it was from the first photos at the beginning of this blog. We will not know if we are not told by someone who really knows, someone who was there, someone who actually did it.
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