How should i go about revealing the base?

[wind-swept]

I bought this nursery parsons juniper on a discount. I'm going to refrain on doing any major root work till spring. I'm wondering how to go about revealing the base when I do end up repotting. I am still not sure if this is multiple junipers in one or a single one. I tried scraping the top but the roots are very firm.

At first I thought it may be best to bare root this thing but apparently junipers are sensitive to that and it's recommended to only work on half the roots. Does that mean I should try to untangle the roots at the top to reveal the base and do the rest the following year?

 

[leatherback]

Very likely this is one single trunk. You can with a roothook pry down untill you get more solid roots. The nebari will consists of roots that are probably 1/4 inch + thick. That is where the man roots start.

To be honest.. I have never understood the "never bare root junipers". Certainly initial potting up there is little choice.
This is what I do routinely with new stock:

 

[wind-swept]

Woah I've seen so many of your videos. Awesome work on YouTube, you help many beginners like me get into this hobby.

Sounds good overall, will be a bit more aggressive on the initial repot - at worst it will be a $20 loss.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

To be honest.. I have never understood the "never bare root junipers".

I am one of the ones who advises moving cautiously when moving junipers from a pot-bound state in a nursery pot into bonsai soil. Once the tree is established in bonsai soil it can be repotted regularly without any special treatment. However I have lost more junipers moving them into bonsai soil than at any other step in the process.

This is based on my personal experience - though many other aspects come into play like climate, water, humidity, etc. Perhaps in a cooler, more humid environment, with good water, they are more resilient.

 

[leatherback]

However I have lost more junipers moving them into bonsai soil than at any other step in the process.

This is based on my personal experience - though many other aspects come into play like climate, water, humidity, etc. Perhaps in a cooler, more humid environment, with good water, they are more resilient.

Thank you for "mowing the grass in front of my feet" as the Dutch would say. I was going to say.. In hot dry climates this might be a bigger challenge; WIth my wet weather junipers stay alive a looong time.

 

[Shibui]

I'm with @leatherback and don't find any issue with bare rooting junipers at the right time of year.
Even if we play it safe and follow the half roots school, that half of the roots can be one side or the other or top half or bottom half. There's nothing stopping you from working down from the surface cutting thin roots to get them out of the way until you find the base of those trunks and/or thicker roots. This can be done any time of year as the tree will still have plenty of intact roots below to keep it growing. You can also do the full repot in spring as it will have had plenty of time to adjust to the remaining roots by then.

Junipers seem to be really good at growing new roots close to the surface so when repotted a little deep those new roots grow from the trunk and form a tangled mat as seen here but somewhere a bit deeper thee will be older, thicker roots. Just be aware that if those new roots have been growing for a year or 2 the trunk will probably have started expanding where the roots are feeding it. I often see inverse taper on trunks that have been allowed to grow new roots for some time. If it appears the trunk is getting thinner as you work down I'd stop digging and reassess the style. Developing a new root system from the new surface roots is a better option than a trunk with inverse taper IMHO.