Parsons Juniper, Not Sure What To Do

[StoneCloud]

Good Evening!

I picked up this one just recently and today I thought I had time to work on it.

Here is a picture of it after purchase nothing done. (3 gallon pot $9.95):



My initial plan was to scrape away the top layer of the soil and get lower. I didn't have a chance to dig down at the nursery and see b/c well, when my daughter screams she is louder than a Marshall double stack in a closet....and she doesn't stop. Yes I'm losing my mind and my creativeness has suffered.

So I grabbed it, and said "hey better than buying a lotto ticket" and brought it home to further see what I have.

There are three main branches and I was initially looking to see if the branches had re-rooted. I was hoping to take a cutting if the branches did reroot.

I pulled it out of the pot and started taking away the top first half inch of the soil, before I had to stop (due to my daughter) and slip it back into the pot it came in.

Besides the whole job getting stalled by my daughter (which I'm not mad I love her!) I could barely dig into the soil. It was very hard. And so many roots, that I couldn't even pull a 1 prong rake through.

First question I have is should I trim all these top roots off down to the edge of the pot in the pic below....as they are too high?

Not even seeing the main trunk yet. I'm asking b/c I know how junipers can be and in my years I have not had the best luck with them so I guess I'm a little paranoid.

Here is a pic after slipping it back in the pot:


As for style of the tree......no clue yet, I haven't seen enough or had enough time yet, although I would not mind input at all!

Will the parsons junipers take a repot this time of year well here (10b)?

I know many junipers are finicky with root pruning but are these tougher?

Thanks in advance for your input!

(Sorry for not having more pictures the sunset beat me)

 

[wlambeth]

I partial to literati.
If it were mine I would select one as the leader and wire it up.
Plant it in the ground, fertilize heavy and watch it grow over the next 3-5 years.
Constantly checking the wire and re-wiring as needed

 

[thomas22]

I personally would wait until the next spring after the first styling to repot. So style now, let it recover and then repot next spring. You don't want to repot that bush now and then try to cut large branches and wire while the tree is weak and not established in its not pot. You do have a small problem. It is good you cut down the container so you can see what is going on with the trunks but you cut it too low. Next time cut it at least a 1/2'' above the soil/roots so when you water the water doesn't run off the sides.

Hard to suggest a style based on the pics but It I would probably just pic two of the trunks and put some large wire and raffia on them and bend the crap out of them and go for a twin trunk informal upright. Google twin trunk juniper for some ideas.

 

[thomas22]

Something like this. Good luck

 

[StoneCloud]

@wlambeth I was contemplating this style as well although I never styled any tree in this manner yet. I've been studying to get a grasp of not making the tree look contrived.

@thomas22 I was also thinking to syle first. The picture you posted is very nice to shoot for.

I'm going to try and get better pics today, it's hard b/c it has a lot of inner growth that I don't want to cut or damage and all the pictures I tried to take looked like a mess.

I know I cut the pot too low! I took it out of the pot and then cut it down, problem was literally in the middle of me cutting the pot my wife let my daughter run outside to me and it threw my cut off lol! She has been really messing me up lately, hate to admit it.

The good news is I have extra nursery pots (sign of bonsai addiction) same size so, last night I put in in one of those. Today it has been pouring cats and dogs since 6am so I haven't done anything else.

Some of the branches would make very nice upright cuttings, I know these are difficult to propagate from cuttings. Do you have any experience with this? My sense is that it may be too late in the season, but i've never taken juniper cuttings so I really don't know.

 

[sorce]

juniper cuttings

The way I see it.....

By the time those cuttings are the size of this tree you spent $10 on....
You can find $100 and buy 10 bigger trees!

Aren't you moving next year?
I'd try to factor that into any decisions....

Repot or style?

The way I see it...lol!

I been killing Junipers (crap nanas)left and right styling them...Never make it to repot....

Now....I don't think there is a better time to repot a juniper than when it is fresh from the nursery healthy.
(energy in foliage)

With all that foliage it can reestablish within a year...then you can wire it.

If you style it now....
You're looking at 3 years or more before you have so much energy in the foliage again.

Then again....

With all the $ you saved on benches....
You're way in the black with this $10 tree...and in Florida...

So repot and style it all today while the Marshall Stack screams!

Just leave ALL the strong runners for now!

Sorce

 

[StoneCloud]

The way I see it.....

By the time those cuttings are the size of this tree you spent $10 on....
You can find $100 and buy 10 bigger trees!

Aren't you moving next year?
I'd try to factor that into any decisions....

Repot or style?

The way I see it...lol!

I been killing Junipers (crap nanas)left and right styling them...Never make it to repot....

Now....I don't think there is a better time to repot a juniper than when it is fresh from the nursery healthy.
(energy in foliage)

With all that foliage it can reestablish within a year...then you can wire it.

If you style it now....
You're looking at 3 years or more before you have so much energy in the foliage again.

Then again....

With all the $ you saved on benches....
You're way in the black with this $10 tree...and in Florida...

So repot and style it all today while the Marshall Stack screams!

Just leave ALL the strong runners for now!

Sorce

Yes I will be moving in a year so. I was going to try cuttings more to learn how to propagate them as I never have. My only plan if they did root was to give them away . I was more into the cuttings for the learning process.

You make a very good point about it's energy after cutting it and didn't think of that. It would be better (taking my timeline into account) not to cut yet. Thank you!!!!!!!! I will wire first.

Yea I have never had any luck with junipers it's my achille's heal. I'm going to fucking get it one day though and one of these fuckers will live!!!!


Thanks again brother!!!

 

[StoneCloud]

Progress on this is slow due to my lack of time but I'm ok with that. Dug a little lower to get a look at the trunk and branches. There is a smaller pot lip stuck in the mass haha!

Anyway here is a quick pic of the the trunk. Haven't done any other work to it yet other than some thinning out of the foliage. It's bad budding nicely too.