Yamadori "Juniperus Monosperma" progression (critique/ideas)

[Ali Raza]

Feeling sad about your tree. It was unique. At least you learned something from the tree.

 

[hemmy]

Supposed to get lots more snow and will get down to 4 degrees for a couple days here in Abq.

I don’t think I watered the tree enough over the winter first of all, and after tearing the tree out of the pot come spring, the original soil had compacted in the pot I planted it in not allowing enough water and oxygen to get to the feeder roots that were keeping the tree thriving.

Did it sit on that pole all winter? Or how did you overwinter it?

 

[Hartinez]

Did it sit on that pole all winter? Or how did you overwinter it?

It sat out as it always had. I’ve got a few more of the same species that also sat out without issue. They can def take the cold.

 

[PiñonJ]

Always sucks to lose a tree. In this case, I think you worked it too aggressively. For a collected tree, it's a good idea to leave the roots alone for at least two years after collecting. Then you left it with very little foliage to power new root growth. Junipers' strength comes from their foliage. When you need to do heavy work on them, the foliage needs to grow out first, i.e. it should get quite bushy. Finally, leaving it on a pole with single digit temps is not a good idea. The ground provides tremendous temperature buffering and prevents circulation of cold air under the pot. I know, it's easy for me to be an armchair quarterback! But these are my best guesses as to what happened.

 

[Hartinez]

Always sucks to lose a tree. In this case, I think you worked it too aggressively. For a collected tree, it's a good idea to leave the roots alone for at least two years after collecting. Then you left it with very little foliage to power new root growth. Junipers' strength comes from their foliage. When you need to do heavy work on them, the foliage needs to grow out first, i.e. it should get quite bushy. Finally, leaving it on a pole with single digit temps is not a good idea. The ground provides tremendous temperature buffering and prevents circulation of cold air under the pot. I know, it's easy for me to be an armchair quarterback! But these are my best guesses as to what happened.

I def think I was aggressive and your prob right in your quarterbacking. I think it could have been ok had I left it in a larger container. The caliche we deal with in NM compacted far too much over a 2 year span not allowing the roots to breathe enough.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I def think I was aggressive and your prob right in your quarterbacking. I think it could have been ok had I left it in a larger container. The caliche we deal with in NM compacted far too much over a 2 year span not allowing the roots to breathe enough.

Understand your feelings and sorry about tree. Same deal here even if temp gets VERY low have left all trees exposed with good success. In future when having own property likely to put where better protected.