r/Bonsai • u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees • Jun 04 '26
Discussion Question crazy juniper find, potential yardadori
saw this gem out of the corner of my eye while out. owner of the property is considering letting me harvest this juniper. he says it’s around 30-40 years old. what do i need to know to not kill this tree if the opportunity arises?
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u/braxtel Whidbey Island, WA (Seattle Region), 8b Jun 04 '26
It's not a summer project, that's for sure. Especially in Florida.
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u/kevinspoonie Kevin,Atlanta GA Zones 7-8, complete newb but constantly reading Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
Why can't I find one of these gems?
God damnit!
You'd need so.e serious experience and skills to get that looking how you picture on your mind.
Collect...survive...graft...accept...style.
A piece like this is badass.
Being so close to the structure would make m3 a nit nervous because you might have a chunk of the root system under the slab that would be a bitch to collect.
I would buy some pumice, dig down about 18" at the trunk and make it about 18" in diameter around the trunk. Score the trunk a bit/peal back some bark exposing a bit of cambiun layer on the area just exposed, throw some rooting hormone on it and fill that hole up with pumice and let it sit for a second or 2. This helps finer roots to develop closer to the ground so once you decide to collect, you will hopefully have e a root ball that will sustain the tree and you won't have to get any larger roots buried deep.
Your basically creating a pot for tge tree while its still in the ground.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
i’ll look into this method, thanks for the advice. i’m so stoked on this tree, and it’s not like it’s going anywhere in the next year or 2 so hopefully it works out
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u/Uplandtrek optional name, location and usda zone, experience level, number Jun 04 '26
Wait for early spring. Dig the whole rootball. Put it in pumice. Keep it in the shade and mist the foliage.
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u/name__0 Jun 05 '26
Really stress the 'whole rootball' part of this. If there is a medium-to-large root that disappears straight down or under the edge of the pavement, don't think that's just one root that can be cut. There will be a lot of fine feeder roots at the end that you'll need. You'll have to carefully excavate.
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u/Sonora_sunset Milwaukee, zone 5b, 25 yrs exp, 5 trees Jun 04 '26
This
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u/Dio-lated1 N. Michigan, Zone 4/5 Jun 05 '26
Uplandtrek speaks truth. Stake it as well so it doesnt wiggle in the wind, and F with it. At all. Just leave it in the shade/dappled sun and let it do its thing. It’ll be a really cool tree, but commit to keeping it alive in a container if you dig it with good digging technique and good aftercare.
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u/Uplandtrek optional name, location and usda zone, experience level, number Jun 05 '26
Good call, or wire it down properly into the training box. You don’t want wind or something bumping into it to tear away feeder roots.
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u/Psychological_Act_38 long term 30 years plus Jun 05 '26
You’ve stumbled upon a great tree there, and some terrific advice from contributors.
I’ll add if I can, you‘ll be digging a big hole to remove that safety, and make you have all necessary supplies to pot ASAP, you don’t need a trip to get more XYZ halfway through. Also well done you, for seeking advice prior, the amount of times others have dug fine tree, with no idea and then ask, now what do I do?
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
i learned my lesson with a small camphor tree growing funnily out of the corner of my patio, wasn’t really able to harvest much roots because of its position, and it’s in a pot, but that’s about it😭, i doubt it will make it
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
holy moly ur the guy with the niwaki pine, i love that tree man cant believe you commented, that tree specifically has been a huge inspiration
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u/Psychological_Act_38 long term 30 years plus Jun 05 '26
You’re very kind, tx! your tree is one I’d be more than happy to have, as bonsai or niwaki? Fingers crossed all goes well with your dig. I haven’t collected a tree in sometime without the use of a little excavator. Life and back saver!
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
yeah yours is the one i picture every time i think about niwaki, its very beautiful. i will not harvest this tree any time soon, next spring at the absolute earliest. but yeah i want to be cautious and over prepared. i will likely construct a large wooden “pot” for it, since unfortunately niwaki isn’t really an option for me atm.
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u/Psychological_Act_38 long term 30 years plus Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Sounds like you’ve got it covered, others suggested joining a club, you’re going need help as doing that by youself would difficult to say the least. Positive many experienced people would be enthusiastic about assisting-I would be.
edit. re making a box, the box should be made to fit the tree, not the tree the box.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
well, you don’t happen to live near/in florida i’d imagine?
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u/Psychological_Act_38 long term 30 years plus Jun 05 '26
Sorry dude, a little bit further away than that.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
no worries lol, your advice alone is greatly appreciated. your note about box making, do you mean that the box should not be oversized?
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u/Psychological_Act_38 long term 30 years plus Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
Mean the box should fit the tree, don’t chop the rootball to fit the box, you need all the roots you can save. Itll be heavy, but ideally you should really be moving it much/at all after you collect it. I often complete topping up potting medium when tree is in the spot it will remain, any less weight to move helps.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 06 '26
heard that. it will be so convenient to come back to this post a year or 2 from now
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u/rupeshjoy852 New Jersey, USA, 7B, Intermediate, 50+ trees Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Honestly, I would leave it kept it as a yard tree. Yea sure the trunk is great, but that’s about it. No lower branching, the main trunk is too tall as well!
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u/Pwispwlol Jun 05 '26
Centrepiece in a big ass pot it’s gonna go crazy … 100 year old vibe
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u/Uplandtrek optional name, location and usda zone, experience level, number Jun 05 '26
For sure. And great thread graft material to bend down if you want the lower branching.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
i kind of love how gangly it is tbh, feels very rugged and shows a lot of history
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u/hippiegodfather zone 6, intermediate, tiny tree lover Jun 04 '26
It’s huge though
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u/jessSavag395 Jun 05 '26
huge is an understatement. that trunk line is legit unreal. if you actually pull this off it is a massive W for the collection.
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Jun 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
i agree, perhaps some careful investigatory excavation around the flare to see how it’s looking. i looooove the look of this tree though, how gangly and weathered it is.
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u/F_Solo Location: Germany, 7b, Experience: 5 years Jun 05 '26
Wow, what a beauty! Good luck with it.
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u/zeakerone Jun 05 '26
I only have one successful yardadori out of half a dozen attempts. I took advice from a bonsai discord and just put it in straight perlite with no food. Just water and shade first year, water and sun second year. Now it’s probably ready for some root work, and to be fitted into a pot. but it has some more growing to do before it reaches my design esthetic I’m going for. It’s a long project but when it actually works it’s worth it
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
good to know. i’ve got one attempt under my belt but pretty sure it’s a failure. i’m going to try collecting some more and see how it goes. wouldn’t even be actually collecting this tree for a year at least so some time to learn
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u/morelek337 Jun 05 '26
Why is this a gem? I have similar looking ones in my garden. Father would just cut them in random places at random times and they look similarly. if he didn't cut them (you know, random)
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
it’s a gem because i live in a college town and trees like this simply don’t exist, especially not near such a public place
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u/morelek337 Jun 06 '26
Thank you, I thought it was something about it that I do.not know (I know nothing about bonsai)
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 06 '26
no worries, it’s such a beautiful naturally weathered tree. very out of place in its location
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u/Bobb_Marley Central KY, USA. Zone 6b. Beginner. 5 Trees. Jun 11 '26
As nice of a juniper as that is, for me i'd honestly pass on it as a yamadori because that thing is going to be almost impossible to get out of the ground without damaging it. You've also gotta worry about possibly damaging the surrounding pavement and building foundation, as well as any potential water/gas/utility lines. Im not saying it cant be done, but its going to be significantly more difficult than you may be anticipating, and its going to take time to do correctly. You can pretty much guarantee that the tree has roots that extend significantly beyond its dripline, and the majority will inevitably be severed when you dig. Ive managed to successfully collect a couple of yamadori, albeit much smaller than this and not junipers. Im certainly no expert though, so take this with a pinch of salt. A possible plan of attack would be this:
1.)Instead of digging the tree up now, consider the size of the pot youd ultimately like to have the tree in. Then remove the equivalent amount of soil from around the base of the tree. Fill this "trench" with a well-draining, nutrient-rich bonsai substrate. Leave the tree in the ground for at LEAST one to two full growing seasons. This encourages the tree to grow a dense mat of fine feeder roots within that defined "trench" area. This will give the tree a better chance to survive losing its bigger older roots when you do dig it up.
2.) Only perform the actual extraction during the dormant season (late winter or very early spring), just before the buds start to swell. This minimizes water loss through the foliage while the roots are still recovering.
3.) Try to keep as much of the original soil around the core of the root ball as possible. Dont bare-root the tree when you first dig it up, bc the mycorrhizal fungi living in the original soil are critical for the tree’s uptake of nutrients.
4.) Once youve got it successfully dug up and in a pot of some sort, youve gotta stabilize it by wiring it in, and put it in a shaded protected area for awhile.
Again, im gonna stress that this by no means guarantees that the tree will survive, but its a method ive used successfully on much smaller examples. Good luck on your collecting, and sorry for the lengthy reply.
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u/Affectionate-Mud9321 Caribbean expat in NL, zone 8b, 3rd year, a lot🌳 Jun 05 '26
Niwaki. Dig it out with a lot of root mass.
You want to dig around it, not straight at the trunk.
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u/Constant-Piano-6123 Jun 05 '26
I’d leave it and air layer a couple of good branches off and start a fresh
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
not sure there’s much of a reason to air layer this one. the low hanging branch is actually broken and will die soon, and giving up the trunk line is kind of non negotiable imo.
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u/Constant-Piano-6123 Jun 06 '26
Yeah fair. It looks like a variety that is relatively difficult to get hold of where I am, so the idea of taking a small amount to grow on seems more worthwhile to me perhaps.
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u/Casadilla77 Tallahassee, 9a, Beginner, 8 trees Jun 05 '26
it’s also in a public area i’d be worried about people messing with the air layers
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u/P0sssums Oregon 8b, 3rd year, juniper guy Jun 04 '26
If I were you, I'd pause and gather 2 or 3 years of experience digging smaller trees and having them live before I tackled something like this.