Juniper advice

hi all,im not sure if this board is for posting questions or just for pictures i hope it is both ! i was in a gerden centre on the weekend and round the back i found a bonsai juniper of what i would consider considerable quality after speeking to the owner about this tree he told me he bought it from an old lady who's partner had died and left her with the tree's ,now this juniper was in a bad condition after a couple of years of neglect it is in serious need of a repot ther soil is very wet and covered in weeds the foiliage is slightly browning shara and jins need attention,there is a very good chance of root rot he offerd me this juniper and another of slightly better condition and still a quality tree at a very good price becouse he said he was out of his depth and wish he hadent purchased them this is a non bonsai garden centre

now the questions what chance is there of restoring this tree to its former self? can it recover from bad root rot? even if planted in pure spagnum moss for a year? i would love to get these tree's back to what there former owner intended any thoughts or advice would be greatly recieved

Richard, it's difficult to give good advice with out "gettin up close and personal" with the tree.
First thing I would do is get the tree in a location where it can get as much sun as possible and out of the rain so the soil can dry somewhat.
DO NOT plant in pure spagnum! Too acidic. I grow junipers successfully in a non organic mix thats ph neutral, retains sufficient moisture between waterings, and drains well. Check the image. Starting at 12 o'clock is diatomacous rock, 1/8 inch lava, 1/4 inch lava and 1/8-1/4 inch fired clay.

Good luck,

Mike

hi mike thankyou for your reply i was going to plant these tree's in a mix of kiyru and hard baked akadama as i have these to hand i dont have much exsperiance with junipers but i think this mix will be suitable !! would it be ok to repot at this time of year i no they will need full frost protection ,the soil they are currently in seems like normal garden soil and has no drainage quality again any advice very welcome might help if i said my location south west england

hi richard , i have grown junipers for a number of years in akadama and grit mix with no problems. would suggest you repot mid-march and remove about a third of the roots this time. you don't know the trees are suffering root rot for sure untill you repot, in the meantime if you can place them under a shelter to let them dry out this will help and make the repot easier. in the summer ,when they start growing, feed them well , also 1 or 2 feeds of miracid will help restore colour and vigour. brown foliage at this time might be due to frost. hope this helps.
i'm also in south west uk. regards roy

thankyou for the advice roy, fingers crossed and hopefully i will get these trees back to full health will post pics when i get a chance