RMJ Yamadori

Hi folks,

I got this Rocky Mountain Juniper recently from Andrew Smith. He collected it this year in May from a 7000ft elevation and he estimated it to be around 100years old. The shari really got my attention (the tree is 8" tall). Below is the picture he listed for sale:

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And here is the picture after some very basic wiring and slight moving of the angle for a better front:



The second pic. does not do it justice since the shari is much more impressive and twisty. Let me know what you guys think. My future plan is to let the branches on the right to grow a little longer and lower to balance out the tree.

Thanks.
AH

I'd resist any further temptation to do any work on it. Just collected in May 2010, shipped, wired, etc. Anything further and it could be trouble for the little guy.

Yep... I plan to leave the tree in the pot for atleast a couple years.

AH

Looks like you made the most out of this material, good work!


Happy Thanksgiving,
Shimsuki

Would you get your 100 yr old granny to come down to the local gym play a quick game of squash,go for a run on the treadmill and then a little go at sky diving?
For me it's unethical to collect and sell a yamadori tree so quickly(as in you dont even know if it's alive still),and even more unethical to then start styling before the tree is anywhere near ready(as in no preparation and time for the tree to grow and adjust) show's a complete lack of any artistic or horticultural skills.
UNBELIEVABLE

Hi Lee,

The only styling involved with this tree was minimal wiring around 3 or 4 younger shoots. Also note from the picture that the tree has around 85% younger fresh growth, and based on that it seemed safe to purchase the tree.

As I mentioned, this tree will be left alone for few years for it to grow some foliage on the right side. I will post follow-up pictures by next summer.

Your analogy of a 100yr old granny working out and playing sports sounds like really stressing the tree with repotting, pruning, root-pruning, wiring, and probably other stuff that would probably kill the tree within a year.

Thanks,
AH

amanHussain wrote:Hi folks,

I got this Rocky Mountain Juniper recently from Andrew Smith. He collected it this year in May from a 7000ft elevation and he estimated it to be around 100years old. The shari really got my attention (the tree is 8" tall). Below is the picture he listed for sale:


Your analogy of a 100yr old granny working out and playing sports sounds like really stressing the tree with repotting, pruning, root-pruning, wiring, and probably other stuff that would probably kill the tree within a year.

It was repotted(collected this year) hence was stressed (esp as it came down from 7000ft) and root pruned to get it into a pot.
it has wire on it now?
So as you say this could all probably kill the tree in a year? Why take the chance both financally and ethically?
It may well live,in fact if it isnt as old as you were told it's chances increase,but it now has less of a chance than it did and you've ruined the journey for yourself,the sooner people realise this is not what to do with old collected material the better.
I collect from less than 700ft,the tree's from this elevation still take 2yrs to acclimatise,and can still die in the 3rd year,junipers esp communis are the hardest tree's to root well when collected,in fact i've had cuttings of juniper live for a year with no roots.
I collect 40+proper yamadori trees per year,there are no guarantee's in fact sometimes the one's with the most roots die whereas ones with only a single root and thimble full of feeder root survive.

Also knowing the prices these yamadori are sold for on that website it would be wise to allow the tree more than sufficient time to recover from collection. Its a gamble to buy such a newly collected tree, but to then do any work so soon it even more risky. Take your time and protect your investment.

Todd

I've had junipers die 4-5 after collecting even though they put on all kinds of new growtrh. The minimum amount of time before I'll work on a collected juniper is 3 years.

I'd agree with Lee 100% if this was a communis, but it isn't and Junipers vary hugely in their ability to adapt. Some do transplant very easily, others are very difficult to nigh on impossible.

That said, this does seem as if it could be too much work too soon, in my opinion. Especially if the age given is reliable.

Good luck and take it easy!

While I understand the concern expressed about this post and it's not without reason, I'm quite familiar with this species and I know Andy has been collecting them for quite a while. I know he wouldn't release one for sale unless it showed signs of establishment in a pot. RMJ is quite easy to read whether or not it's growing. It's been over 6 months since collection and I'm sure it was possible to see new shoots extending @ the tips of some branches. The before photo isn't the clearest but it's possible to see some of those shoots extending.

I also don't think much, if any root was pruned after it was collected. The areas Andy collects in are very rocky and often the entire root pad will fit in a small pot. I do know that he washes the roots and tries to remove all the old field soil before potting them up and has had good results with that. I don't disturb the roots at all when I first pot a collected tree; I do work the pumice I use in well with a chopstick so there are no voids between the roots and pumice. It seems to me AH has a plan and is aware of overworking his tree.

Having said that, I would have waited another year myself, but I have a lot of other trees demanding attention so it's easier to hold off. One telling thing about this tree is that it put out a lot of juvenile foliage this growing season which is an indicator of stress. I like to wait until the tree is covered with long shoots of cord-like growth--an indicator of vigor in junipers with scale type foliage.