Hey y'all! Living here in central Texas, Ashe Juniper ('cedar' to us) grow like weeds and I have seen others turn them into fantastic specimen bonsai. I'd like to try my hand at this process, but I've heard they can be a pain to collect and sometimes revert to immature leaf form. Do you have any suggestions on the best collection method for this particular species? Any grow tips? Thanks!

BK

I would guess it's pretty similar to other native Junipers like CA, Sierra, Utah, Western and Rocky Mountain.

I might recommend the DVD How to collect Wild Trees which you can purchase at www.goldenarrowbonsai.com.  I thought it was very good and Andy collects hundreds of trees each year.


*Make sure you have a permit
*I like to use pure sifted pumice
*get as many fine feeder roots as possible
*In CA I collect either in Oct or early spring, however I don't know the best time in Texas
*I might suggest to start with a small or younger one the first year and see how that goes
*make sure you have all your aftercare set up before you go out to collect.

Good Luck!

Got my hands on the "Collecting Wild Trees DVD" which was really informative, although I don't think the techniques he uses for those species will apply to central Texas landscape. I discovered there was an article written about this exact topic that was published in the Journal of the American Bonsai Society: "FINDING AND COLLECTING ASHE JUNIPERS IN CENTRAL TEXAS (fall 2002, volume 36, number 3 and 4) by Bill Cody. However, I can't find any back issues that old. Anybody have access to this article? Thanks!

I am part of the Dallas Bonsai club and I have been collecting ashe junipers in the last 3 years. For whatever reason I have been very successful. We collect in Feb at the end of winter. They are difficult to collect because they grow in rocks and clay so a shovel is not a good tool. A pick would do the trick. Mostly get as much root ball as you can. A lot of people do not get enough or they break it when they are taking it out of the hole.

Before putting it a pot, I scratch the sides to expose some roots. Then I cut them a little bit. The idea is to force the roots to grow. On the base I add pumice as my drainage layer and I add good bonsai soil on the sides. I can tell you that using good bonsai soil has made a difference in how long it takes to the tree to start growing. The last step is to put it in a shaded area completely protected from the wind under a mist system. I run it 1-2 mins every 20 mins.

I am part of the Dallas Bonsai club and I have been collecting ashe junipers in the last 3 years. For whatever reason I have been very successful. We collect in Feb at the end of winter. They are difficult to collect because they grow in rocks and clay so a shovel is not a good tool. A pick would do the trick. Mostly get as much root ball as you can. A lot of people do not get enough or they break it when they are taking it out of the hole.

Before putting it a pot, I scratch the sides to expose some roots. Then I cut them a little bit. The idea is to force the roots to grow. On the base I add pumice as my drainage layer and I add good bonsai soil on the sides. I can tell you that using good bonsai soil has made a difference in how long it takes to the tree to start growing. The last step is to put it in a shaded area completely protected from the wind under a mist system. I run it 1-2 mins every 20 mins.

Nice! Great info. Are you collecting older or younger material? I'm actually meeting up with the Austin Bonsai Society tonight. The president, Joey, told me that a member of the club spent roughly 20 years studying the collection of this species. His writings are going to be available to buy soon, so I'll post any additional nuggets of wisdom I may find.

...a member of the club spent roughly 20 years studying the collection of this species. His writings are going to be available to buy soon, so I'll post any additional nuggets of wisdom I may find.

Do you know his name?

Just a bounce to see if any of you have obtained any more info about J. ashi. I just bought one and am looking for anything I can find