Transplanted Juniper

9 years ago

Hi, I transplanted a 6' juniper (not sure on the type, it came with the house) about 2.5 months ago. I'm now well aware that I shouldn't have done it during the summer and don't ever plan on doing this again. I have been watering it adequately but not over watering. It is still continuing to brown and hollow out, especially at the bottom. My issue is that I am not sure if this tree will ever bounce back or is it a lost cause and eventually going to die? I guess I expected it to either recover from the shock or completely brown out and die by now. The top and middle seem to still have a lot of healthy foliage so I don't know whether to replace it before it gets too cold or wait to see what happens. Even if it survived, would the dead needles regenerate or would it stay hollow for good? Also can anyone identify the juniper for me?

Thanks for any input.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

9 years ago

well..... lol.. at least i dont have to tip toe around the issue .. lol ...

you stressed the heck out of it ...

but heres the trick.. evergreens dont brown in minutes.. like leaves do ... so dont be surprised if it continues to brown for a year ...

up side.. the amount of unaffected green ... it probably wont die ... but it isnt ever going to look like it did before .. whether it ends up pleasing or not.. is up to faith.. and your tolerances ... also.. whether or not it releafs from brown branches.. is left to fate ...

if you are going to hang around.. go to your members page.. and add your location... else you will always be asked ...

see link for general primer... focus on proper watering ... and timing for next time..

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

its extremely stressed.. its not hungry.. fert is not a response to this ...

it will take this tree 3 to 5 years.. to replace the roots you cut off ... that is tree time ... the browning should stop.. other than the normal amount ...

there is a reason.. most of us.. wouldnt have bothered moving a conifer this large ...and you are seeing it ...

i would give it thru next spring bud push.. to see if it has enough vigor to please you .. BTW ... if it does get going... its going to cover that sidewalk within a few years ... this isnt some slow growing dwarf plant.. and i can see that by how the leader grew this spring ... look at the bark of it.. where it changes texture.. that is last years.. and you should be able to see the third year back.. all of which will give you a flavor of how fast this thing can and will grow ...

ken

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Comments (6)

Embothrium
9 years ago
It's curling up and going dull all over - I'm afraid you've lost it.
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
9 years ago
I fear Embo is right. How big of a rootball did you dig? That size of tree would have needed one bigger than one person could muscle without trashing it.

tj
T W
Original Author
9 years ago
I can't say for sure the size, but it was a decent amount of roots. The tree was in a horribly clay and soggy, muddy area and I was able to tilt it to each side a couple times and cut just the larger roots and pull it right out of the ground. A lot of the soil remained with the roots during the transplant and stayed wet so I had high hopes. I wasn't happy where the tree was in the back yard anyway.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
but it was a decent amount of roots.

==>>> conifers are trees.. and said to be twice as large below ground.. as you see above ... so consider what you cut off.. in the wrong season .. etc ... etc .. no need to beat that dog ...

did you see my point about its aggressive growth rate.. should it survive??? .. based on that alone.. i would be done with it ...

the most important thing to learn with trees.. is they basically never stop growing .. so you have to plan for 5.. 10.. 20 years later ...

and the spot you are trying to fill... imo.. is not a spot for a tree with large potential ...and in the last pic.. if i look to the right of it.. i THINK i see a porch behind.. and two plants that most likely need to be pruned heavily to keep them off the porch or house ... the peep who planted them.. really didnt site this stuff properly ... my point being.. they had no concept of the future potential of the plants ...

all that green lawn out front ... and they jammed everything up against the house ... whats that all about ....

en
T W
Original Author
9 years ago
Yes I agree with all that. I've only lived in this house for 2 years but the upkeep with trimming/pruning is extensive. I'm gonna leave the juniper until the spring but I anticipate it having a good chance of dying before that. I gently removed a lot of the browning but there's nothing else left to do with it...just too lazy to remove it at the moment and not sure what I even want to put in that spot. Thanks for the comments.