I finally found a tree to dig and set out to rip it out. I dug a trench around the tree and founf lots of roots. This is just not usually the case with these junipers. I really don't know how they grow with such a meager root system.
In the second frame you can see me on my belly digging the tree. You can't tell in the foto, but the place whwere I am is on a 40 degree incline. I had to lay on my belly or roll down the hill. In the last frame you can see some of the root structure. Trust me when I tell you thats pretty good roots for one of these junipers.
The plant was free, and I encased all the roots in B-1 saturated spahgnum moss, and used three inch shrink wrap to encase the roots. I helped Gary free the tree he was digging on, and got his roots ready for the hike down the mountain. These mountains are made entirely of decomposed granite, and are as slippery as grease on sheet metal. I went down the mountain for about 150 feet on a slide of granite covered with a thin layer of decomposed. We made it back to our trucks and rested and told stories of how we prized our trees from Mother Nature's clutches. After a short rest, it's back up the mountain for another look. I found one other juniper, but it was small, and I will probably make a shohin clump style out of it.
