Or what I did on my "vacation"

I took yesterday afternoon and this morning off because the Grounds
Department told me they were removing some satsuki yesterday. I had
previously looked and they seemed to be planted in fairly uniform groups as
a decorative mass plantings. So I brought my hand tools and showed up. So
wrong!

First, they were removed Monday morning a just piled back behind a utility
shed. Next, no one told the crew doing the work that someone from the local
bonsai group was going to be coming by. Finally, the plants had been
planted over twenty years ago and some of them much too deep so the visible
portion of the plants were really branches of bigger plants. Naturally,
they ground layered at that point giving many plants two root systems.

I took 22 plants home with me last night after drastically pruning the tops.
Boy are my hands sore. I've washed out the roots and have them covered with
a wet sheet in the shade near my potting shed. This morning the ones with
leaves looked happier so I've potted up 6 using the original roots where
they are acceptable (some were not planted as low as others and two never
had their original roots spread when initially planted so the original roots
didn't grow much). The 6 have been re-washed and put into a 50/50 mix of
vermiculite and peat moss (or moss peat for those on the old side of the
pond). I plan to do the rest as soon as possible and are keeping the roots
wet with the sheet.

Here's the question, what can I do to increase the survival rate? All
suggestions gratefully accepted. I get the digest for lunch entertainment
so if I do not respond immediately, that may be the reason. TIA - jay

Jay Beckenbach - Melrose, FL - Zone 8b/9a -

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