I'll try and be quick about this. I'm a rambler.

I liked bonsai as a kid but lacked the discipline. Now I'm older and want to try again. Been thinking about them lately. Doing research.

During a visit with my mother I mentioned them. Somehow we got around to tree age, and I mentioned how cool it would be to find an old juniper bush someone was removing and styling it.

I wanted to buy a small nursery juniper and practice on it for a few years before really jumping in. Learning, making mistakes, growing.

My mother missed that part of the conversation apparently. She showed up at 9pm earlier with her neighbors juniper bush. They ripped it out for some reason or another and she brought it to me. It's not as old as I would've collected but the sentiment was nice.

A few problems. I have almost no bonsai experience. I have zero collection experience. And I think they actually ripped it from the ground.

This bush has... Very few roots. Almost none really. And I don't have the experience to coax it back to health on my own.

So I turn to you guys for advice. I'd really like to get it to live.

Here's what I know about juniper. They don't like wet roots. Every time I see them growing they seem to be in nutrient poor fast draining soil. They do like wet needles? They seem to grow better in foggy areas here. And that's about it.

I had no appropriate soil on hand, so I tried to make an open mix with perlite, bark, and cactus mix. I watered right after potting... bad idea? Better suggestions?

I'm keeping it in a shady spot for now. I don't think full summer sun will help it's condition. Is that bad?

My instinct is to do what I would do with my garden plants and trim it back so there's less plant. Would that detriment the juniper too much? Should I trim any major branches I know I won't use?

Would rooting harmone help? Fertiliser? Seems like fertiliser would hurt it.

It had two very large roots that were sheared through. Should I have sealed them before potting? I potted it right away for fear of the roots drying out. But now I fear root rot.

It would be nice to get it to live. That way down the line I'll actually get to sit down and see if it has any bonsai potential.

I have some photos but they aren't great since my mom showed up at night and I wanted it potted right away.

I can take better ones tomorrow if anyone wishes.

The bush. It's about 4 feet round. Maybe 2 or 3 feet high.

The sad roots. Nearly nothing there. It has three main trunks. Would it be best to decide on one or two and cut the others? That way it has less top growth to support? Or is that too much stress?

Please help lol.