JOHN HANBY NOTES #2 - Junipers

[MelaQuin]

From John’s presentation…
Working a shimpaku juniper
Clean the juniper, removing all dead needles and branches, before shaping and wiring. Remove all downward growing foliage and any upwards foliage that cannot be wired horizontally. Inside remove dull coloured foliage and weaker branches. There is a lot of work involved in cleaning out a tree. If you are not sure – leave it on. You can always take it off later but you can’t put it back on. The inside shoots are usually not getting enough sun and air so the tree itself starts shedding weaker foliage. If the tree is weak, let the shoots grown long – several inches. When you start refining and the tree is strong let the shoots grow only 1 inch. Don’t grab clumps of foliage and pinch wholesale. Select the areas to pinch to ensure the tree has enough growing tips to feed itself to keep growing.

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Junipers have flaky bark that can be removed with a soft wire brush to bring out the smooth rich red bark. The combination of the smooth red-brown trunk, deep green foliage and the white of the jins gives great contrast and interest.

Procumbens don’t like wire. Don’t wire anything green and try to use as little wire as possible.

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Feeding junipers… sprinkle food around the edges of the pot – that’s where the feeder roots are. Feed the roots the first of the month, feed the foliage mid month. Feed this way 52 weeks of the year. [When I queried this feeding regime – especially in England with cold winters - John restated that this was the way he fed his trees – 52 weeks of the year.]

Repotting – root pruning is major surgery. Too many people are blaize about repotting. When you repot a tree, respect the roots. When repotting LOOK at the roots, don’t just remove willy nilly without really seeing what the roots are saying. Work the chopstick through the soil/roots around the base – clean out the area under the tree to allow roots to grow there. Don’t just cut the roots around the edges.

Pruning – When you are working a tree and you are not sure what to remove – look at the branches. Start removing branches that simply won’t work – heavy branches at the top, spindly branches at the bottom, stiff branches at awkward angles – bar branching. Select branches that are horizontal or downward growing. Branches growing up will end up with a ‘cup handle’ curve at the join that is not attractive.

Keep the tree under control because if you are trying to develop branches you need to channel energy down. Anything growing up or down should be removed, outward growing branches can be wired for foliage pads and will allow leaves to supply energy to the tree. When you cut a tree back you can’t just let it go – you have to control the growth. Remove what new growth you don’t want and direct the growth you do want. You can’t do heavy pruning and then let the tree grow as it wants.

[Jamie]

interesting stuff mel! thanks it has cleared a few things up these are personal notes you took during a workshop i take it ?

even though some basic stuff there it is the simple things in bonsai that we often forget and we end up trying either to do to much, or thinking to much etc.

i know i am bad for it myself

jamie