Advice for juniper please - beginner

[Mellenoire]

Hello! I'm looking for some advice about this juniper I recieved in 2009. Not being terribly happy with the trunk width, I let it grow ad libitum for a couple of years. After attending the School of Bonsai Exhibition last weekend, I realised it's time and past to repot it. This will happen this weekend.

I was wondering if it would be possible to restyle it into a semi-cascade at this point? It should be 10 years old this year (the tag when purchased said 2001). Or would I be better off leaving it in it's current style and if I'm that desperate for a semi-cascade juniper, start taking cuttings from another tree?

It doesn't look terribly happy, is there anything else I can do to perk it up? I'm using osmocote slow release granules, and while it's budding, there's poor ramification and very little growth near the trunk.

Here's some pictures: sorry about the concrete backdrop.

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Thanks for any advice, and for this forum!

[Gerard]

It looks like it wants to be a semi-cascade, it would be best to wire and shape it a little before you repot because after repotting you are likely to have less stability and risk damaging the roots.
Then repot into a free draining mix let it recover before removing a lot of foliage.

[Scott Roxburgh]

It doesn't look at all vigorous, but I wouldn't repot it. You need to get it bursting with health.

What it needs is growth. Fertilise with miracle-gro at the recommended strength and wire it, but don't cut much off it.

When you adjust the planting angle at the next repot it will look like a semi cascade.

[kcpoole]

Might make a nice little cascade out of it if tilted to the right, or possibly and informal upright with big bends if you tilted to the left too.
Get some blocks of wood or something, and put them under the edge of the pot in different places to see how it will look when you do repot it.

Whatever you do, feed up and get it growing vigorously

[Mellenoire]

Thanks so much for the replies!

So, even though it's been in the same pot for a touch over 2 years, I shouldn't repot it this year? None of the roots are poking out of the bottom and it's not lifting out of the pot, so I don't think it's rootbound. I'll grab some miracle-gro this afternoon and get started with it. Is it available at K-Mart or Coles/Woolies?

If I fertilise properly, how long would I be looking before it starts getting more vigorous growth? Would it be a matter of weeks, or months/years? Or is this too difficult to assess at this point?

I am so happy I'll be able to get it cascading (eventually). Hopefully it will start to pick up again!

Thanks again!

[Steven]

G'day Mellenoire and welcome to AusBonsai!

You have received some good advice, now it is up to you to nurture your juniper into top health.
If you are not yet a member of a club, I recommend you join. You will be amazed at how much you will learn and the stock that will become available. Check out our section on Clubs and Schools for one near you.

Regards,
Steven

[Scott Roxburgh]

Time in the pot is really irrelevant, if they are no roots growing out of the pot I say leave it another year.

Miracle-gro may not be available from a supermarket or kmart, it is from nurseries, magnet mart/bunnings etc, but if you can't find it there will be another type of fertiliser there that will work too, nitrosol, powerfeed, just make sure it has NPK ratios on the back/side and it'll do. I would use this liquid fertiliser in addition to the osmocote.

It may be a matter of weeks/months to get more vigorous growth happening. Then go along with your tree to the school of bonsai and get some of the guys there to give you a hand wiring it up etc.

Also, read as much of this forum as you can, there are a number of Sydney members here that will give first hand experience in your area.

Good luck, keep us updated.

[Mellenoire]

Bought some Miracle-Gro (I got the all purpose one) and I'll update when it's getting some better growth. Thanks for the help and welcome

[Mellenoire]

Even though it's only been a week, my juniper is covered in buds! I don't know if this is it's normal growth pattern or due to me hammering it with plant food, but I have a new question.

Do I remove the buds to encourage growth closer to the trunk (keeping a few so the plant doesn't give up on growing) or just let it go wild?

[bodhidharma]

You can lightly tip prune the new buds by hand going slowly over the tree over a period of three weeks or so. Start at the most vigorous growth and work down to the slower areas. This exercise is good for the tree and good for you to get to know your tree. Lightly hold the part you are working on and twist the new bud and pull upwards. As you get better at it it will go a lot quicker. Practise, practise, practise.

[Mellenoire]

Thanks!

[Scott Roxburgh]

In contrast to Bodhi...

I assume that the growth is related to the tree really starting up this year, rather than an instant reaction to the fert. I would advocate not touching the new growth just yet.

Before cutting/pinching back any foliage/buds, you should wait until you see little 'runners' like the following pic:

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Your tree is a little different i.e. spikey foliage rather than scale, but you will see similar growth forming. I suggest that you leave it to grow until Dec, with lots of fert.

This tree needs growth to build strength, IMO constant pinching is detrimental to juniper health.

Check out these trees to see the runners (extended growth) prior to working on them.
http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3140 ... ia-juniper
http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t3059 ... a-shimpaku

[Mellenoire]

I decided to leave it for now, a few more weeks of shooting isn't going to hurt it and I know "fiddling" with the tree too much is an excellent way to cause it's demise.

I return again with a question about the trunk. Granted, it's been rather grey and rainy today, but the bottom 3cm of the trunk appears much darker than the rest of it. Around the back this black colour extends right up to the branches, and I can peel off a bit of the bark (didn't test that theory out extensively, for obvious reasons). I'm not sure if it's the rain, or something wrong with the bark, or if I'm just being hypervigilant.

Thoughts?

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Also, that big root sticking out in the first image - is this a significant flaw in the tree's development? If so, what can I do to disguise it without killing the tree?