large juniper get first styling .

[Craig]

Great work Anthony,, i like ahh, ALL of them

[anthonyW]

Thanks Graig, as you can see manners cost nothing.....cheers mate.

[Paulneill]

Thanks Anthony those pictures are great . I wish i could draw like that .
I am now thinking of tilting it so the chop is above the base and growing a new leader upward .
here is a picture i found i am using as inspiration.

[Dario]

Hi Paulneil, just wanted to say good effort and you showed a lot of dedication spending 7 to 8 hrs on your first styling attempt!

I am now thinking of tilting it so the chop is above the base and growing a new leader upward .

That is a good idea, the only difference being that your first branches start a fair way up the tree compared to the pic you are using for inspiration. Good to see you thinking outside the square though and whatever direction you take, I wish you all the best!
If you are set on the above option, perhaps you could reduce the tree down over time and induce budding lower down, or possibly even graft on a lower branch.
Having said that though, there is no reason why you can't tilt your tree and use a higher branch above the chop (I was just pointing out the difference between yours and the pic you showed).
Anyway, there is no rush and you have a really good tree to use a foundation for your chosen style whatever that may be. Keep thinking about it and looking at lots of other juniper bonsai pics (as you seem to be doing). Yes, as you well know the tree would be best with it reduced in size etc. Keep us updated on your progress with this tree.
Thanks for sharing, Dario.

[Paulneill]

Hi everyone .

I wanted to update some pictures of this tree.

OK so i layered it about half way up a few weeks ago and yesterday i removed the wire that was beginning to bite .

My main aim is to remove the top half layer this late winter . and then concentrate on getting the branches to back bud to create a more compact tree and also letting the new leader rip and thicken.

Yesterday i cut all the strong low branches removing half the foliage on each to try and encourage backbudding

and leaving weak branches in an effort to thicken them.

now my question is was this ok to remove this amount of growth this time of year not long 2 months after repotting and one month after ring barking the tree half way up a month ago .
I am worried that i am trying to do too much at once some advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Paulneill]

hi everyone .
just updating this juniper after the trunk chop . im happy with the results and how the trunk looks . i still need to fix the leader so it follows the lower trunk i just don't want to snap it off . now if i could just get those branches to back bud i could shorten all the branches and style the tree nothing a couple of years can fix .

i would love to hear everyone's thoughts please.

[Craig]

Hi Paul, you may have already looked at this option, but if you able to use this branch as the new leader , it looks like giving you more lower branches in the area you'd want them. Nice job with the layer aswell

untitledpaul.JPG

[Paulneill]

No Craig i didn't think of that one ,that one is the first branch on the left side , if i use that as the leader there wont be any branches on that side

[Craig]

if i use that as the leader there wont be any branches on that side

I didn't notice that. I also think you could jin the main trunk and pull the first branch up to build your tree from.Depends what you want,

untitledpaul.JPG

[Brad75]

Hi paul,

Some might not like the S bend trunk but it is a perfect 'bankan' bonsai and presents you with a good opportunity to create a brilliant bonsai. I would think long and hard before chopping this one in half.

Cheers,

Brad75.

[Paulneill]

too late
Brad i couldn't live with those bends it looked terrible it has already been chopped as previously posted or are you referring to the tree as it is now ?

no way Craig im happy with the trunk as is now im still aiming to design the tree similar to the inspiration picture . i reckon 5 years and it will be on its way .

[kcpoole]

Nice result Paul

I like the trunk and now you need to encourage back shooting closer in.
Cutting back the terminal growth should help

Ken

[Brad75]

Hi Paul,

I was referring to the tree as first posted. I didn't realise that there was a second page under this topic. The new look is ok; it'll take a while to achieve the design though as Junipers don't sprout from old wood. Good luck.

Cheers,

Brad75.

[Craig]

no way Craig im happy with the trunk as is now im still aiming to design the tree similar to the inspiration picture . i reckon 5 years and it will be on its way .

Cool, but such a definate "no way", give yourself a few years and see if you still think the same. I wish you luck getting new shoots where you want them

[Paulneill]

Brad junipers back bud on old wood without any problems if they didn't it would wake them pretty useless as bonsai subjects.

You could be right Craig . It's not that I don't trust your judgement I have seen your trees . I just can't picture what u have I mind .
Any way I will give a while as it is and see how it starts to look