Re potting Junipers....

[Reece]

Hi everyone! First post on the forum.

Let me start off by saying.......... I AM OBSESSED WITH BONSAI. I only started getting into it about 6 months ago but I can see it becoming a life long hobby. Love everything about it! Ive almost crashed the car a few times recently looking at trees. My girlfriend thinks that I love my Juniper more than her.....

Anyway...... I was at a friends house (which is on the market) the other day and I noticed she had two planter boxes with 6 Shimpaku Junipers (I think) about 1.5 meters high! I asked what was going to happen with them and she said that they would probably stay there, but, I could have them because they are hers until someone actually buys the house.

Here are some photos:

IMG_20120909_175128.jpg

IMG_20120909_175400.jpg

IMG_20120909_175412.jpg

IMG_20120909_175439.jpg

First of all. Are these Shimpakus?

In terms of removal and turing them into bonsai I was thinking about individually potting the three healthiest ones and then chopping the trunks. From the reading Ive done is the right thing to do select the hight in relation to the trunk and chop just above a frontwards facing branch that can be wired into a new apex?

Also, should I wait a while before I wire and chop everything or should I chop, wire, and then prune as soon as I re pot them. Last of all, am I better off putting them in a deep pot or a shallower container, say a foam fruit box to start training the roots for a bonsai pot in a few years? I guess this depends on how thick I want the trunks?

Any help here is greatly appreciated! I think this forum is great and I can see myself spending a lot of time here....

Thanks.

Reece.

[bodhidharma]

You have a ready made group planting there and should maybe go with that.

[Reece]

Haha I was thinking that at first but it will be too heavy and awkward to get home. I was going to just bag up the root balls and lay them down in my car.....

[kcpoole]

Welcome Ausbonsai.
I know what you mean by staring at trees too much been there done that, Luckily do not have any scars tho

They look more like chamaecyparis to me.

the trunks Look to be a reasonable size already so may make a nice Group planting as Bodhi mentioned.

You will need to investigate the roots to see what they are like. Are the just a big matted mess or are the spread out a little already?
if the former you may well best to repot and and arrange then better for a year or 2

Ken

[Reece]

Thanks for the ID!

Ok ill check the roots out. A group planting would be good. Maybe in 10 years I can have something like my Avatar or this!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/299 ... 4448fa.jpg

Yeah the trunks are pretty solid probs between 30-40mm. I'm a little bit worried about taper if I cut them off at 1/6 trunk size but if this is the case I guess ill go the really long way and trunk chop them shorter to grow taper. Is this right? I'm only going off reading!

Are you better of planting them together right from the start for a group plantation?

Thanks again guys......

[bodhidharma]

The group planting is already there. When you break them up dig them in groups of two's and three's. I can see some are in close proximity's of two and three groups already. Just treat the groups as a single tree and take them out together as one and then you can place them to suit in your pot.

[Reece]

Ok cool! Ill give that a try then......