Juniper styling advice

[Shinkitai]

I have had this Juniper for a couple of years and it seems to be going nowhere (other then sideways), I am after some ideas of what I could do with it. I was thinking of perhaps airlayering around the curve up to use the top half and virtually restart at the bottom. I have never done airlayering before so any hints on Junipers would be appreciated.

Any other ideas and thoughts? I have mucked around with bonsai for a number of years but are now starting to get serious so not a lot of real experience. Really enjoying reading/learning from this forum!

[Damian Bee]

The line of the trunk and canopy shape is kind of pleasing
You could air layer which is pretty easy with Juniperis squamata or you could try and interpret my dodgy virt
Removing the branch with the x and tilting the top section in the approximate direction of the arrow and then bending down a branch to take some of the void left by the removed branch.

Juniper-Squamata-3---25-Sep.jpg

[GavinG]

First, maybe feed it fairly solidly. Fortnightly liquid feeds and maybe some Osmocote. It looks a bit light on.

Second, join a club and watch people working. It's a good way to get your eye in.

Next, don't do anything just because you think you should do something. Try and figure out why you don't like the tree, and then find out how to change what you don't like.

As for the tree...
I think the trunk line does something interesting, but where it starts to go straight up, at 90degrees to the main line of the trunk, it starts to jar your eye. Too square, too straight. The straight vertical bit will have to curve to one side or the other - get some heavy wire on it and experiment to see which way does something for you. Watch out for making a large-radius smooth curve around to the right - trees don't do geometrical even curves. Bend it around a bit.

The ?second and third branches come out from the trunk at the same level - they call this "bar branching" and its BAAAAAD - when you look at it, the two branches coming from the same level make a competing right-angled line to the trunk line, so once again it jars your eye. When you've got a trunk line you like, choose the branches to flow smoothly - not all at once, no big gaps. Choose which of the bar branches goes best with the others, and cut the other one off.

Best of luck.

Gavin

[Shinkitai]

Thanks for the feedback, it has given me more to think about. It never feels right looking at it, so I think that is good advise to try and understand why it is not right to the eye and then work from there.

Would love to get to a club meeting, but spare moments that coincide with meeting dates are a rarity at the moment. I want to try and get to the next Gold Coast-Tweed meeting in October if I do I might take this one as I think I could learn a lot from others with it.

[Ray]

The next meeting at the club happens to be a workshop meeting, so it would be a good time to bring it along. I'll be bringing a juniper myself for some advice.

[MoGanic]

Hey there,

I love your tree mate. Decided to do a rough sketch (yes I sign my rough sketches too now haha) of where I see the future of this tree heading towards. P.s. I don't do sketches often so I understand if everyone hates it!

Cheers,
-Mo

[Craig]

something along these lines may work,.good luck.

mmm13.jpg

[Guy]

IF THIS WERE MINE__the problem is from the pot to first branch-- no short term fixes for this-----that horizontal trunk is a real problem-you could get rid of the bar branches by removing the first right or left branch--use the left pot rim to bend the trunk way down --hold for a season or two then re-pot as semi cascade style or some such

[Hackimoto]

I think Damian Bee is on the right track with bending the apex off to the right. On seeing the last virt I think that the apex of the tree could be developed on that virt right hand branch and get rid of the crown or apex that is there now. That would bring some visual balance back to somewhere closer to the trunk base. The other option would be to tilt the tree 45 degrees to the right, making it slanting style and work with the top foliage pads then.

[Guy]

for a tree to look believable or natural there has to be a good reason for the tree to be in that form---damaged by snow ,avalanche -affected by another plant or a rock formation--you have to ask yourself "how did this tree come to look this way?"

[Craig]

the virt isn't perfect but a little imagination can go along way, straight long trunks and all .

south-africa-image-39.jpg

trailside%20cliffs%20on%20table%20mountain.jpg

[Guy]

thanks for making this tree believable

[Hackimoto]

Shinkitai, As Ray said, bring it along o the next meeting and we can have closer look at it.

[Shinkitai]

Thanks everyone. Mo - I love the picture, inspiring me to get the pencils out again!

I got a vision of this tree looking very different by standing up some more, growing a thicker trunk to shari, and developing a cloud layer of foliage that drops down to the right. Not sure if it will work or not but have followed my vision and repotted into a training pot today with a stake to help hold it up to it settles. I have removed the opposing branch as suggested and will grow the branches above down to fill the gap some more. The whole process may take a few years but I am happy with the track I am on.

The picture needs some imagination to see my vision

[MoGanic]

Definitely seeing it mate, good work.

If it were my tree, I'd wrap a tourniquet around the 'base' of the tree and after it fattens up a bit later it off the whole bottom section to develop good root spread. Right now I'd imagine a majority of the previous trunk has been buried?

-Mo