Nursery stock chinese juniper

[KyBonzai]

I got this juniper the other day For $18 so dont know if it was a good buy or not
just wondering when should i put it into a training pot and do some thinning of the foliage, branch selection and wiring

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[Guy]

before you do anything else--lift it from the pot get a hose and gently wash the off top inch or so of dead leaaves and soil down to the first major roots --you need to see what the roots are doing first--this could determine the front of the tree ,the first branch choice-it could also determine the ultimate tree height--dont rush

[anttal63]

Good advice Guy, If you think the soil and root ball are a little fragile to be washed then just brush away the debris and an old tooth brush and some water will expose the roots. As Guy said dont rush anything yet !!! This tree looks like juniper communis not chinensis. If so they are not a great subject for bonsai. Ky where abouts in qld are you ???

[KyBonzai]

Hey Guy
I"ll try and expose some roots later today and dont worry definetly not gonna rush this guy beacuase its my only juniper and i love some of the juniper bonsai i've seen in books so hopefully a few years from now mine can look something like them
Hey ant
i live about 3-4 hours north of brisbane depending on who drives mum or dad in a little town called herevy Bay
does anyone know if theres any bonsai enthusiasts here haha ?

[LLK]

Doesn't look like a Chinese juniper to me. Procumbens, maybe.
Nice trunk base.

Lisa

[KyBonzai]

Im not 100% that its a chinese juniper thats just what it was labelled at the nursery, i dont mind if its not because im just going to be calling it my juniper

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[LLK]

Thanks for that label. I found this description of the species: "It is a coniferous evergreen shrub. The leaves grow in two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 5-10 mm long, and adult scale-leaves 1.5-3 mm long. Mature trees usually continue to bear some juvenile foliage as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown." See Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_chinensis It's the absence of scale-like leaves that made me doubt the name of Chinese juniper. You may be getting that mature foliage with time, it is similar to Shimpaku foliage.
The fact that it is a "pyramidalis" is a bit worrying, since the branches of that cultivar all tend to grow vertically and are therefore difficult to style in the traditional, horizontal and bending downward style.
Good luck with "your juniper" nonetheless !!

Lisa

[KyBonzai]

i just hosed off some soil andshortened a few roots
i didnt find anything amazing but if i just keep working on this tree slowly over a couple of years it could look ok
i was a bit suspicious about the pyramidallis bit but hey anythings possibe if i keep at it i should be able to get the branches horizontal or bent downwards Whens the best time to do major work on junipers like thinning the foliage and branche selection, wiring ?
gotta love my bonsai helper

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Heres what i uncovered

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[LLK]

Now is a good time to work on the branching; actually it's already getting a bit late. Remember especially that any tree on which you do major work will be glad of protection from the elements, especially sun and wind!
The roots aren't bad at all, which will help with determining the front of the tree, but I'd wait with repotting till your Qld winter, after you've finished the pruning and the new growth is well on its way. That is, so long as you are in an area that has mild winters. It helps when people say precisely where they live, when it comes to giving advice, and don't just indicate which State. Climates within each State vary so much!

Lisa

[KyBonzai]

Now is a good time to work on the branching; actually it's already getting a bit late. Remember especially that any tree on which you do major work will be glad of protection from the elements, especially sun and wind!
The roots aren't bad at all, which will help with determining the front of the tree, but I'd wait with repotting till your Qld winter, after you've finished the pruning and the new growth is well on its way. That is, so long as you are in an area that has mild winters. It helps when people say precisely where they live, when it comes to giving advice, and don't just indicate which State. Climates within each State vary so much!

Lisa

So I could start thinning out the foliage now ?
I will wait till winter before I repot it into a styrofoam grow box
I'll add my town to my profile information now
We don't get really cold winters here we would be lucky to hit 3 or 5 degrees Celsius so no frosts
Thanks for all your help

Khan

[Guy]

in the first of the root photos is it possible to ease(fan) that lefthand root out to the left a little without damaging where its attached to the tree. then hold in position with a piece of bent wire over the root and pushed into the soil---if you could shift it a little now it could be easier later when you decide to repot

[KyBonzai]

Hey guy
ill try moving that root ones the tree recovers from the haircut it just got
Heres some pictures i took while thinning out the tree and trying to get an idea of the structure, i like the movement in the trunk thats going to the left so dont know if i'll keep both trunks or not, i even had a go at a little jin, wow i love the jin haha
this is no where near a finished product so if anyone as any suggestions on which branches to keep/remove that will be helpful.
im thinking of maybe a shari where that buldge is??? a bit further down the track tho
now im just hoping the tree recovers and survives so i can repot in winter and work on the nebari a bit more

Dont know if you can see my wiring but its not very good

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i like the jin

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Sorry the photos are'nt very good but i only have my ipod to take photos with

[Guy]

before any major cutting--look at as many possible styles as possible and find the best fit--+junipers can also be styled as semi cascades-so depending on roots and branching this tree could be tilted way to left or right -----branches can also be used to help thicken that area of the tree(especially down near the base)-then removed later if they arent included in the final style(sacrifice branches)--so any removal or jinning of branches can be done much later .