Still confused about juniper structure

[Paulneill]

Hi guys.

I am still confused about junipers.
Is it wrong to build the branche structure like a decidous tree ? I have found myself doing this were I have a primary branch forking Into 2 then 4 then 8 with all the folage on the end.

I think this is wrong and instead I should be trying to develop the branches so they are more separate and thin , comming of primary branches .

It's hard to explain . Hopefully you guys know what I mean.

Here is a picture of what I found myself doing.

[Paulneill]

[Paulneill]

This is a juniper I have been working on for a while trying to bring the foliage closer to the trunk. I approach grafted 4 or 5 new branches last year. I'm considering layering this tree in half next year.

[bodhidharma]

I try and stick to the alternating secondary and tertiary branching formula. It starts to blur a little when you are starting to get dense branching but it keeps the structure easier to wire and also easier to develop. You will find though that as your experience grows so does your view and you will rely more on how you see it rather than sticking to formula. It is important on conifers though that you keep foliage away from connecting points of branching . This keeps the tree more open.

[Reece]

I was reading this:

http://mikobonsai-articles.blogspot.com ... niper.html

The other day. I havent tried it but it seems pretty logical and the photos look good!

[Damian79]

Fantastic post island breeze. This info is great.

[Paulneill]

Thanks for that island breeze . It's a good one
I can't believe he spent 2 hrs removing needles on that tiny pad.
It's a good idea I wonder how he goes about trainning the top of the pad.

[Neli]

One big mistake newbies do when reading how to clean the base of tertiary branches is that they do the same to the primary branches when in reality they need to develop those shoots in order to bring the foliage back nearer to the trunk.
Ones you have decided the position of the primary branches, if you need to shorten a branch so the pad fits into the overall design there are two ways only. Wire the branck in s fashion to shorten it, which I would not advise since it is a short term solution used in demos...and it is not possible when branches are too thick.
Second solution is to first encourage back budding, and keep branches/shoots on primary branches that are near to the trunk line in order to develop them so you can shorten the branch later.
Wiring the tertiary branches is the last thing you should do in development. Yes at this point you can thin out the base of tertiary branches, to bring light in but concentrate on bringing the pads nearer to the trunk if needed. That is done by chopping the primary branch back to viable shoots, and do it in stages if you dont want juvenile foliage to develop if cut too much. It can take two years for it to revert to scale...
Also remember where and how junipers grow in nature. They grow in harsh conditions. That needs to be expressed in the design, by avoiding symmetry. It is a routine practice in Japan to make the first two primary branches at different height and length.

[Paulneill]

There is no way it can be practical to spend 2 hrs on such a small pad . I am currently attempting this styling technique I I am removing the tiny needles on my Squamata and am struggling already . My scissors are not good and lighting conditions. Is there not a quicker way . Haha

[Neli]

I spent two days on this juniper, and that is from morning to evening.

Japan 014 (550x413) (550x413).jpg

Japan 004 (2) (550x413).jpg

[Paulneill]

That is very impressive neil . Did u achieve that using the same technique as mentioned in the article in this post?
How are you refining that tree now . Are you just pruning it / thinning .?

[kcpoole]

I believe that was a tree Neli worked on while in Japan for a sabbatical recently.

Ken

[Neli]

Ken is right, that was my final work at school. It took a lots of planing and concentration. Oyakata said it is perfection...He walked the whole day around repeating that and pointing at it.
From now on the tree needs only pinching and maintenance. Pinching might be the wrong word...we cut with scissors the shoots.
I still need to write that article on styling junipers but have been so lazy.