newb first post-japanese juniper

mcraig89 · Post by **mcraig89** » February 6th, 2015, 12:04 pm

hey guys im new to bonsai and im new to this forum. thought id start off my first post with my juniper iv had for a couple years.
any critiques will be muchly appreciated

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sauce squeezie to show size comparison

mcraig89 · Post by **mcraig89** » February 6th, 2015, 12:07 pm

oh also im aware of the old scars from wiring when I first got it, left the wire on too long and well I guess that's what you get for not doing your homework hahaha.

Post by **kcpoole** » February 6th, 2015, 1:33 pm

The scars will grow out eventually, and some people use them to help build trunk girth on Pines and Junis anyway.

The next repot I would tilt it to the right to have the initial trunk come vertically out of the soil. This will give a bit more interest to the tree.
When you do that, you will have to wire the apex to the left to bring it back over the base.

Aside from that, let it develop larger foliage pads so it looks a lttle more bulked up and enjoy

Ken

mcraig89 · Post by **mcraig89** » February 6th, 2015, 2:42 pm

thanks kcpoole

I wasn't sure if the scars would entirely grow out, good to hear they do. might have to look at doing that next time I re-pot. how would I go about thinkening the trunk on this, bigger pot next time maybe?

cheers Mat.

Post by **kcpoole** » February 6th, 2015, 4:02 pm

mcraig89 wrote:thanks kcpoole

I wasn't sure if the scars would entirely grow out, good to hear they do. might have to look at doing that next time I re-pot. how would I go about thinkening the trunk on this, bigger pot next time maybe?

cheers Mat.

Junipers are slow to thicken and the only way to hasten the process is to plant in the ground or large pot, and let the grow unhindered for several years.
Obviously this means that we cannot work the tree at the same time.

Ken

shibui · Post by **shibui** » February 6th, 2015, 5:23 pm

It is possible to thicken selected parts of a trunk by wounding it. Use the point of a sharp knife so cut a slit into the bark - right through to the wood underneath. Run the blade down, following the shape of the trunk. Do not remove any bark, just cut a slice through the bark. The bark will just close up after the knife passes and it is difficult to see the cut.
In a few weeks you will see some thickening and maybe some callus along the track where you cut and the trunk will have swelled a bit more than usual. It is a bit like wire marks but following the trunk rather than spiralling around it.
With this tree I would cut 3 or 4 cuts equally spaced around the trunk from the first little branch down to the ground to try to thicken the first section of trunk.

When the first cuts have healed you can repeat the procedure again to get more thickening.

mcraig89 · Post by **mcraig89** » February 6th, 2015, 7:23 pm

kcpoole wrote:
mcraig89 wrote:thanks kcpoole

I wasn't sure if the scars would entirely grow out, good to hear they do. might have to look at doing that next time I re-pot. how would I go about thinkening the trunk on this, bigger pot next time maybe?

cheers Mat.
Junipers are slow to thicken and the only way to hasten the process is to plant in the ground or large pot, and let the grow unhindered for several years.
Obviously this means that we cannot work the tree at the same time.

Ken

thanks for the pointers ken
I think I will do this come later in the year when I repot, I don't know if I like it so small.
might put it in a foam box for a few years and see what I get than.

shibui wrote:It is possible to thicken selected parts of a trunk by wounding it. Use the point of a sharp knife so cut a slit into the bark - right through to the wood underneath. Run the blade down, following the shape of the trunk. Do not remove any bark, just cut a slice through the bark. The bark will just close up after the knife passes and it is difficult to see the cut.
In a few weeks you will see some thickening and maybe some callus along the track where you cut and the trunk will have swelled a bit more than usual. It is a bit like wire marks but following the trunk rather than spiralling around it.
With this tree I would cut 3 or 4 cuts equally spaced around the trunk from the first little branch down to the ground to try to thicken the first section of trunk.

When the first cuts have healed you can repeat the procedure again to get more thickening.

thanks shibui
I did read something similar to this but done on a swamp cypress, handy to know that you can do it
to junipers aswell, might experiment with this over the weekend, and leave it for a few weeks.

thanks for the input guys.
cheers Mat.

AusBonsai

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