help with San Jose cascade please

[mfres6]

Hi all,

This is my very first post on this forum. I have read some very informative posts and seen some amazing bonsai examples here and would like some assistance. I have included some images of a San Jose Juniper that I recently aquired and would like some suggestions on the best way to style it. Should I remove branches, which elevation is the best for the front, etc. Any comments will be most welcome.

Thanks, Matt

[Scott Roxburgh]

I wouldn't remove anymore growth, but fertilize a bit more and get some vigor into the tree for styling next year. There is definitely some great potential there.

Get some charliecarp and nitrosol mix as directed and pour it on, add some osmocote to the top of the mix too.

Scott.

[Tony Bebb]

Hi Matt and welcome

Some good potential there. I agree with Scott in feed it up ready for styling in spring. The trunk is quite straight and looks hard to beng with the dead wood, but I think will still make a nice cascade in the literati style. The first main branch is kind of dominant, and could handle a light prune even now, but could be used as a crown and bent upwards with movement and reduced to about a third its length at the time of styling. The other branches would be styled in layers and the tree potted in a tall slender pot.

Hope you have fun

Best Regards

Tony

[mfres6]

Thank you very much Tony and Scott for your suggestions and advice. I have "charliecarped" and applied Osmocote to the tree today. I look forward to getting this tree back to good health and styling it in the future. I have just been reading the thread aimed at "newbies" to bonsai and have found it very interesting. I am a newbie myself and have so far found the advice offered on this forum to be very helpful. I will continue to ask questions from the forum members and look forward to learning much more about bonsai.
Thanks again for your advice, It's greatly appreciated.

Matt

[kcpoole]

Gidday Matt and Welcome
Some interesting material there, ddi you acuire it like that or develop yourself?

Feed up and get ready for spring work on it

Ken

[mfres6]

Hi Ken, thank you very much for the welcome. I have done some work to the tree to get it to this stage. Including: some dead wood work at the top of the trunk, wiring to get a general idea of where to head with the tree, some basic pruning and also, a bit of work on the roots and the posiion of the "cascade" part of the trunk. I am now debating whether or not to attempt to bend the trunk to add a bit more style to the tree.

Thanks Matt

[Tony Bebb]

Hi Matt

Normally I would suggest in a heartbeat to create movement in a cascade trunk that is straight, but I like this one mostly becuse of where the branches occur. If you were to bend it I would strap it and create one or most probably two sharp changes in direction, and avoid creating curves. One bend outwards from the pot and one downward from the main branch that I suggested to be a crown.

Work the branches first and see how you like it.

Tony

[Guy]

good start---don't forget to have a good look at the nebari---a good full or semi cascade can be --'wrecked' is probably too strong a word--but lessened by not developing good root flare or movement early on -try to avoid crossing or tangled roots-so try to reroute them or remove when they're small

[mfres6]

Thanks for your comment Guy. I have attached some pictures of the nebari as it is now. Can you offer some advice if possible? (be kind i'm new to this) Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Matt

[Guy]

If possible encourage a root to grow parallel to your anchor wire --if that was a root that was removed close to soil level in line with the trunk that would have been a good candidate to bend down into the soil and look as a good anchor to the soil