AusBonsai

Hi All,

I purchased this juniperus chinensis for $12 at my local nursury and was going to do a literati with it even though it is only small. For some reason i love bonsai done in that style. He is a photo of the orignal plant. After getting it home i decided that a cascade would be more appropriate so i started some extreme styling. This is my first attempt and bending of this extreme. I wrapped the lower part of the main leader with raffa and wired and then fixed in place with a wire around the pot. all in all everything was ok up to this point. see pic below. After getting the main leader where i wanted it without it breaking, all the trouble started. I was working on the lower part of the leader trying to get some movement when i heard a sound and my heart stoped. I had snapped the main leader. the only saving grace was that it happend just above a decient side branch which will now become my main leader. see pic. This leads me to my questions (from a newbie) how do you know when you have reached the limites of a branch...or is it something that you work out after butchering a few plants... After my mishap i decided to leave this one be for a while and let the top bend set and the upright branch develop and then i will revisit and rework the bottom half of the plant. some pointers from anyone on this one would be greatly.

Ta, Glen

Hi,

Even though it has snapped, but you have not severed it off? Is that right Glen?

If you have not, I would strongly recommend you leave it there for a few weeks
to see if it can recovered. Juniper can sometimes recovered for a severe crack
in the main trunk, but in that case it would develop a swelling...

Good luck with this one

Do not leave that branch hanging like it is. Imagine that was you with all the blood rushing to your head. With conifers you do not know they are dead till they turn brown. Which is about 6 weeks after you have broken them.
Leaving your branch hanging like that takes longer but it will happen just turn the end up.

Oh by the way when do you know how far you can bend a branch,stop before it breaks.
Using the right techniques you can bend trunks and branches a long way. Always bind them well never bend where there is no support for the bend.
Listen for the creak then stop, if you wear hearing aids I suggest you get some one you can trust to help you. Pup

I reckon snapping them is half the fun, you get a whole new design!
I personally wouldnt have embarked on all that work in the one day, bend the main branch first on one day and then go for the others another day. You are not alone in breaking another branch when working on something else. I think it is because when you bent the first branch you were focused and probably did listen for the creak etc, but then you loose focus and start working on something else and it causes the first branch to go beyond its point.
Id leave it and see what happens in a couple of weeks.

Provided the bark is still intact the cracked branch should survive. The break is generally in the heartwood. We have all had this experience. I have an old black pine that I cracked the main branch when bending and not paying enough care and attention at the time. On advice I used an epoxy glue in the break to support the branch and the branch is still there and growing well. After five years the scar can still be seen and is still supported with heavy wire, just in case. I certainly will not be trying to bend at that point again as it may still be a weak point.

John T

Pup wrote:Do not leave that branch hanging like it is. Imagine that was you with all the blood rushing to your head. With conifers you do not know they are dead till they turn brown. Which is about 6 weeks after you have broken them.

Thanks Pup the photo above with the 'sexy' hand (I should have been a hand model, maybe in another life. )in it is where i cut it off after it broke. I think it was beyond repairing ( sorry about the poor quality pic). The branch hanging down is one that is just above the cut which i was going to use as the new main leader.

Hartos wrote:I personally wouldnt have embarked on all that work in the one day, bend the main branch first on one day and then go for the others another day.

Thanks Hartos i decided that this principle was the way to go after my accident. I've not styled anything below the main bend and will give juniper some time to recover and see how it responds to the bend of the main trunk.

I really appericate everyone comments
thanks