Juniper conferta

[Tropicalgirl]

Hi,
I got this little juniper on the weekend, from doing a bit of reading it seems they may not be the best juniper for bonsai but this is the only type the nursery had so ill give it a go. I understand that it won't like wet feet, that shouldn't be a problem until the wet comes. I have trimmed a couple of long bits off, staked it up a bit so you can see some trunk and planted it into a bigger pot.
Will it grow new shoots where it is trimmed? I haven't had one before so I'm not sure how they grow although I can tell it is a ground cover.
I hope it survives the climate but it is very health at the moment.
Deanna

[Watto]

Hi Deanna - is there a photo?

[Tropicalgirl]

Here it is

[shibui]

In good potting mix wet feet is rarely a problem, even in tropical wet I think. If you are having problems I think you should use a more open mix.

Will it grow new shoots where it is trimmed?

Junipers and, indeed, all plants I'm aware of will grow new shoots wherever there are leaves. Basic plant biology is that there's a dormant bud at the base of every leaf. If there is a growing leader above it will probably not develop but when the growing tip is removed the buds below are free to develop. That means that when you prune, buds in the axils of any leaves below the cut will start to shoot.

In many plants the dormant buds are still viable after the leaves have grown old and fallen off. Maples, elms and figs will shoot even from old bare trunks when the top is pruned. Most of the confers, and a few of our Aussie natives (grevilleas and some Mels?), don't have the same capacity. When the needles are gone, the dormant buds seem to die so if you prune to where the branch/trunk has no leaves you don't get any shoots.

You have left plenty of leaves on your juniper so it will certainly produce new shoots.