Another Juniperus Procumbens beginner thread.

[MoriLZ]

Research tells me this tree is tolerant to zone 4 where I live. I bought this tree from Costco and was shipped from Mississippi. It spent an extra day in transit because of the return of winter weather this last week. I took it out of the box last night and it looks no worse for wear. Stored it in my unheated garage overnight. Put it outside today when temps got above freezing. I will put it back in the garage overnight as temps will drop below freezing the next two nights and then just leave it outside after that. Should I be more careful about its introduction to temps it probably never experienced before? Do I even need to coddle this tree?

I watered it for the first time after putting it outside. It will get afternoon sun for a few hours. The other pots contain Azaleas that rode out the prolonged storm except I put them in the garage during the worst of the snowfall and freezing precipitation.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It is definitely pushing spring growth so you just need to make sure it doesn't experience any temps below freezing.

 

[MoriLZ]

Thanks for the response. I had a feeling that was the right thing to do even though I did not know the reasoning.

 

[MoriLZ]

Here is a slightly better picture of my tree perched on my grill. A lot of new growth is about to burst so I think it made it through spring in Minnesota. It seems healthy and adjusted. There is another month of frost potential so I will have to stay vigilant.

I think it is not too bad of a tree being bought sight unseen through a big box store. Slant style is not something I would of gravitated to but it could of been worse.

 

[Japonicus]

Hello @MoriLZ welcome aboard

Slant style is not something I would of gravitated to but it could of been worse.

You still don't have to gravitate in that slant style, though my oldest project is shakan.
Changing style with this is actually in your benefit given how the top is growing out to thicken the lower
portion before reducing. I would not be hesitant, (as much as I in the past have striven to get my junipers up as high
and as possible to work into a 12-24" futuristic final height, I like that size) to find a viable branch above the
area where direction changes, go up one node above that, and jin the top out from there up, however high works well.
I say this because of how long it will take, to reverse the top growth/girth in its' branching, to be proportionate with
the lower branching, to work with the height that is currently presented. It can be done faster and easier in ground
or in a colander in ground, out of a pot...allowing the lower branches freedom while tending to the upper, easier to reach rest of the tree.

See, when I 1st saw this, and I still see it that way, it appeared to be a nice cascade with a perfect apex to work with
coming down from that terra cotta pot, then I saw the bonsai pot at the bottom. So, if you still wanted to go shakan with this
as is you can, you could attempt the difficult task of working this into literati which truly is a good match with this stock, and keep the height. Nothing to reverse.
One thing's for certain, it is healthy and does not require repotting any time soon. Take some time studying the tree
and think about what height you would like to see. Consider girth at the base as well as taper, which works into my 1st
idea on styling, with a shorter stance by about 1/2 1st go 'round. It appears no more than 9 maybe , inches above the soil?

3rdly you also have great potential here to create a cascade, by reducing the top by 1/2, and allowing the bottom complete freedom
Then, after it recovers, the following year (or 2) you would reduce the upper portion by 1/2 yet again, with the bottom portion
still 2 years later, unpruned, only cleaned for air flow and light. Then the following year, the upper portion will have freedom
to develop an upper apex. By year 4 or 5, the lower apex will be more on your development tasks to do and begin reeling in.
I like your project, and I love the vigour it has. How many do you have? How long have you been doing bonsai?

 

[MoriLZ]

Hello @MoriLZ welcome aboard

You still don't have to gravitate in that slant style, though my oldest project is shakan.
Changing style with this is actually in your benefit given how the top is growing out to thicken the lower
portion before reducing. I would not be hesitant, (as much as I in the past have striven to get my junipers up as high
and as possible to work into a 12-24" futuristic final height, I like that size) to find a viable branch above the
area where direction changes, go up one node above that, and jin the top out from there up, however high works well.
I say this because of how long it will take, to reverse the top growth/girth in its' branching, to be proportionate with
the lower branching, to work with the height that is currently presented. It can be done faster and easier in ground
or in a colander in ground, out of a pot...allowing the lower branches freedom while tending to the upper, easier to reach rest of the tree.

See, when I 1st saw this, and I still see it that way, it appeared to be a nice cascade with a perfect apex to work with
coming down from that terra cotta pot, then I saw the bonsai pot at the bottom. So, if you still wanted to go shakan with this
as is you can, you could attempt the difficult task of working this into literati which truly is a good match with this stock, and keep the height. Nothing to reverse.
One thing's for certain, it is healthy and does not require repotting any time soon. Take some time studying the tree
and think about what height you would like to see. Consider girth at the base as well as taper, which works into my 1st
idea on styling, with a shorter stance by about 1/2 1st go 'round. It appears no more than 9 maybe , inches above the soil?

3rdly you also have great potential here to create a cascade, by reducing the top by 1/2, and allowing the bottom complete freedom
Then, after it recovers, the following year (or 2) you would reduce the upper portion by 1/2 yet again, with the bottom portion
still 2 years later, unpruned, only cleaned for air flow and light. Then the following year, the upper portion will have freedom
to develop an upper apex. By year 4 or 5, the lower apex will be more on your development tasks to do and begin reeling in.
I like your project, and I love the vigour it has. How many do you have? How long have you been doing bonsai?

Cheers and thanks for the input. Just a beginner in bonsai. I have had a Scheffera for many years but you know. In fairness I have been just keeping it alive. If you do not count my tropicals I have a European Olive, Eastern Hemlock, Chinese Elm, Gardenia (which will probably be my biggest purchase mistake (another Costco purchase) as it is not at all hardy to this region), a couple of Azealia hybrids, and a bunch of seedlings. I did manage to kill a rehabilitation project Serissa this winter when I did a major root pruning and repotting. That is where the rock with the juniper came from. I thought about buying some nursery juniper stock to work with but I have already run out of space.

 

[MoriLZ]

With winter once again making a threat to MN, I brought the trees indoors. Thought now would be a good time to take pictures and catalog their development if I am still around in years to come. First year will be just keeping them alive. We have the juniper, eastern hemlock, European olive, Chinese elm, and gardenia. All purchased online. The gardenia is really struggling dealing with this spring and has dropped a lot of leaves. It will be interesting keeping that tree alive during winter. I assume it will go dormant and I could put it in my garage until it gets really cold, then move it to the fridge or into a cooler.

 

[Japonicus]

I like your E Hemlock

I know your juniper isn't mine, but! if it were...I would

A safety cut just to allow for die back + we can't see the opposite side branching here, but you'll see how the energy will
pick up in the intended areas quickly. By Autumn it should be safe to gently wire the lower apex, but do not pinch or prune
it till after the 1st repot some time. Allow the other (frontal) lower branch to thicken trunk as a sacrifice branch.
Not having it in my hand, there's a possibility that the other lower branch (sacrifice) could be the lower apex and the intended lower apex
become the upper one, but I seriously doubt it. If the "frontal" lower branch is coming from the area of the shorter red arrow
then it is of the same branch and will be removed regardless, but not a good candidate for both, apexes, if same branch.

Now I would move onto the final reduction, only cleaning out areas of foliage that impairs wiring, light and air.
Consider future buds/branches when dealing with cleaning, but still, no pruning, minimal pinching. We want it
to get really hardy, mores than it is right now before repot.

Once repotted into a cascade style pot, I would thin foliage on one or the other (the strongest) apexes removing undesirable growth.
The weaker of the 2 apexes will wait till the following year, or yet another year. It appears the lower apex will be the strongest
and will need to be put in check 1st directing more energy up and out...FREELY...lots of unchecked growth.

Somewhere in these 3-4 years, you're probably going to have to repot, but not if the soil is still draining ok. You'll know.
Just wait for the tree to be all giddy green all over and feed really well each year leading up to the repot proactively.
It then won't matter if you repot in April or July. It will reward you.

 

[Japonicus]

BTW any wiring on the lower apex this Autumn, only do the lignified, brown part of the branch and put a little S in it
or whatever you can move in that distance of branch, maybe a C now and reverse C next year