Best time of year for pruning needle juniper?

[Michael P]

For a many years I did not prune my Juniperus rigida correctly and it developed long straight branches with little interior foliage. About 3 years ago I started the process of chasing foliage back toward the trunk and have made some good progress.

I usually prune this tree in mid-spring but this year I repotted it at that time and did quite a bit of root work. It never stopped growing but I did not prune it in the spring. Now I see a lot of pruning I would like to do. When would be the next good opportunity to prune? Keep in mind I live on hell's front porch--highs near 100F and lows above 80F right now. The tree is not actively growing at present but seems very healthy. My goal for pruning is to reduce branch length, remove vertical growth, and develop foliage pads.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Adamski77]

Photo would help to see where you are with your juniper.
What I do with my junipers is I let them grow in spring... so they get to a point where the new shoots extend... I let them grow 4-5 inches sometimes... than comes Jun/Jul I prune them back. They should produce enough energy by that time to be able to back bud closer to the trunk. Later in the year can do one more trimming around September. This would be regular trimming.
When it comes down to chasing leggy growth closer to the trunk I would be more aggressive... cut little bit sooner... around Apr/May... than again after 6-8 weeks and than again. Here is example of needle juniper I treated this year. From last year autumn... through spring to today. By now I trimmed it very heavy two time... with one more trim to do in 2-3 weeks.

Word of caution... tree that you want to cut that hard has to be well established in the pot... not repotted current year.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Pete Tea had some great posts on J. rigida. He recommends several trimmings per growing season, but with some protection from the sun if it’s in the heat of summer. When I had mine, I pinched it back 2-3 x per growing season and it always responded within a few weeks with more growth.

Tosho part 1

This month, I’ve been working on a lot of Needle Junipers (Tosho). Work has ranged from wiring new trees to cutting back more refined trees. As I started writing this post, I realized how m…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

Tosho part 2

Welcome to Tosho part 2! In this post, I’m going to talk about how to cut, create pads and show some before and after of more refined Toshos. How to cut Developing and cutting Tosho is simil…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

 

[Adamski77]

Pete Tea had some great posts on J. rigida. He recommends several trimmings per growing season, but with some protection from the sun if it’s in the heat of summer. When I had mine, I pinched it back 2-3 x per growing season and it always responded within a few weeks with more growth.

Tosho part 1

This month, I’ve been working on a lot of Needle Junipers (Tosho). Work has ranged from wiring new trees to cutting back more refined trees. As I started writing this post, I realized how m…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

Tosho part 2

Welcome to Tosho part 2! In this post, I’m going to talk about how to cut, create pads and show some before and after of more refined Toshos. How to cut Developing and cutting Tosho is simil…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

Brian... can't argue with experts... but I tell you the sun control is not necessary... at least for me. I have several types of junipers... all of them in full Shanghai sun (all August is 100F plus) and if you look up above they are growing extremely well. Maybe matter of adjustment, maybe matter of Shanghai being quite humid place... just sharing my experience.

 

[Michael P]

Thanks for the comments! I'll haul out the camera and post photos tomorrow.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian... can't argue with experts... but I tell you the sun control is not necessary... at least for me. I have several types of junipers...

This guidance is for Tosho, J. rigida specifically, and I have noticed some burning of needles after pruning when left in direct sun.
Shimpaku varieties need no sun protection after pruning.

 

[Michael P]

Well, I can't get the photos out of my phone. . .grrr!

Brian, I've read Tea's articles on tosho but have trouble applying them in my climate.

 

[Michael P]

Sorry this took so long! I hate it when the micronerds sneak into your computer and change the way it operates without telling you. I hope I haven't lost your interest.

The second photo is looking straight down to show the density of the canopy.