Can I recover this Juniper?
- Thread starter 99 Mile Creek
- Start date
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
It can be artificially mended with screws or glue or both, but it's very unlikely to heal strong enough to resist heavy wiring and bending.
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Don't use glue. Reposition the branches so that the two sides of the tear line up well. Bind them tight with raffia or anything else convenient and seal the area with some cut paste. A small screw might be a good idea. And yes, as @Wires_Guy_wires says, that area will remain weak.
99 Mile Creek
Mame
Thanks for the info. I won't use glue but try to find some raffia when I'm out and apply the cut paste I have on hand. Thanks!
WNC Bonsai
Masterpiece
I have a landscape hemlock that was damaged like that at the nursery so I got it half price. I just used twine to bind it together and stuck it in the ground. Been there 10 years and you can’t tell it was ever damaged.
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Yeah it's amazing how they overcome damage with a little help. I had a landscape Japanese maple split by a storm. I drilled a half-inch hole through the section and bolted it together with a washer on either end. It completely grew over the bolt. I moved on but I can imagine the surprise if the new owners decide to take out that tree.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Fwiw. I don’t know why you’d want to fix a big flaw in the material. Those two big waders at the very top of the tree (from what i can see in the photo) would have to have been dealt with eventually. Eliminating or substantially reducing t them is necessary as they too thick to be effective in a final design
Splitting them apart will slow inverse taper as well as a start in a more ramified apex
Splitting them apart will slow inverse taper as well as a start in a more ramified apex
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Agree with @rockm I can't see 2 thick branches as good bonsai either.
If you're not aiming for great bonsai and definitely want to keep those branches they will heal reasonably quickly without any intervention. Binding can cause more problems that it solves unless you are very vigilant. As the trunk and branches thicken the binding will cut into the bark and may stop sap flow. Best case - marks on the bark. Worst case - entire top strangled and dead. My experience is the split will not be healed before any binding needs to be removed as the trunk thickens.
If you're not aiming for great bonsai and definitely want to keep those branches they will heal reasonably quickly without any intervention. Binding can cause more problems that it solves unless you are very vigilant. As the trunk and branches thicken the binding will cut into the bark and may stop sap flow. Best case - marks on the bark. Worst case - entire top strangled and dead. My experience is the split will not be healed before any binding needs to be removed as the trunk thickens.
