Finding or creating a deadwood bonsai

[Frogger05]

Although I have loved the idea of bonsai for many many years I have only had them for the last year or so. I have two potted and one japanese maple in the ground. However, my dream bonsai is a beautiful deadwood juniper bonsai. Several of the books I have give good information on creating them. I know this would be very time consuming, but that is half the fun to me. Is there a better way? I am from southeast Missouri so there’s no where near me that I know of to collect them and the only one near me I’ve seen for sale was $2,200. I am working on a very low budget. Any information would be awesome. Thank you

 

[Shibui]

Do some searching for 'phoenix graft' or 'tanuki' bonsai. These use a young plant, usually juniper, growing on a larger piece of dead wood so that it appears to be a large trunk, mostly dead with a thin vein of living juniper supplying the branches and foliage.
You'll need to find an interesting piece of dead wood, preferably something that won't rot too quick and a nursery juniper so initial money outlay is minimal. Some tools to carve the wood a bit and a couple of screws to hold it together. The pot will probably cost more than the parts.
Tanuki can be really horrible when done badly but well done it can be difficult to know that it is not a single old tree.

 

[Frogger05]

Do some searching for 'phoenix graft' or 'tanuki' bonsai. These use a young plant, usually juniper, growing on a larger piece of dead wood so that it appears to be a large trunk, mostly dead with a thin vein of living juniper supplying the branches and foliage.
You'll need to find an interesting piece of dead wood, preferably something that won't rot too quick and a nursery juniper so initial money outlay is minimal. Some tools to carve the wood a bit and a couple of screws to hold it together. The pot will probably cost more than the parts.
Tanuki can be really horrible when done badly but well done it can be difficult to know that it is not a single old tree.

That is the process that one of my books describes that I was thinking about trying. But I haven’t found a ton of other information on that method. Some close. But not quite. Thank you.

 

[Frogger05]

Do some searching for 'phoenix graft' or 'tanuki' bonsai. These use a young plant, usually juniper, growing on a larger piece of dead wood so that it appears to be a large trunk, mostly dead with a thin vein of living juniper supplying the branches and foliage.
You'll need to find an interesting piece of dead wood, preferably something that won't rot too quick and a nursery juniper so initial money outlay is minimal. Some tools to carve the wood a bit and a couple of screws to hold it together. The pot will probably cost more than the parts.
Tanuki can be really horrible when done badly but well done it can be difficult to know that it is not a single old tree.

What type of juniper is the best? I was looking at possibly getting a tall narrow shimpaku juniper when I go to the bonsai store in May.

 

[Shibui]

I like shimpaku because it has softer scale foliage so less prickles in the fingers and nice neat growth habit so not too much pruning required but shimpaku is quite slow growing.
J. procumbens grows quicker and is very popular as bonsai but needle foliage is a bit prickly and it does take some extra work to keep looking neat.
There are a few other vars that are used a bit - J. squamata
I try to avoid the open foliage types. Never seem to be able to get nice compact foliage pads with those.

A tall, narrow shimpaku will probably be ideal for tanuki (depending on how tall and how narrow). Now you just need to find some nice hard old stumps to mount it onto.

 

[Frogger05]

I work on a tow boat on the river. So I find beautiful drift from time to time. Thank you for the information. It has definitely been helpful.