Itoigawa Shimpaku Juniper. My first Bonsai

[Njyamadori]

Still doing good ?

 

[jtskariah]

Still doing good ?

Alive and thriving! It’s growing well and I’ve learned a lot. Already thinking about my next bonsai but trees can really be expensive!

 

[Ming dynasty]

Great start into bonsai. Starting here puts you a few years ahead of starting with $10 HD nursery plants.

It needs to stay outside, and is fully hardy in GA. Full sun, all day. it will need water every day in a GA summer, and I would spray for spider mites every month or so, but have not experienced any fungal issues with itoigawa.

Repotting next year may or may not be necessary, but your time for repotting is March, not summer. When you do repot, it would be good to plant it a bit deeper in the pot so the soil covers the roots, and is not mounded.

Wire comes off when it is almost 50% embedded, and it looks like the apex isn’t wired, but the lower branches are. Is this correct? If so, this will quickly create an imbalance with lower branches getting weak and the crown getting too strong. You might contact one of our GA members for an assist. @Adair M knows a little about wiring If you’re in NGA.

For now, you can keep the moss off the trunk with a toothbrush, and you can treat deadwood with a diluted LS solution now. Also, feel free to remove foliage growing down to keep the undersides of branches clean and sharp.

Hey Brian, what if you’re planting it at an angle and a little section on top root protruding out. Do you want to cover it with a little spagnum moss? What about the side that is a little deeper since the root ball is planted a little slanted. Do you add more soil to that side if so, should I make the soil line even to cover the part sticking out or will it just have a slope look? Thank you

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Hey Brian, what if you’re planting it at an angle and a little section on top root protruding out. Do you want to cover it with a little spagnum moss? What about the side that is a little deeper since the root ball is planted a little slanted. Do you add more soil to that side if so, should I make the soil line even to cover the part sticking out or will it just have a slope look? Thank you

Yes.

 

[czaczaja]

How is it doing? Have you done any of the proposed changes to it?