Being new to this hobby, I've been reading and watching videos but felt I needed more hands on practice and so I picked up this Juniper.
This unremarkable specimen was chosen in large part due to the fact that I knew it was a species suitable for bonsai and it was available and apparently healthy. I liked that it was 3 gal thinking it might have a larger truck and hopefully just be more resilient overall. I also liked that two of the leaders showed promise for a Cascade (although one turned out to be a bust). I bought a pot matching one I already had knowing it had decent drainage and was the right size, while perhaps not traditional I thought it suited a Cascade.
I started my pruning by clearing the trunk area which was crowded by one of the leaders growing out horizontally and low, then focused on anything growing down, in the crotches or thinning competing branches that were too close to one another. I would have kept going but I was trying to be conservative and I could always take more off later. My pile felt like it was approaching 50% and my understanding was not to go more than 70% with 50% being much safer.
My vision lots of other techniques, for instance there is a useless branch between two of the main branches I can see thickening a bit and being turned into jin. But for now, I've skipped other techniques including wiring and will practice more if it's thriving later.
In an ideal world I would now let it recover but if I plan on being allowed to keep it I fear I need to work it into the aesthetic of our deck which means potting it. On one hand the soil is absolutely trash but on the other the stress of a full bare root. I've been reading about half bare rooting and I think that might be a good compromise.
Obviously lots left to do with it... I find I'm pinching off something every time I pass so might need to exercise some restraint but hopefully for a newbie I did alright.
Alright, now let me have it! First two pics are before.
This unremarkable specimen was chosen in large part due to the fact that I knew it was a species suitable for bonsai and it was available and apparently healthy. I liked that it was 3 gal thinking it might have a larger truck and hopefully just be more resilient overall. I also liked that two of the leaders showed promise for a Cascade (although one turned out to be a bust). I bought a pot matching one I already had knowing it had decent drainage and was the right size, while perhaps not traditional I thought it suited a Cascade.
I started my pruning by clearing the trunk area which was crowded by one of the leaders growing out horizontally and low, then focused on anything growing down, in the crotches or thinning competing branches that were too close to one another. I would have kept going but I was trying to be conservative and I could always take more off later. My pile felt like it was approaching 50% and my understanding was not to go more than 70% with 50% being much safer.
My vision lots of other techniques, for instance there is a useless branch between two of the main branches I can see thickening a bit and being turned into jin. But for now, I've skipped other techniques including wiring and will practice more if it's thriving later.
In an ideal world I would now let it recover but if I plan on being allowed to keep it I fear I need to work it into the aesthetic of our deck which means potting it. On one hand the soil is absolutely trash but on the other the stress of a full bare root. I've been reading about half bare rooting and I think that might be a good compromise.
Obviously lots left to do with it... I find I'm pinching off something every time I pass so might need to exercise some restraint but hopefully for a newbie I did alright.
Alright, now let me have it! First two pics are before.
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