Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Long, straight trunks are boring on junipers and juniper wood is hard so it can be difficult to get good bends and twists into older trunks. The solution is obviously to start when they are thinner.
I strike long, thin runners from the shimpaku junipers for this reason.
This pot of cuttings has roots emerging from the bottom of the pot. That means it is time to pot them up.
Gently tip the cuttings out of the pot.
Then carefully shake the propagating mix off the roots. Care is required as new roots are very brittle. Fortunately peat/perlite mix falls away quite easily.
I have found it is far easier to wire the trunks while they are bare rooted. I can also wire right down to the roots without damaging the new roots.
Now bend and twist the trunks into random shapes. I try to avoid the regular corkscrew and S shape that seems to be so common with mass produced bonsai stock. Try to make bends go in different directions - down as well as up, back and forth as well as side to side. Bends are also different distances apart, some are tighter and others more open. If I have a specific shape like cascade in mind now is the time to set the best bends for that style. Twisting the trunk as you bend allows even tighter bends without breaking the trunk. Even with good care I still cracked one of these I did today. It may still survive but if not I haven't lost much.
Now they can be potted up into individual pots. Spread roots evenly where possible for future nebari.
Water in well and put aside to grow but keep a regular check on the wires and remove at the first signs of the wires marking the bark. That usually takes a couple of months here.
Note that I got a bit bored wiring trunk after trunk so I just potted up the ones with fewer roots without any wires. They can be sold as is for others to do or I may wire and bend them at a later date ( before they thicken too much)
It will still be 5-10 years before any of these become real bonsai but it is hard to buy stock with movement like this so starting your own is a great investment of time.
I strike long, thin runners from the shimpaku junipers for this reason.
This pot of cuttings has roots emerging from the bottom of the pot. That means it is time to pot them up.
Gently tip the cuttings out of the pot.
Then carefully shake the propagating mix off the roots. Care is required as new roots are very brittle. Fortunately peat/perlite mix falls away quite easily.
I have found it is far easier to wire the trunks while they are bare rooted. I can also wire right down to the roots without damaging the new roots.
Now bend and twist the trunks into random shapes. I try to avoid the regular corkscrew and S shape that seems to be so common with mass produced bonsai stock. Try to make bends go in different directions - down as well as up, back and forth as well as side to side. Bends are also different distances apart, some are tighter and others more open. If I have a specific shape like cascade in mind now is the time to set the best bends for that style. Twisting the trunk as you bend allows even tighter bends without breaking the trunk. Even with good care I still cracked one of these I did today. It may still survive but if not I haven't lost much.
Now they can be potted up into individual pots. Spread roots evenly where possible for future nebari.
Water in well and put aside to grow but keep a regular check on the wires and remove at the first signs of the wires marking the bark. That usually takes a couple of months here.
Note that I got a bit bored wiring trunk after trunk so I just potted up the ones with fewer roots without any wires. They can be sold as is for others to do or I may wire and bend them at a later date ( before they thicken too much)
It will still be 5-10 years before any of these become real bonsai but it is hard to buy stock with movement like this so starting your own is a great investment of time.
