Hello! Newbie needing help here. This juniper is about ~5 years old and I’m utterly perplexed on how to prune and style it. Any help at all would be wonderful!! I’ll attach a few pics.
Thanks,
Olivia
Thanks,
Olivia
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Hi Olivia!
Some history besides an estimated age may help a bit.
How long have you had this juniper and how long has that wire been on it?
Have you potted it up yourself-when with what and so on
It's a pretty straight forward easy to style pre-bonsai you have that appears
to lend itself to a cascade or semi-cascade. At this point though your options
are more open to one of the upright styles if you take your time, but need to decide
and go with that soon if so. Still, it lends itself to a cascade of sorts rather easily
with what work has been done on it.
Clean it out
Just sit down with it and a clean sharp pair of fine sheers and start popping out inside corners
of branches, where they meet the trunk and where secondary branchlets form to open up and clean
it out some to breathe light and air. Not the branch itself, but suckers you don't need and get in the way.
Branches
Cup a hand over or hold back branches you might remove if you haven't potted it up this year
then very limited branch removal will be just fine, but cleaning it out and assessing what it offers
will get you looking here n there at the style to be, assessing branches you may remove another time.
Immaging what it will look like with that branch gone as you hold it back.
The pallet is yours, you are the artist. Just don't go bending the trunk about, back n forth.
Also snip off now, what will be downward growing foliage when the pads are wired into place.
For instance a branch may have to be rotated a tad to get it level to where it would be when wired
or just hold it in place as is if its' orientation is already good, and remove the underside growth of each branch
save for the apex. Let the apex go for now, but do thin it some. Inside corners clean, breathe.
Bigger pot (next size or 2 up) next Spring as new growth is pushing.
You're going to hear a lot of different soils, soil wars and so on, so research that aspect
and try to go with what locals use if you have a club around or talk to folks here near you
and adjust your soil based on your experiences and what others use near you.
It's really trial and error to a degree, so get more bonsai, get more experience.
Different types of junipers, and some nursery stock or pre bonsai Black Pine or Maples.
Hope that helps some?
Some history besides an estimated age may help a bit.
How long have you had this juniper and how long has that wire been on it?
Have you potted it up yourself-when with what and so on
It's a pretty straight forward easy to style pre-bonsai you have that appears
to lend itself to a cascade or semi-cascade. At this point though your options
are more open to one of the upright styles if you take your time, but need to decide
and go with that soon if so. Still, it lends itself to a cascade of sorts rather easily
with what work has been done on it.
Clean it out
Just sit down with it and a clean sharp pair of fine sheers and start popping out inside corners
of branches, where they meet the trunk and where secondary branchlets form to open up and clean
it out some to breathe light and air. Not the branch itself, but suckers you don't need and get in the way.
Branches
Cup a hand over or hold back branches you might remove if you haven't potted it up this year
then very limited branch removal will be just fine, but cleaning it out and assessing what it offers
will get you looking here n there at the style to be, assessing branches you may remove another time.
Immaging what it will look like with that branch gone as you hold it back.
The pallet is yours, you are the artist. Just don't go bending the trunk about, back n forth.
Also snip off now, what will be downward growing foliage when the pads are wired into place.
For instance a branch may have to be rotated a tad to get it level to where it would be when wired
or just hold it in place as is if its' orientation is already good, and remove the underside growth of each branch
save for the apex. Let the apex go for now, but do thin it some. Inside corners clean, breathe.
Bigger pot (next size or 2 up) next Spring as new growth is pushing.
You're going to hear a lot of different soils, soil wars and so on, so research that aspect
and try to go with what locals use if you have a club around or talk to folks here near you
and adjust your soil based on your experiences and what others use near you.
It's really trial and error to a degree, so get more bonsai, get more experience.
Different types of junipers, and some nursery stock or pre bonsai Black Pine or Maples.
Hope that helps some?
