Raynn’s 2nd Procumbens Nana Project

[ForeverRaynning]

This will be a documentation/project thread for my Procumbens Nana juniper. This is my second Nana, the first unfortunatly succumed during the great overfertilisation incident of ‘25.

Picked this one up online for £20, in a 7L pot. Which to me doesn’t seem a bad price at all.




Sadly the pot arrived cracked. May have to tape it shut. However this pot is full to the rim with soil and the branchest rest on the top of the pot (and thus presumably the soil also) so a repot may be in order? Unless I can lift it out, clear some of the soil off the top into the bottom of the pot and therefore lift the whole plant up like I did with my last one?



Because its so dense, I haven’t got a clue whats lurking under all that foliage trunk-wise! Or how much interior foliage it has. I’m hoping its not just a big dead mass internally.

I’ll admit I have no idea where to begin. I’ve repotted a procumbens before, but this is probably in need of thinning first (and working out where the trunkline even is!) and I have never really done that before, and this, for me anyway, is a LOT of plant.

Part of me wishes I’d bought two, given it seems to be a very healthy plant of a decent size. Another part of me is glad I only got the one because this ones already overwhelming.

Encouragement, guidance and general comments welcome.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I'd start by putting on some gloves and diving in with your hands. Feel around to see what's in there.

A lot of people simply try to remove foliage from the trunk, starting at the soil level and working their way up. Once you open it up a bit, things will get easier to see.

 

[ForeverRaynning]

Got some gloves on, had a feel around and still not much of an idea. May have found the base of the trunk but it's too dark in there to tell. Seems the branching starts right at the base and is all the way around.

Gave it a bit of a tug and it's holding firm in the pot, so can’t lift it out to get a better look either.

I couldn’t feel around the trunk much as there are so many branches all around; even trying to go in from above, it's just too dense to see into, you part branches and theres just even more foliage underneath.

Pulled a bit of dead foliage out but not a lot (less than a handful), so that seems good? But if it stays this dense then no doubt more will die off, I just don’t know how long that’d take.

So I’m still no closer to working out what's going on and what the trunk is like, how thick it is, if theres any movement.

Was working at an awkward height (tree on table, me crouched on the ground to be at eye level) and the weather’s cold and rainy so don’t really want to be out there messing with it for too long.

The gloves worked brilliantly though for keeping my hands from getting itchy (certainly didn’t help with the cold though! They’re just nitrile ones anyway so that's to be expected.). Next time I have a look at it I may have to grab the callipers and a decent torch.

 

[BrightsideB]

Also depends on what kind of style. With these I see some people create more full/bushy styles covering the branches and trunk with foliage. So wiring is minimal. More pinching/pruning.

If you want a trunk and branch structure visible with less foliage. Start by thinning it out to see more of the trunk line and larger branches. Figure what design the tree lends itself to then.

They also back bud so if you cut a thicker branch like an inch from the trunk once the tree starts actively growing. It’ll start to push foliage out on that branch. Especially the younger healthier ones like you have.

I would wait until spring once activity starts to do major pruning. The tree will instantly respond with new growth depending on what you do.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Got some gloves on, had a feel around and still not much of an idea. May have found the base of the trunk but it's too dark in there to tell. Seems the branching starts right at the base and is all the way around.

Gave it a bit of a tug and it's holding firm in the pot, so can’t lift it out to get a better look either.

I couldn’t feel around the trunk much as there are so many branches all around; even trying to go in from above, it's just too dense to see into, you part branches and theres just even more foliage underneath.

Pulled a bit of dead foliage out but not a lot (less than a handful), so that seems good? But if it stays this dense then no doubt more will die off, I just don’t know how long that’d take.

So I’m still no closer to working out what's going on and what the trunk is like, how thick it is, if theres any movement.

Was working at an awkward height (tree on table, me crouched on the ground to be at eye level) and the weather’s cold and rainy so don’t really want to be out there messing with it for too long.

The gloves worked brilliantly though for keeping my hands from getting itchy (certainly didn’t help with the cold though! They’re just nitrile ones anyway so that's to be expected.). Next time I have a look at it I may have to grab the callipers and a decent torch.

Yeah, the gloves are a big help. I usually have to wear long sleeves too, because I get itchy red dots from anything with needles. And some of those needles are quite sharp!

I think the standard approach, as BrightsideB said, is to start at the base of the trunk and start getting rid of some foliage. You'll be able to see the trunk and it will be healthier too, I think.