Shimpaku Styling and Energy Balance

[Rallymachine]

I got this bendy shimpaku at the national exhibition in 2023. It was in a one gallon nursery can and I “slip potted” it in to a pond basket in April or May of 2024–probably too late for the healthy of the tree. The tree seemed to struggle a bit through the rest of the year. Only putting out a few small extensions up top. Wired some of the lower branches down in fall to try to get more light to the interior which is yellowing/browning out.

I always struggle with vision when it comes to junipers so looking for some advice on where to take it.

I had initially planned a slender, graceful medium sized tree with a ten-Jin at the apex. I also see a much shorter semi cascade on another side as well. I could also lean into the bunjin style and take all the weak bottom growth off.

Is early spring the best time to do a significant foliage reduction so the tree can reallocate resources to the weaker branches or should I wait until the growing season?

 

[Scriv]

Early Spring or Fall is the best time to work Junipers, so now would be a good time if the tree is healthy. If it didn't put on much growth all of last year then I would probably wait until September (assuming it puts on growth this season).

Re styling... vision is far less important than having a systematic, process driven approach to evaluate and work material. Very few people can 'see' the finished tree just by looking at an unkempt bush -- or at least I have trouble with that. I'd recommend subscribing to Mirai Live and watching the lectures on Objective Design. It really demystifies the process and gives you a guiding light for how to work through design choices.

Cool little tree with a ton of potential. Best of luck with it.

 

[bwaynef]

Fall work can be done up until repotting season, roughly. That said, I'd recommend you learn how to clean a juniper. We often hear that strength in junipers is in the foliage, but that's an incomplete picture. Armed with that understanding, given a weak tree, the best thing for it is to not remove any foliage, as that's where the strength is. I contend (who am I to contend...) that strength in junipers is in the foliage TIPS. If that is the case, then license is granted to remove weak foliage in the aim of strengthening the tree. To make it make sense, just know that some foliage takes more than it gives.

Remove any foliage hanging downward. After that, remove pale/leggy foliage. Occasionally that will have to remain, but often times removing it produces a net gain. Finally, remove crotch growth, roughly 1/4-½" from the crotches. This not only strengthens the tree (by removing foliage that's going to be shaded/crowded anyway, allowing growth where it will be sustainable), it starts to improve branching/ramification/proportions.

All that said, I wonder if slip-potting isn't to blame for the weakness you noticed in the (lack of) growth last year.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

The lighter branches seem affected by something, possibly spider mites. Whatever it is, they will require some recovery.
The apex seems strong and could use some reduction in favor of the rest.
But the slip potting not being effective is a reason for investigation; did it not grow any roots outside the rootball? Was it too wet or too dry? Whatever happened, is probably still happening.

If you properly wire the tree, I think your vision will return. But that could mean that you'll spend a day, maybe two, of wiring it. I've spread it out a couple times because I tend to get sloppy after an hour. The key is to continue, you got this wire for a reason, you got this plant for a reason, your goal is to style it. After the first half our, maybe 45 minutes, it will feel awkward and uneasy. It'll look like crap and it will make you want to give up. I saw this past weekend that every tree, even in the hands of professionals, goes through this stage. They do it quicker, they know the drill, they continue working and it turns out amazing.
I've said this earlier today as well, sometimes it's better to just go ahead and wire. Do it carefully, do it well. If it sucks, do it again. And if you do it systematically, starting from the bottom, the only thing you will run into is that at the end, you know exactly what needs to be cut off, or maybe nothing at all.
Be careful clipping foliage on the bottom and the top foliage of a branch before you wire; you might rotate it while wiring, and all of a sudden there's only bottom and top foliage left. Hence the wire first, clip later approach.
If you stick to pure systematics, you can style a juniper top down like I did. There was no artistry involved in that one, none at all. It was S-curve upon S-curve and every branch dropping down and zigzagging to the tip, that would point up.

I've never lost a branch by wiring in winter, fall or spring. Given, our winters are mild most of the time. Pruning I only do drastically just before, during of just after the growing season.

 

[Rallymachine]

Appreciate all the advice! I had left some of the leggy/weak interior growth especially on the lower branches in hopes that it would strengthen and give me the ability to have a more compact design.

Re: pests, there was definitely a little bit of scale on some of the branches so I sprayed it with Sevin before winter and also once mid-winter. I also wonder if by slip potting and leaving too much of the original organic soil the core might not be breathing as well as it should.

I think I’ll remove the wires, reduce some of the top branches and wait to see how the first flush goes in spring. Then I can assess the health of the tree and potentially do a full styling in summer.

Thanks all, I appreciate the encouragement and insight to the vision/styling process as well!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hm…

Have to ask… was the media the tree was slip potted into the same as the tree was already potted in the 1G?

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Rallymachine]

Hm…

Have to ask… was the media the tree was slip potted into the same as the tree was already potted in the 1G?

Cheers
DSD sends

No, it was originally in what looked to be composting pine bark/peat/sand. I probably could have kept it in the original 1G another year or so, but the tree was so top heavy and kept tipping over.

The soil I slip potted it with was a blend of the bonsai jack inorganic and conifer blends. The only real root work I did was to just tease the rootball a little. In hindsight I should have probably been a little more aggressive with removing the original soil but yeah, hard to say based on the current state of the tree.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

This may be the root of the growth issue. There are two different medias with different water absorbing abilities. In this case the core media is more water retentive and the surrounding media a fast drying media.

This likely created an island of wet media in the core. Wetness it’s something junipers do not like.

Before doing any other work would recommend getting in the core and remove the remainder of the bark etc media and replace it with the Bonsai Jack? media.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[bwaynef]

Slow is fast. I wouldn't cut anything (major). I think this tree would benefit the most by getting healthy, and that's best done by cleaning it. If there are spider mites or other pests, they need to be handled as well. Cleaning makes any treatment more effective, so I'll point you back to that.

As I alluded to, I think its time to take this out of the pot and do proper rootwork. I don't hate a pondbasket in this scenario, but more important than that is the soil makeup throughout the entire rootball. I'd probably recommend you half-bareroot it.

WGW offers good advice that a basic wiring (made easier by a proper ...cleaning) is in order as well. You've got a lot of work, and maybe some research to do. Ask questions. Post pictures. Be specific. Its easier to ask before you do it than fix it after you've done it. Less stressful too.

 

[Shogun610]

this Juniper has good bones .. a lot of conflicting foliage and a big workload ahead of you like 3-5 years worth. I would focus on getting rid of branches you do not want .. remove the wire and repot .. strength is in foliage for junipers so freeing up the roots is the first step for better air and water balance. Bonsai Jack is fine .. but down the line mixing your own media is where it’s at