So, my wife ordered me three Kishu seedlings . . .

[Paradox]

Good to know that you can actually get a wife these days with all of this social media stuff . It’s just weird being a teen these days but it’s good to know that it’s not a rush !

No it is not a rush.
When the right one comes along, you'll know.
There is no reason why you can't share your interest in bonsai with your significant other. They might get just as big a kick out of it as you. I know a few married couples that do bonsai together.

 

[Shibui]

What kind of movement do you think I should be going for? A simple S-bend? A heavy twist? Just a bend at the bottom? As I got these unexpectedly, I hadn't really put any research into this until last night. I was more worried about getting them potted, and not killing them Day 1.

Given these have just been potted up consider waiting until they are well established in pots before and bending action.

Wire as much as possible and bend everything. You can always jin or remove bits that don't work well later.

These look pretty small so it is probably better to wait until they grow bit more and there's some longer runners to bend.

Bending junipers late summer should be OK but best to avoid heavy bending through fast growing spring season as bark tends to slip and kill wired sections.

Try to avoid s shaped lazy bends - not natural. Try for random bends, some tight and other parts more flowing on a single tree. I suspect you'll need more growth to get any decent bends. Twists in trunks and branches are good and can also help to prevent breakage so try to twist and bend at the same time.

 

[misfit11]

I think @misfit11 is calling me out for some reason, insinuating that I dont have trees.

I wasn't referring to you or anyone in this thread. I wasn't even thinking of any particular person on this forum. Sorry if you took it that way. I was just saying that Shibui's advice was very good and he has the trees to validate his advice.

I do think there are some folks on this forum that often offer advice without having much bonsai experience. Newcomers take this advice and it can cost them their trees and then they leave the hobby. I don't think you're one of these people.

Those Junipers look great. They'll have nice character when the trunks thicken up and mature.

 

[Paradox]

I wasn't referring to you or anyone in this thread. I wasn't even thinking of any particular person on this forum. Sorry if you took it that way. I was just saying that Shibui's advice was very good and he has the trees to validate his advice.

I do think there are some folks on this forum that often offer advice without having much bonsai experience. Newcomers take this advice and it can cost them their trees and then they leave the hobby. I don't think you're one of these people.

Those Junipers look great. They'll have nice character when the trunks thicken up and mature.

Thank you for the clarification.
I agree that Shibui does have the experience and trees to show he knows what he is talking about for sure and he does give good advice which often coincides with my own opinions and advice to folks.

I also agree with your second statement regarding some of the advice given on the forum from those that dont have much experience or a very limited amount of knowledge, in particular some with high post counts that mislead new people to think they know what they are talking about. Bad advice can definitely cause others to lose their trees and their interest in the hobby. That is something none of us want to see which is why those of us that do have the experience need to call that out when we see it.

Also thanks for the complements on the junipers. Some of them are better than others but thats how we learn right? There are a couple in there Im excited to see how they grow and continue to develop.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

There is no reason why you can't share your interest in bonsai with your significant other. They might get just as big a kick out of it as you. I know a few married couples that do bonsai together.

Thats almost a double-edge sword. My wife doesn’t care about it at all, but if she did, there’s no way we could both afford to do it. She has really expensive taste.

 

[Paradox]

Thats almost a double-edge sword. My wife doesn’t care about it at all, but if she did, there’s no way we could both afford to do it. She has really expensive taste.

Yea, sometimes I think my husband thinks I am nuts with my little mini forest. He doesnt pay much attention to them other than to help me move them when it has to be done fast due to weather coming.
His favorite wasn't a bonsai at all, but a pot of Venus fly traps (carnivore guy thing...lol)

He has his own expensive hobby (a boat and fishing) that I also participate in.

 

[Njyamadori]

Yea, sometimes I think my husband thinks I am nuts with my little mini forest. He doesnt pay much attention to them other than to help me move them when it has to be done fast due to weather coming.
His favorite wasn't a bonsai at all, but a pot of Venus fly traps (carnivore guy thing...lol)

He has his own expensive hobby (a boat and fishing) that I also participate in.

A relationship with bonsai and fishing is the dream ! Girls my age are worried about looking good on social media and not their trees looking good !

 

[Paradox]

A relationship with bonsai and fishing is the dream ! Girls my age are worried about looking good on social media and not their trees looking good !

All I can tell you is sometimes your perspective and priorities change as you get older.

 

[Shibui]

What kind of movement do you think I should be going for? A simple S-bend? A heavy twist? Just a bend at the bottom? As I got these unexpectedly, I hadn't really put any research into this until last night. I was more worried about getting them potted, and not killing them Day 1.

It is repotting season down here now and I had to pull this shimpaku out to extract some feral maple seedlings. The trunk is a bit thicker than I'd usually wire so the lower bends are not as tight as I'd really like but may give you some idea of my ideas for MINIMUM bends for junipers destined for smaller bonsai.
Before bending


After bending


There are plenty here who would advise not to repot and bend in the same season. Maybe that's right and maybe it's just right for some climates. I don't seem to have any problems repotting and bending in a single session here, in fact I can get far better bends down low if the trunk is out of the pot. Most of the early attempts wired and bent while still potted seem to have a straight section near the ground which really stands out in a twisted trunk bonsai.

Another example from last year


Part of a tray of twisted trunks.

I had the wire on them for 3 years until it bit in pretty good. I removed it this spring and let them heal and grow some more before wiring them up again this fall

Not sure if I get better growth down here but I usually need to unwire these after around 3-4 months when the wire starts marking the trunks.
Sometimes the trunks are a bit floppy after the wire comes off but they harden up soon.
I then let them all grow for another season then wire the new growth and bend it too. Sometimes also rewire the lower section and change some bends if they don't look as good as expected. Previously bent juniper will bend far easier than same thickness that's never been bent.

Here are a few from previous years

 

[orangeyeoman]

It is repotting season down here now and I had to pull this shimpaku out to extract some feral maple seedlings. The trunk is a bit thicker than I'd usually wire so the lower bends are not as tight as I'd really like but may give you some idea of my ideas for MINIMUM bends for junipers destined for smaller bonsai.
Before bending
View attachment 451580

After bending
View attachment 451581View attachment 451582View attachment 451583View attachment 451584

There are plenty here who would advise not to repot and bend in the same season. Maybe that's right and maybe it's just right for some climates. I don't seem to have any problems repotting and bending in a single session here, in fact I can get far better bends down low if the trunk is out of the pot. Most of the early attempts wired and bent while still potted seem to have a straight section near the ground which really stands out in a twisted trunk bonsai.

Another example from last year
View attachment 451585View attachment 451586

Part of a tray of twisted trunks.
View attachment 451587



Not sure if I get better growth down here but I usually need to unwire these after around 3-4 months when the wire starts marking the trunks.
Sometimes the trunks are a bit floppy after the wire comes off but they harden up soon.
I then let them all grow for another season then wire the new growth and bend it too. Sometimes also rewire the lower section and change some bends if they don't look as good as expected. Previously bent juniper will bend far easier than same thickness that's never been bent.

Here are a few from previous years
View attachment 451588View attachment 451589View attachment 451590View attachment 451591

Great photos. Thanks. That gives me some idea of how far I can push them. Though I guess I should wait for winter here in NYC to do tight bends.