What to do with a (new to me) Old Shimpaku?

[coltranem]

Stub-wise, is it typical to leave a small nub when cutting off branches that are a few mm in diameter? It seems unsightly since it can't be jinned. I figured a well placed cut with the concave cutter should get it fairly flush and less obvious. Good point about getting into the live tissue, so that will wait for sure.

It certainly is species dependent. For junipers smal stuff I just flush cut with scissors. If the branch is big enough to need a concave cutter I might consider it for jin.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Clean up work on juniper can be done anytime, but best not to get too over enthusiastic, take off too much foliage and the tree will want to break dormancy.

Set on ground for winter, set on concrete patio for winter, both work for me, fewer earthworms and pests get into pots on the concrete patio. Wait until ground is at least partially frozen to add mulch. Adding mulch too soon, mice and ground squirrels and varmints will move in and chew trunks over winter.

EWP, if you find a good one, or create a good one, nice. MOST are leggy, smooth bark, trees with pompoms of twisted needles that NEVER look convincing as bonsai. Start a scots pine, a JWP, a mugo and a JBP at the same time as your EWP . You will see how much easier the other species are to work with. In less than a decade, even the most stubborn EWP fan will compost their EWP, just because they are difficult to work with. Vance Hanna is the only exception I can think of, and he put 40 years into making his EWP presentable. Imagine how good a JWP or scots pine would look with 40 years of work.

 

[gjones_42]

Clean up work on juniper can be done anytime, but best not to get too over enthusiastic, take off too much foliage and the tree will want to break dormancy.

Got it. Maybe I'll hold off till it is coming out of dormancy to be safe.

EWP, if you find a good one, or create a good one, nice. MOST are leggy, smooth bark, trees with pompoms of twisted needles that NEVER look convincing as bonsai. Start a scots pine, a JWP, a mugo and a JBP at the same time as your EWP . You will see how much easier the other species are to work with. In less than a decade, even the most stubborn EWP fan will compost their EWP, just because they are difficult to work with. Vance Hanna is the only exception I can think of, and he put 40 years into making his EWP presentable. Imagine how good a JWP or scots pine would look with 40 years of work.

This seems to be the prevailing idea. I just love the tree and am surrounded by them, so what the heck. I am planning on starting some other US pines in parallel, once I can get my hands on some stock in the spring.

 

[gjones_42]

It certainly is species dependent. For junipers smal stuff I just flush cut with scissors. If the branch is big enough to need a concave cutter I might consider it for jin.

Maybe I'm underestimating how well the scissors will do. I'll try with those first and see what happens. I'm planning a juniper progression thread for the tree once we get through winter and I can do things.