What Went Wrong with this Nursery Stock Cutback?

[Bonsai Nut]

Almost embarrassed to revive this thread - but this juniper has bounced back quite nicely this season. Hopefully I can continue to learn horticultural lessons and bonsai techniques with this tree, as I'm not sure it will ever be good for anything else!

This is the right attitude! No one starting out is going to be a master - and the only failed tree is the one you don't learn anything from. Also, as long as the tree is still alive it always has potential. It is just as easy to bring a tree forward from being a stick in a pot as it is to take a good bonsai and let it degrade because you don't know how to care for it. The keys are time and skill.

Bonsai is all about Mother Nature + Technique. You have to learn how to work with your environment, the rhythm of the seasons, and your tree's natural annual cycle. Then you need to develop your bonsai skills - repotting, pruning, wiring - to create a piece of art. Some people leap into bonsai before they learn how to keep a tree strong and healthy in a container, and even if they have a strong eye for design they will still fail. I'm happy that the tree is still alive, but going forward you should focus on getting it out of that nursery pot into a decent container with decent soil so the tree gets 2x as strong as it is now - and that work will need to happen next spring. Then think about the design and share your thoughts here with others before you prune or wire. A year from now the tree could be well on its way.

And remember - wire is just there to move and hold a trunk or branch in a new position. You don't need to wire something that is already where you want it, and wiring something when you don't have a design in mind is pointless, because the tree will still look like a mess even if you have wired every branch. Wire is a tool to help you realize your vision. Without a vision, the wire is pointless.

 

[e~b]

do you feel the wiring actually did anything?

Nope! Haha. After my wiring errors were highlighted via this thread, I took the wire off in the fall. It has been growing freely since then and you are right; it looks incredibly similar to the before picture. Oh well! No rush I suppose

And remember - wire is just there to move and hold a trunk or branch in a new position. You don't need to wire something that is already where you want it, and wiring something when you don't have a design in mind is pointless, because the tree will still look like a mess even if you have wired every branch. Wire is a tool to help you realize your vision. Without a vision, the wire is pointless.

Thank you for the encouraging words and practical advice I certainly had no intention/vision behind each piece of wire last summer. I'm happy I get a second try with this one, and I will definitely rely on the community here to keep me on the right path

I might apply some wire later this summer/fall and then repot in the spring. I was considering a fall repot just to gain the experience, but I think I'll play it safe until next spring. Should also give me more time to mull over possible designs for this tree!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I was considering a fall repot just to gain the experience, but I think I'll play it safe until next spring. Should also give me more time to mull over possible designs for this tree!

Fall repot for a juniper is ok if the tree is strong and you live in a mild climate. This particular tree has already been through a lot... it looks fine for now so I would just focus on letting it grow wild and fertilizing it. Don't prune. Don't wire. Just leave it alone for the next 9 months.

Go buy yourself a cheap nursery juniper and try repotting it right now. Unlike many species, junipers can be repotted until quite late in the season. Mid-June is pushing it, but I think in Denver you could still be ok as long as you didn't (1) prune too many roots and (2) didn't prune any foliage. (I repotted my last junipers this year on May 21 - and they are doing great). Try to take that nursery juniper, remove ALL of the old nursery soil, do not prune any roots, do not rinse off the roots, and repot it into good inorganic bonsai soil without pruning foliage. Then stick it right back on the bench in full sun. Water regularly - and you shouldn't have a problem with wet soil since you are now in an inorganic bonsai soil mix. Then when fall rolls around compare the two trees. Which is stronger?

 

[e~b]

Fall repot for a juniper is ok if the tree is strong and you live in a mild climate. This particular tree has already been through a lot... it looks fine for now so I would just focus on letting it grow wild and fertilizing it. Don't prune. Don't wire. Just leave it alone for the next 9 months.

Go buy yourself a cheap nursery juniper and try repotting it right now. Unlike many species, junipers can be repotted until quite late in the season. Mid-June is pushing it, but I think in Denver you could still be ok as long as you didn't (1) prune too many roots and (2) didn't prune any foliage. (I repotted my last junipers this year on May 21 - and they are doing great). Try to take that nursery juniper, remove ALL of the old nursery soil, do not prune any roots, do not rinse off the roots, and repot it into good inorganic bonsai soil without pruning foliage. Then stick it right back on the bench in full sun. Water regularly - and you shouldn't have a problem with wet soil since you are now in an inorganic bonsai soil mix. Then when fall rolls around compare the two trees. Which is stronger?

I actually did something similar in mid-May! Home depot juniper, didnt prune/wire, and got it into a pumice/lava rock with as many roots as possible. So that will be a good comparison come fall

 

[e~b]

As others inferred, please learn the proper timing of when to do things.

It's good the tree survived. I agree with Sean's post above. However don't dive back in and started rewiring it again now as it's not the proper time

When would be the best time to do drastic pruning on a juniper? I understand that the bark will likely slip if wired during spring/early summer. But what if you are mainly pruning, and not wiring?

I ask because I removed a majority of foliage in late june of last year (beginning of summer dormancy?), and it has recovered nicely. Beginner's luck? or could I apply this experience to other trees that need a somewhat major reduction?

 

[Paradox]

When would be the best time to do drastic pruning on a juniper? I understand that the bark will likely slip if wired during spring/early summer. But what if you are mainly pruning, and not wiring?

I ask because I removed a majority of foliage in late june of last year (beginning of summer dormancy?), and it has recovered nicely. Beginner's luck? or could I apply this experience to other trees that need a somewhat major reduction?

You can prune in late spring but id do it before you start getting the real heat of summer. It will recover better. Also I would only remove 1/3 if the foliage per year at most so the tree has enough left to fuel recovery. I also would not prune again until it's had a least a year to recover and is growing strongly again