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Originally Posted by legatoistheman
i am still in the dont want to get in and do stuff because i dont want to mess up phase, and i think this tree is the perfect tree to get in there and just do it.
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I know the feeling.
I used to be nervous about repotting and root pruning, but I've gotten over it. I have learned that it's actually rather hard to kill a tree so long as you exercise a bit of common sense.
Last year in late August I dug up a smallish (3/4 inch trunk) northern red oak from my yard, root pruned it, and potted it in a 6 inch training pot. I wasn't sure it would survive because of how late in the season it was, but the tree was growing up through a fence and it had to go one way or the other. So it became an experiment. During the rest of the season, it responded amazingly well, putting out some impressive new growth. But sometime between winter and early spring, it died. It never woke up in the spring. When I removed it from the pot, I discovered that in spite of the strong growth up top, there had been almost no growth in the roots. However, I'm not sure that this was the problem. I think the soil ended up too wet. Had I been a bit more careful with the water, it might have done fine after another year's growth in the training pot.
Anyway, the point is to not be too nervous about trying things. Just jump in and do them, because that's how you learn. According to one master, quoted in a book written by one of his students, the secret to learing the art of bonsai is: "You have to water a lot, you have to fertilize a lot, you have to prune a lot, you have to kill a lot." Our failures are part of the process.
By the way, a terra cotta pot is a clay pot such as is sold in nearly any garden supply store. I've used both clay and plastic pots for training, and the only difference I've found so far is that the plastic ones are not nearly so heavy.
So long as you have adequate drainage, either should work.
Also, when overwintering your juniper make sure it gets enough sunlight. Unlike deciduous trees, evergreens need light through the winter, so don't lock it in a dark garage and forget about it. Last year (which was my first bonsai winter) I kept my trees on a semi-enclosed porch next to the wall of the house and on colder days and nights covered them with clear plastic sheeting. I don't know how ideal this setup was, but it worked. I watered when the soil seemed to be getting dry. At that time I had only one evergreen, an eastern red cedar. Even in those conditions, it began to look a little anemic (I don't know what the right word is for plants), so on warmer days I put it outside in full sun.
My rule of thumb is to just listen to the trees. They'll generally tell you what they want.