my first wiring and hard pruning attempt ever

legatoistheman

Don't know if anyone cares to see this, but this was my first time ever wiring anything and while I think i did a good job you guys might not..lol just dont go too hard on me....i will give you the before and after pics ....i even tried to do a jin, as my friend ronny suggested, and i might have made it too short but hey im proud of my work so far.

Well here it goes...my cascading blue rug juniper

Attached Images

	blue rug juniper1 low quality.jpg (71.6 KB, 65 views)
	finished cascading juniper-low quality.jpg (70.1 KB, 70 views)
	finished cascading juniper jin close up-low quality.jpg (70.7 KB, 75 views)

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mike108

of course no one cares !

just kidding

legatoistheman

lol its cool. i know everyone elses skill is far superior to mine ..

Ronny

actually the angle i was looking made it look too short, but in this pic it looks fine.

october

Hello legato.....so this is the tree heh......looks pretty good. It looks like I was accurate about how most of the interior is still young and the branches have not hardened off yet. How did the pruning and pinching go? You did a good job with the branch placement all the way down to the tip. In a couple of years, the foliage will thicken up and form pads, which is the look you want. I would give it a week or so then start fertilizing. You can fertilize into the beginning of October. If you do decide to repot this fall, you should not fertilize until next spring. This is because you would want to give it time to rest and by then it would be late fall and all fertilizing should stop anyway. Once again, nice job.

legatoistheman

October, yes this is the tree...the pruning went well..i used concave cutters and as you can see i cut off a lot of the tree...I also used cut paste on the wounds i cut off as well. I tried to wire best i could, and i think the wire might be too loose as i cant easily move the harder, older wood at the top of the cascading branch...the lower and younger the growth i get though the easier it is and the wiring i did is fine. To remedy would i A. take the wire off after giving the tree a period to recover and wire it again more tightly, or B. just wire alongside of the existing wire?

I think I may repot it, but i have to get a terra cotta pot. Could I use a cascade training pot? You also said that I should use bonsai soil....Can i get a pre made package of bonsai soil from my bonsai nursery?

Also, about fertilizing, let me make sure i get this right. If i dont repot, fertilize in october, leaving the roots alone, if i do repot, dont fertilize until spring?

Also, I am wondering how i am going to overwinter it. you said not to leave it in a garage, and i since it is already being styled, I dont want to just plant it in the ground like i am doing with my other nursery stock right? What should I do put up some plastic around it to protect it from the wind and sit it close to my house. My house has a deck, with a small concrete patio under it where i could keep it that should be enough light for an evergreen, and at least stop some of the wind, although the open part of that patio is north at one end and south at the other.

Any suggestions on what to do?

Thanks
Legato

october

Hello Legato, I will try to answer all of your questions from my experiences. I would never give an opinion unless I've experienced it for myself or was taught to me by my teachers
First, I would just run another wire along side of that wire. In fact, many articles say that it maybe better to run 2 wires instead of one thick one. It almost looks like you used a gauge 1-1/12 wire. You could run a 2 1/2 with that one. This should give you the ability to bend the top portion of the trunk. But not the lower, but I think that your ok with the lower structure for now. You could take that wire off, just use wire cutters made exclusively for bonsai. They prevent cutting the tree and work unbelievable well. Just cut the wire about every inch from beginning to end and the wire will just fall off. However, I would just run another wire like previously mentioned. Oh and yes, you can continue your wire work now, the tree can take it. Your wiring job actually looks pretty good.
Second, yes, you can basically use any training pot that is the right size. The term " grow pot " refers to the pot itself " its purpose, not material. The goal of this pot is to make the root ball more shallow and train the roots to grow out instead of down. Trees absorb nutrients from the fine hair like roots, not the thick ones. Thats what you are trying to encourage. So find a pot that is slightly more shallow than the pot its it, but about the same width or so. If you repot, tease out some of the roots on the sides and at the bottom. Use a chopstick, even if you only reduce the height of the root ball buy an inch or two this is fine. Its also ok to do some minor root trimming with scissors. I would do this in late sept or next spring.
Yes, your bonsai nursery has pre bagged bonsai soil, see if they have one for conifers, if not, a nice quality all purpose bonsai soil is fine.
You have it right about fertilizing. If you don't repot, you can fertilize till the beginning of october and then start again in spring. If you do repot this september, you can fertilize until you repot. Then after its repotted, don't fertilize till next spring. This is because its good to not fertilize for about 3 weeks after a repot, by that time we will be in october and you can't fertilize anyway.
If you repot next spring ( april ) give it 3-4 weeks and then start fertilizing.

legatoistheman

Thank you for answering my many questions...just slap me if i ask too many..lol

thanks
Legato

october

There are many, many different ways and opinions about overwintering evergreens. Some feel thet they need almost no light in winter, others feel that they need some light in the winter. I, personally, have never deprived my evergreens of light in the winter.
I usually keep them in a cold hallway where the temp is usally 10-20 degrees higher than it is outside. So if its 15 f degrees outside, its usally 30-45f in the hall. Also, they get about 2-4 hours of filtered sun a day. Keep in mind that the temp and light have to be proportional. If they are kept in an area that is 15-35 degrees all winter, they probably wouldn't need too much light.
I don't have any experience on over wintering in the ground, but I believe that you could bury the pot and all into the ground.
This winter, I am thinking of trying something different. I have a shed in the back yard with 3 windows, 2 north and one west. The inside receives about 2-3 hours of sun. The temp in the shed would be colder than the hall that I usually use. The temp is probably only 5-15 degrees warmer than the outside.
I would start a new thread asking about the techniques that other members with more wintering experience than myself, use. I can, however, offer some important guide lines to follow:
1) the best temperature for evergreens in the winter is between 30-40 degrees fahrenheit

2) Do not let the temerature rise above 49 degrees f for any long period of time (2-3 days). Also, do not let it drop to below 15 degress for any long period of time.

3) Try to keep them away from harsh, drying winter winds.

4) Dormancy must always be a gradual thing. Leave them out throuh the first frost or 2, probably till around thanksgiving, then gradually lessen the light they get, until they are in their winter place for the winter.

I hope my advice has been beneficial.