Procumbens nana question

timmick

I've been out here lurking, and figured I better join the fun! I have a Procumbens nana that is probably two or three years old and is not very big. It is still in the original pot and it has lots of new buds. I know I am supposed to be pinching off the new shoots, but with a tree so young, shouldn't I be letting it grow some on its own? Should I be pinching off the new buds?

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TreeBay

Welcome Timmick,

When pinching the juniper buds, wait until they harden off enough that you can pluck out the center of the bud and leave a few leaves 2-4 behind. _From that will grow 2-4 smaller buds, and it will stimulate back budding along the length of the branch.

From time to time it is necessary to thin a Juniper aggressively or the following will occur

• The crown will become too dense to allow light to penetrate, resulting in the loss of interior branches and die back. _
• The branch tips will grow excessively and the shape will be lost, particularly at the apex, resulting in clumsy looking (not graceful) branches that are too thick.
• branches will extend and the tree's silhouette will suffer

Thinning is done with a pair of thinning shears between the periods of growth. The long handles of the shear allows you to reach in deep into the tree without disturbing foliage. Wherever three branches emerge from a single point, thin to two. Trim back to light branches at the apex and exterior and trim to strong branches on the interior and lower branches, where growth is generally weaker. Use this opportunity to select branches form attractive and interesting shapes of the branches.

Following thinning is the best time to wire. Individual branches can be wired into branchlets shaped in fan shapes to encourage the development of clouds of foliage rather than a single foliage mass.

Regards,

Matt

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