backbudding ?

Neild

I just found 5 Robusta junipers, freebies. Trunks are around 2.5-3" with lots of nice growth at the top about 4-5 ft tall, lower growth is poor toward the base. I think they've been laying on their side for awhile. trunks curve with most branching on one side. My questions is this. Can I chop the trunk and have any hope for backbudding in the spring? I live in Indianapolis. Low branches are poor, the trees are 4-5 ft tall with all growth at the top. I have a fairly good "vision". But, loosing 3 ft off the top leaving nothing green may kill the thing. Thoughts?

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Vance Wood

No! I would not even think of choping on one of these guys. You need to wait till the tree is in active growth and cut back active growth as far as you can and still have some growth to keep the sap flowing. If you chop down to nothing, nothing is what you are likely to reap in the end. By cutting back the active growth to active growth you will encourage back budding on the same branches. You are in essence driving the growth inward. This could take some time. Make sure the tree is well fertilized.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

Neild

Thanks Vance. I appreciate the input. I've read junipers are supposedly able to handle some degree of "abuse" and that they do back bud more readily than other trees. I just was not sure how far back I could take it. I think I understand what I need to do now.

Alasdair

How about you post some pictures? then maybe the vision of others can find a good form in the tree so you won't have to risk drastic surgery.

Al

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Vance Wood

Most Junipers, especially the Chinese varieties, bud back very well. But it has been my experience if you eliminate flows of circulation, or in other words you cut back to nothing, you will probably get some back budding if he tree is healthy in the first place. However that back budding may be sporadic and unpredictable. You may count on the tree growing here or there and find that now, where you hoped to get new growth, you now have Jin.

Any time you cut back to a stump you are taking a chance, even with a Maple or Zelkova. Any tree treated in this way can make you think you are a genius, or it can make you feel like an idiot---it all depends on what the tree wants to do. I prefer to have a few more assurances even if it slows down the process a little.

__________________
The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

Neild

Alasdair, I will try to get a couple of pics up in the next day or two. Thank you for the suggestion.

Vance, I pruned out the obviously dead, unhealthy and otherwise undesireable branches. Which when completed left me with a tree ~3 ft with about 7 skinny branches with healthy growth on them (the 1st about 10-12" above the soil). I was able to choose alternating branches, although none of them very low. I will take good care of this one over winter and fertilize for new growth this spring while pinching back. Hopefully those longer skinny branches will fill in closer to the trunk.

Maybe I will select 1 more of the 5 to work on and possibly trade the other 3(?).

Anyway, this is my 1st post and I appreciate the advice and response.

dtree

Hi Vance -
I have a large robusta juniper that I cut back from 6 feet to 2 1/2 feet this spring. I left green on all the lower branches, and the plant pushed a lot of new growth this year with heavy feeding. How far back can I cut again and when is generally the best time to do this ? Should I feed it for a whole season before cutting back or can I do it again this spring ? Thanks for your help and advice.

Vance Wood

You can cut back pretty much as hard as you like as long as there is healthy growth below the cut---preferably. It is true you can cut back to bare wood but again, the results can be disappointing and or disastrous, or it can be a success. You just can't accurately forecast which you will get.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa