Can I Trunk Chop Needle Juniper?

duartix

My doubt arises as I've spoted a load of 3" needle junipers in a garden center for around 15€.
Of course for them to become bonsai, it would need some agressive initial training but they already have massive trunks with some taper and resonable nebari.

Can I perform heavy trunk chops (as long as I keep some needles on the branches I want to keep alive) ?
What's the best time of the year for this?

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Attila

The best time is always the early part of growing season. This gives the tree more time to re-grow the lost foliage. I have removed as much as 2/3rd of the crown during spring, with no problems. The deeper you go into the season, the less you should remove. Halfway through the season I would remove about half of the crown if I have to.

Since we are approaching the end of the season, there is no point of removing anything. There is nothing to gain, only weaken the tree since the growth will stop in a few weeks.

duartix

Thanks Attila.
I guess I'll postpone the buying decision until next spring. These trees are in monster containers (50l?) and my balcony space is very restricted...

Attila

Sorry for disappointing. This is the least exciting time of the year, noth much going on. The only good news around here (and I think this applies to Portugal as well) is that the heat is soon over.


Attila

duartix

That wouldn't be such great news (at least for me).
This weekend I'll be going on another hard working beach marathon and I'll expect the temperatures to keep in the 30ºC at least until late September...

About the season, I don't quite recall last year (this one is going to be my second Fall in bonsai) but I think I recall still having some growth in November...

There's a flemish(?) guy who I might visit this weekend, he has a kind of nursery in Algarve (around 150 miles south) and says our climate gives him a lot more growth than he had in the Netherlands, I'll ask him how much.

Attila

That's also true here at my place. A lot of my trees already stopped growing and the leaves start deteriorating, ready to fall. Others still growing, full of fresh, green shoots. It depends on the species.

We have a long growing season here. The trident maples I brought with me from Canada grew here in two years more than what they grew up north in eight years.

Attila

duartix

Lucky us!