Trimming Junipers

Earl

Here's a question for the experts. I love Junipers and have several. I have a whole bunch more that have ended up in the yard. To form nice pads I have primarily tried to pinch back the new buds as they emerge. Most of the time I don't catch them at the right time or there are so many that they get away from me. I end up with spindly branches with little growth except at the ends.

By accident, I picked up Issue 62 of Bonsai Today and there was an article by Kihachiro Kamiya on this issue. He says in the spring cut back the foilage as much as possible. Then let shoots emerge and wait until they harden, then cut back, with scissors, to one or two internodes. Do this as many as three times a season. He also says to very careful pick off the dead needles with tweezers to protect the buds (I saw an expert just rub them off, so that is what I've always done--few new buds!).

Maybe I have missed something, but I have never read of this method on Junipers, it is always pinching the new growth. Kamiya's ideas make sense to me. Do those of you who are successful with junipers do it this way? What do you think?

For sake of discussion, here is one of my junipers that hasn't begun to fill out as I made it last spring. I'd be interested in your comments as it is different, to say the least. I purposely didn't not whiten the redwood burl it is grafted to as I like the dark mottled wood. What do you think?

Advertisement