Juniper Styling

Kainen

Ok I've never styled a tree before but i really want to make this tree look good since i've learned how to keep it alive.

heres a few pictures.

any suggestions are greatly appreciated. =)

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Kainen

hrmm.. did i post this in the wrong forum or something?

RedPine

Hi,

If your ok with having a mini bonsai then you could start thinking of a cascade or semi-cascade style.

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jeremy_norbury

I suggest you wait until it's a bit bigger before you start styling it. Personally I would plant it in my garden for a few years...

If the urge to style it now cannot be repressed, I suggest you go for a "flat-top" style - since that's what it is right now and you won't need to do much.

Jerry
Amsterdam

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Joanie

Kainen, you might want to consider whether your juniper is really the size and girth you want it to be. If you start styling and keeping it in the smaller pot, it will not grow a whole lot...which is fine if you're pleased. But if you would like a tree with a bigger trunk, and with more branches to work with, consider getting it back into the ground or a growing box or something that will give it a better chance to develop its own personality.

The hardest thing is growing a good trunk, which gives the illusion of a real tree. It takes years if you want to do it for the trees full potential. But in the end it is very rewarding, giving you a tree that is impressive and distinctive.

If you are interested in looking into this way of growing a bonsai, go to the Tips and Techniques forum and look for the "All you need to know" series that Will has lately done, which are compliations of posts about groups of knowledge. (You may know this but perhaps someone else doesn't) The articles on growing a nice thick trunk are there, and are worth considering.


Nice healthy tree, and you've done a great job keeping it that way!

Joanie

Kainen

hey thanks all for the input i'll definately check out the trunk growing techniques.






p.s. some needles have turned brown in the last week

Vonsgardens

Kainene,
I'll kick in on this one. We always talk about growing bigger trunks before we work on trees, that is kind of an American (or maybe western) thing. If you look, most of the trees that you see posted will be in the medium to large size ranges. This little tree can be styled by doing a significant reducton of the long branch and making a "shohin" juniper out of it. Keeping the trunk and branches in scale with "a tree" and then working to pot it down. Then with careful maintenance over the next few years it will begin to age (bark, branch thickness, etc) and become more convincing. I think the most amazing bonsai that I have ever seen was privet (Ligustrum sinensis(?)) that Suthin S. (Royal Bonsai Garden) developed- the trunk was less than 1/2-5/8"" in diameter- the leaves were less than 1/8th-3/16th of an inch and it was perfect at 4" tall. So, while I generally tend to agree with the comments on trunk thickening- it depends on what you want (remember- small bonsai other than easier to carry tend to be harder to maintain and a lot more care intensive than big ones....) Best of luck, John

slordaz

that is true i know i as a started would go withthe advice and work on the bigger easier ones then as my knowledge and skills increase if i wanted to work with the smaller bonsais

(note:still trying to do the bigger ones only thing i have been succesfull with is the san jose juniper and chinese wisteria started from seed but still is a long ways from being bonsai )

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