Brand new Juniper procumbens wiring advice

[JasonRedwood]

Hey everyone!

I just got this little juniper in the mail today. I ordered it from "special-green-garden.com". I know this plant isn't much, i mainly got it to practice conifer/evergreen techniques - I am pretty new to bonsai, but have read several books, including Harry Harrington's starter book, i am also online every day trying to learn. The website listed this as pre-bonsai, which is evident in the way the trunk-line curves (i suppose they intended semi cascade). It is evident as well that nobody took any care with the roots on this thing (which i was expecting considering the shady source), i combed out most of them, and they were in two giant clumps, growing downward.

I however do not want to do a cascade or semi cascade style - instead i would like to do formal upright when it's ready to be trained.

Here's my question - do you think i can wire that main branch curving to the side up right now (or soon)?

Here's all i've done so far.
I repotted it just to get it out of organic soil that it came in (i did not completely bare-root it). I potted it in oil-dry and some grit, which i'm trying for the first time, and like so far.
I didn't do much of anything to the roots - i cut off a few dead ones, and one or two overly long downward growing roots.
That's about it, got it in some mix and am letting it soak up some water right now - it was in the mail for 4 days so i want to make sure it's thoroughly watered.

My plans so far are just to let it grow for 2-3 years, as i want it for be about twice as tall as it is now, but i'm just wondering if it's alright to wire the main branch up at this point (in the process, as well as the year) so that it can start growing in an upright fashion.

Some pictures below
First and second pictures are just either side of the tree.
Third picture, i tried to show the actual trunk-line but obviously didn't work well. The trunk is a little more than pencil thick right now.
fourth is just an interesting root near the surface - i have since covered it with a small amount of mix.

Any advice on getting this guy to stand upright would be great! I think the trunk (before the bend) it pretty straight and make a good upright tree.

 

[jk_lewis]

If you got it "in the mail today" don't do ANYTHING to it. Keep it alive for two or three months before you do anything. This little tree has gone through a terrible ordeal during shipping; let it recover before you torture it any more.

 

[JasonRedwood]

Yeah - i wasn't planning on wiring it NOW as in today - i was using now in a bad sense, meaning in the next month or two, after the plant recovers a bit.

What i really wanted to know is if it's ok to wire it in summer going into fall, or if i should just wait until spring. I know Junipers grow slowly, but i don't want that branch getting any thicker than it absolutely needs to before wiring, just so it's easier with less chance of breakage. do you think by end of summer it should be ok?

 

[Vin]

The best time to wire a Juniper is when the sap is flowing (so I've been told). However, I'm in Florida and I wire mine anytime between January 1st and December 31st (if it's not too cold) and they do fine. Since you're from Minnesota things will be different so you may want to consult someone locally. If you really put the whammy on it you should let it rest for at least six months before your next bit of work. The thing you don't want to do is wire, prune and repot all at one time as you will probably have a dead Juniper a few months later.

 

[jk_lewis]

That is a very small "tree." It will be many years before that trunk will become too large to wire.

 

[JasonRedwood]

Yeah, temps start to drop to freezing overnight here as early as September - so i may only have 5-8 weeks left of growing season. Maybe i should just wait until the absolute latest i can - and if the tree is still disturbed from what i did today i may just wait.

So i definitely don't want to wire in winter when it is semi dormant? If i don't get it done this year, should i just wait until spring?
This plant may have a short(er) cold period than my others, it gets pretty cold here and i'm not sure it would survive our -30 F winters the whole way though. I do have a set up inside that it can stay in during the coldest months.

jkl, good to know. I've never wired a tree before - i know Junipers have quite bendable wood, but i wasn't sure if the growth from a years time would be too much. Maybe i'm over estimating how fast they grow. I was worried about breaking the branch because it will be my first wiring.

 

[MaverickLancer]

I'm going to be the bad guy here, only because I was in your place a few months ago... and I wish someone had told me this sooner before I wasted so much time. With a tree this small, there really isn't much you can do with it. Your best bet would be to put it in the ground for a few years to trunk up. In all honesty, you'd probably get better value by going to a big box garden center (i.e. Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) and grabbing a few cheap Junipers (procumbens nana or chinesis are usually pretty common). In my area, I can usually find a 3 gal juniper for under $20. They're usually overgrown with several branches and dense foliage. That will give you a much better base to practice more techniques on - everything from finding a front to styling, pad work, and creating jin. Your current tree will give you an opportunity to slip pot and to practice a single wiring, but you're mostly limited to maintenance. It doesn't have the requisite development for you to practice any real bonsai technique.

Like many say, bonsai is a hands-on practice, and you'll get much more practice for your buck this way. After you get through a few of these, you'll notice that everything will start coming faster and more naturally to you.

Sawgrass has a great thread where he takes cheap junipers and turns them into bonsai in a few days : http://www.bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/choose-your-own-adeventure.19975/ . You'll notice that his bends are rather extreme, and done on branches far thicker than your trunk.

 

[JasonRedwood]

Maveric - I was planning on getting a garden center juniper next spring - but right now i didn't have the room for it. This plant was literally $5 - basically nothing - so it's not like i wasted any money. I did look around, and all the 1gal junipers i found were $30 - a little spendy for a plant i've never cared for before.

Who knows, maybe this plant can go in a group planting so it doesn't require such a large trunk. Or it can be one i just grow slowly until it's ready. At any rate, i'm not looking to make this guy an award winning bonsai

 

[M. Frary]

Jason, the procumbens junipers I have all made it through the winter last year. It got to 35 below zero here a few times.
Next year after it wakes up and you're sure it's growing,stake it upright. It is going to take a while(a very long while) for this to thicken up. But every year in the spring wire up the previous years growth. They tend to want to grow sideways. So when you fasten it to the stake it puts a bend in it. I've gat a couple I've been doing this to for 3 years now. When I started them they were only a little larger than yours. Now this one is almost 2 feet tall. The trunk is around an inch thick. I think 10 to 15 years will get me a 3 inch trunk. Maybe.

 

[JasonRedwood]

M.Frary,

I didn't know they were that winter hardy - i'll just leave this one outside unless something crazy happens. So you suggest wiring in spring with a stake? Is there any reason wiring alone won't hold it upright? Just wondering. That's a nice looking plant, i may stick mine into a larger pot in spring, to get it growing bigger.

 

[M. Frary]

Because you would need to remove the wire every year as the tree thickens up. With a stake shoved in the bucket you can just wrap a wire loose enough around the stake and the trunk so it can be left on . And it's only one wrap. Not a bunch. That's a 5 gallon bucket cut down and a bunch of holes drilled all over it.

 

[jk_lewis]

Snow is a great insulator. If this little guy gets covered, just leave it there. You could sink the pot (only) in a bed of mulch if snow is unlikely.

 

[JasonRedwood]

Jkl, i don't really have a yard. If snow is sparce (as it sometimes is in january) how can i insulate the pot if it's just on a porch? I'll keep it near the building for a little warmth.

 

[jk_lewis]

An old sheet of blanket wrapped LOOSELY around the pot should do it.