choosing procumbens nana from nursery

[Rid]

My nursery just got in a bunch of good looking procumbens nana,
And I'm wondering if there's a good way to pick out a good one.
They seem so dense that I'm not sure if I can even see the trunks.
Do I just need to man up and dig through, or is there a particular shape to look for?

 

[tmpgh]

get your fingers into the soil and feel for surface roots. See what she's got under the skirt

 

[jk_lewis]

1. Paw around in the dirt and look for one with nice flare at the base (hard to find on one of these!).

2. Pick one with a short trunk and lots of low branches.

3. 90% will look like they want to be cascades. Please TRY to ignore them. Find an upright leader (the "cascade" can be cut off).

4. Informal upright should be your goal. That means right branch, left branch, back branch, etc. All on outer sides of curves (can be delicate curves).

5. With a one gallon tree, plan on a 8-9 inch tall bonsai -- or less.

 

[milehigh_7]

Remember your basic ratios it needs to have as big of a trunk as you can find. At an inch it will only make a 6" tall bonsai in general terms.

 

[Rid]

Thanks everybody - i found one, nice trunk, low branches. i'll post a pic after i remove some branches to show how well i butchered it.

Ridley

 

[sorce]

Update?

 

[Rid]

Well here it is. I never posted picture because I didn't know what to think of my chop job, and the pictures I took didn't seem to convey much of anything. . I was trying to choose a new leader for an informal upright (to avoid cascade, as suggested), so i cut off the main leader. this left it really lopsided, and i'm hoping that it will sprout a new branch on the bare side to even things out. Will Junipers do this, like a deciduous tree would?

 

[sorce]

Thanks!

A few things.....

Its better to leave stubs when you cut branches back, this ensures part of the trunk wont die. Once they reroute sap flow, you can grind them closer.

I would let this go for a year or so, but leave it angled so that small, new leader gets a lot of Sun. You can cut off at the yellow a couple years down the road and have nicer taper, and the front, back of pic, can hide your chops and have a tree leaning toward the viewer . Or you can make a nice Shari for this front view.

Either way, let that left side stay thickening your base for a while, but cutting it off in the future will give this a nice image.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Stubs leave jin options too.

And after looking at your first pic again, my proposition will leave you with excellent movement too.

Nice grab! I would have bought this one too!

Sorce

 

[Rid]

Ahhhh! I see, thanks for the info and advice!

 

[drew33998]

My nursery just got in a bunch of good looking procumbens nana,
And I'm wondering if there's a good way to pick out a good one.
They seem so dense that I'm not sure if I can even see the trunks.
Do I just need to man up and dig through, or is there a particular shape to look for?

You need to take a drive up to plant city bonsai. He has some awesome material for $100. Seriously worth it. Steve is a great guy. He has some nice material too

 

[M. Frary]

Those 1 gallon procumbens that have a long cascading branch are perfect for staking upright to make informal upright trees. Next time before you cut the long branch off try that. Just poke a long thin rod down into the soil right next to the trunk and wire the long branch to it.

 

[Rid]

Those 1 gallon procumbens that have a long cascading branch are perfect for staking upright to make informal upright trees. Next time before you cut the long branch off try that. Just poke a long thin rod down into the soil right next to the trunk and wire the long branch to it.

Yeah the second I cut it off I realized I probably did something wrong. Looking forward to seeing how it grows now withs it's head chopped off!

 

[Rid]

well, here's an update after one year. I have to get better at keeping records, i can't believe how much it grew! Suggestions are welcome, i hope that goes without saying.
Ridley

 

[RickMartin]

Wow that thing really grew in a year..

Rick

 

[Eric Group]

well, here's an update after one year. I have to get better at keeping records, i can't believe how much it grew! Suggestions are welcome, i hope that goes without saying.
Ridley

Get some more "wiggle" in those branches you wired... Front back and side to side... You want it moving from all angles!

It seems to be growing rapidly! I won't comment on the chop job you did last year, but like Sorce said- with Junipers always leave a stub to make a Jin from later, they simply won't heal right over like a Maple or something..

 

[Rid]

Update on my juniper. I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats with this one.

Seriously though, I never would have thought I'd get so much enjoyment out of a juniper. Of all of the plants I have, it has provided the most immediate gratification. Grows fast, lots of wiring opportunities, very flexible! If you're new to bonsai, get one, and make an informal upright out of it. That was the great advice the late jkl gave me at the beginning of this thread.

 

[Rid]

whoops heres the pic

 

[sorce]

Great progress!

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

Rid,

I strongly suggest you contact Steve Cratty at Plant City Bonsai in Clermont, and sign up for the conifer repotting class in going to be teaching in the late February timeframe. I'm teaching how to do half bare root repost, and how to transition trees from nursery containers to bonsai pots.

Www.plantcitybonsai.com