How to Deal with Leggy Itoigawa Juniper

[Hartinez]

I’m def not trying to be insulting at all. I could never understand the position you are in. Again, I don’t want this to come off as rude, but it may.

Your tree looks better and more primed for work in this pic

than this pic


in my limited experience. I have found that an initial styling of a juniper means doing your big clean up and branch development AND significantly wiring all the way to the tips. Wiring is not merely for styling, but opens up the branches and foliage to more light and air. Anytime I have done this i get the following response.
a better more refined appearance
And if the tree is healthy, I inevitably get more back-budding.
which means on my next trim back, I can reduce the profile and tighten up the image.
Your tree just needs more wiring. Again, this is just my opinion.

 

[AndyJ]

No worries @Hartinez I’ve not taken it as an insult We’re all learning aren’t we? . With the original tree, there was lots of long leggy growth that needed to be dealt with and to do that, I knew I’d have to take three steps back to take one forward. That was why it got cut back quite hard and as a result, lots of spiky juvenile foliage appeared - and the tree looks messy. I think (hope!) that by leaving it for a bit longer as @leatherback has suggested, I might get some back budding inside.

 

[ChristianDGreat]

Quick question guys.
When a juniper first acquired. when do you usually do heavy pruning? lets say first initial pruning
Late Fall to Early Spring?

 

[River's Edge]

When a juniper first acquired.

Not a quick question.
It depends on
Condition of the tree
What work has been done in the past year.
What work is planned for the next year, does it need repotting.
Is it a recently collected tree?
Does the anticipated styling involve heavy bending?
Understanding the best time of year to do certain types of work is only one part of the decision making process.

 

[ChristianDGreat]

Not a quick question.
It depends on
Condition of the tree
What work has been done in the past year.
What work is planned for the next year, does it need repotting.
Is it a recently collected tree?
Does the anticipated styling involve heavy bending?
Understanding the best time of year to do certain types of work is only one part of the decision making process.

What work has been done in the past year. - no work yet being done. its bushy and lots of runners (Itoigawa Juniper)
What work is planned for the next year, does it need repotting. - I need to reduce the foliage because its too bushy and at the same time its on a nursery soil. ( this is the part im not sure if i can do this two at the same time in Spring or late winter.
Is it a recently collected tree? - not collected, container grown by a grower in my area.
Does the anticipated styling involve heavy bending? - the tree has a good movement no heavy bending need to be made, only lowering branches

The second question is the one I'm not really sure.

 

[River's Edge]

What work has been done in the past year. - no work yet being done. its bushy and lots of runners (Itoigawa Juniper)
What work is planned for the next year, does it need repotting. - I need to reduce the foliage because its too bushy and at the same time its on a nursery soil. ( this is the part im not sure if i can do this two at the same time in Spring or late winter.
Is it a recently collected tree? - not collected, container grown by a grower in my area.
Does the anticipated styling involve heavy bending? - the tree has a good movement no heavy bending need to be made, only lowering branches

The second question is the one I'm not really sure.

I would not recommend major styling/pruning and repotting at the same time or within the same growing season. Particularly if you are changing out nursery soil and having to deal with a typical nursery pot root ball during the repot. in my mind you have a choice to make. Deal with the repot and soil change first. Then consider the major styling after this first process is completed.
Just because the tree is healthy and bushy does not mean it needs a major styling. You can thin appropriately retain extensions to fuel recovery after repot.
In my mind it is an important first step to deal with major repots first and save the styling until the tree is established in Bonsai soil. In this way you retain a healthy tree for styling, plus you have the added advantage of clearly understanding the nebari and root system when deciding on the best front and planting angle before styling.

 

[ChristianDGreat]

Got it. thanks!
It makes sense. I will just focus on repot 2022 and just perform the major pruning and styling in 2023.

 

[River's Edge]

Got it. thanks!
It makes sense. I will just focus on repot 2022 and just perform the major pruning and styling in 2023.

Important to note that transition from nursery soil and container will likely be best accomplished in stages.

 

[ChristianDGreat]

Important to note that transition from nursery soil and container will likely be best accomplished in stages.

What do you mean? Can you expand a little?

 

[River's Edge]

What do you mean? Can you expand a little?

When repotting Juniper you cannot bareroot, removing all the nursery soil in one repot, depending on the size and condition of the rootball it may involve a series of repotting. If you posted a picture of the tree you are discussing along with some dimensions it would be helpful to give more direct information. As it is the tree could have a 1/2 trunk with very juvenile root system or a six inch trunk with a very large and congested root system. Additionally it is unknown if the grower maintained the root work on a regular basis during the growing process. In short it is unknown what the situation is to deal with.
Pruning the roots on juniper is a bit trickier and they resent excessive root pruning, not too mention that often major sections of the tree may be overly dependant on one root, if it is overworked then you can lose that portion of the tree.
Your initial question was phrased in such a manner that it appears you may be inexperienced in these matters. So without knowledge of wether you are dealing with a juvenile plant or mature plant the variables are considerable.