Is This A Good Starter Pre-Bonsai Juniper?

[Isilwen]

I am thinking about trying my hand at a juniper bonsai once again. I was looking around online and happened to find the one below or very close to what this looks like per the description at a shop close to me. Would this make for a good start?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Procumbens junipers make good starter plants. Just don't turn it into a windswept or a cascade design. Or do whatever you want, I'm not the bonsai police.

 

[Isilwen]

Procumbens junipers make good starter plants. Just don't turn it into a windswept or a cascade design. Or do whatever you want, I'm not the bonsai police.

That's the thing. Not sure what to do with it.

 

[bwaynef]

Take the longest branch and stake it upright to grow for a few months. Observe it as an upright of sorts and brainstorm what's possible. Be prepared to remove several low branches coming from the same location. Keep some for jin. Use double thick aluminum and take it as high up the "trunk" as you can. Make judicious branch selection. Wire everything. Remove foliage growing on the bottoms of branches. Preserve tip growth at all reasonable cost. Expect for it to grow into the design and look a little unfinished at first.

As mentioned above, windswept or cascade is likely NOT the best use of the material.

 

[Isilwen]

Take the longest branch and stake it upright to grow for a few months

It says that it is already staked, so I guess that is a good thing. I think I would prefer an upright to be honest.

When I purchase it I will post pictures of all angles.

 

[rockm]

We can't really help you from this photo. There is simply no way to tell what is going on behind all that foliage. You have to get into the interior to look (this might even be more than one tree...)

As for care, don't overwater, overprune or pinch to control growth. Full sun, shade the pot in the summer. Make sure it's in decent bonsai soil. Don't be too aggressive with root pruning, either.

 

[Isilwen]

We can't really help you from this photo. There is simply no way to tell what is going on behind all that foliage. You have to get into the interior to look (this might even be more than one tree...)

When I purchase it I will post photos.

 

[BrightsideB]

Unless it’s more of a rare cultivar or variety. I wouldn’t buy online unless it is an exact picture and of the tree. Otherwise you aren’t buying the tree in the picture. Procumbens like that are like $10 at the nurseries near me and you can pick and choose. You probably know this but it can be disappointing from what I hear buying online and the tree isn’t anything like the picture.

 

[Isilwen]

Unless it’s more of a rare cultivar or variety. I wouldn’t buy online unless it is an exact picture and of the tree. Otherwise you aren’t buying the tree in the picture. Procumbens like that are like $10 at the nurseries near me and you can pick and choose. You probably know this but it can be disappointing from what I hear buying online and the tree isn’t anything like the picture.

This is from a local bonsai nursery. The description includes this: Note: Tree shown is similar to all in stock.

It is about 25 minutes from where I live, so I can always take a run-over to see what they have if needed.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That's the thing. Not sure what to do with it.

That's good. Because you don't own it yet, and making a design on fantasies can be fun.. But it's hard to do in real life if the material isn't suited.
If you wire a procumbens trunk upwards, you'll see that it has every possibility.
Yesterday I wired a procumbens trunk in a corkscrew fashion. Not sure what I want with it yet, but I'll burn that bridge when I crossed it. At least a year to go until the shape sets, so plenty of time.

You can turn procumbens into a bonsai in five minutes, plenty of youtube videos of people soing so. But I think it's more fun to work them over a longer period.

 

[BrightsideB]

This is from a local bonsai nursery. The description includes this: Note: Tree shown is similar to all in stock.

It is about 25 minutes from where I live, so I can always take a run-over to see what they have if needed.

That’s cool! It never hurts to pick and choose.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

If the nursery is that close to you I would drive there myself and look at the stock they have and make your choice there.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

This is an old one of mine. It started as a staked procumbens from the nursery.
A mound of unruly foliage.

 

[Isilwen]

This is an old one of mine. It started as a staked procumbens from the nursery.
A mound of unruly foliage.


View attachment 470583

Looks good! How old is it?

 

[Salvarez]

Procumbent junipers make good starter plants. Just don't turn it into a windswept or a cascade design. Or do whatever you want, I'm not the bonsai police.

What's wrong with windswept.... its fun. Mine is currently in pre-bonsai phase.

I am thinking about trying my hand at a juniper bonsai once again. I was looking around online and happened to find the one below or very close to what this looks like per the description at a shop close to me. Would this make for a good start?

View attachment 470568

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

What's wrong with windswept.... its fun. Mine is currently in pre-bonsai phase.

Why is the lowest left branch facing the wind directly? Even if you'd jin it then it would look like either the wind wasn't there at the first 15 years, or that the plant has moved itself to a windy position. That makes it hard from the get go.

Nothing wrong with windswept if done well. But it's hard to do well. Same goes for cascades.

Someone once said something along these lines: those (cascade and windswept) are the easy options to pick from because they require very little fantasy especially in junipers that have a creeping nature, however, they require solid starter material and a great amount of skill to look convincing representations of real trees.
And I agree with that.
Everyone should try it though! It can be a great lesson and if it's done right it looks awesome. Just make sure you do it right. Or.. just not do it. Way easier to not force a design on a tree that just isn't meant for it.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Looks good! How old is it?

Rough guess: 25-30 years in MY custody.
No way to know how long to get a huge mound out of it when I got it.

 

[Isilwen]

Rough guess: 25-30 years in MY custody.
No way to know how long to get a huge mound out of it when I got it.

Heh... that would put me at 73 - 78 years old to achieve that if your rough guess is correct.

 

[brentwood]

I am thinking about trying my hand at a juniper bonsai once again. I was looking around online and happened to find the one below or very close to what this looks like per the description at a shop close to me. Would this make for a good start?

View attachment 470568

If that's what you're looking at as a starter, I'd consider going to a regular garden center and looking at their landscape junipers - Japanese, procumbens, creeping, etc. You should be able to get a nice fat one for $20-40 bucks. Lots of good videos on taking garden center material to bonsai, I'd watch as many of those as you can stand before you do any work - see the progression, see what you like.
The plant I'm attaching was $25 maybe?
Good luck!
B

 

[FiestaRed]

Procumbens junipers make good starter plants. Just don't turn it into a windswept or a cascade design. Or do whatever you want, I'm not the bonsai police.

Any particular reason why you should say "Just don't turn it into a windswept or a cascade design."?