Itoigawa juniper Stock

[Brian Van Fleet]

Anyone see a bonsai in that bush?

Comments, criticisms and virts welcome...

 

[edprocoat]

Naw, piece of junk ! You should send it to someone in Ohio....

ed

 

[Dan W.]

Good looking material Brian. Are you going for something taller and more elegant... say bunjin?

 

[Vance Wood]

If you are unsure what you think you want to do, or not particularly happy with what you have you can always plant the tree in a larger container or a pond basket and give it a little time to develop. Shimpakus are vigorous growers if you give them the chance to do so and they tend to change a lot every year. They do however tend to grow out straight and stiff branches with a lot of growth at the ends with scattered growth along their lengths. Make sure you keep them well fertilized and cut back the extending ends which will continue to stimulate growth deeper into the interior of the tree. Strike you pruning as cuttings, they root fairly well and you should cultivate them; you'll be glad you did it latter.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Good point Vance. Since it arrived in mid-summer, and it had been in that 1-gal can for 10+ years, I didn't want to give it too much extra room. I shifted it into a pot and made a mesh basket around it, and added about 1/2" of space all the way around, then aerated the soil and added aggregate.

 

[Vance Wood]

Good point Vance. Since it arrived in mid-summer, and it had been in that 1-gal can for 10+ years, I didn't want to give it too much extra room. I shifted it into a pot and made a mesh basket around it, and added about 1/2" of space all the way around, then aerated the soil and added aggregate.

I don't know whether this was your intention but are you planning to air layer at the point of the basket? If not you should think about it. This would solve a lot of the problems you are going to have with the existing root system, and they air layer quite well.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

No, the mesh was to build up the height, as the ceramic pot wasn't deep enough to accommodate the root ball. No problems with the roots, but you might be able to see a portion of the lower trunk is dead. In this case, layering above it would give up half of the trunk diameter...representing quite a few years of growth.

See a trunk line you like anywhere?

 

[edprocoat]

But seriously Brian Van Fleet, that is one nice looking juniper. Did you peel the flaky bark off when placing it in the mesh top pot? I do stuff like that all the time and then regret it right after doing it, I have a procumbens greenmound juniper that is literally begging me to peel the bark and so far I have resisted, yet its like the Borg, "resistance is futile" with flaky bark. In your third picture up top here, lay that over to the left and I bet it would make one hell of a raft style, thats a style I really love that most people just do not attempt and this tree is just asking for that treatment IMO. I can not wait to see whatever you decide to do with it as it sure is full of potential, yet I still feel you should just send it to someone in OHIO, maybe a guy named ed.

ed

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

But seriously Brian Van Fleet, that is one nice looking juniper. Did you peel the flaky bark off when placing it in the mesh top pot? I do stuff like that all the time and then regret it right after doing it, I have a procumbens greenmound juniper that is literally begging me to peel the bark and so far I have resisted, yet its like the Borg, "resistance is futile" with flaky bark. In your third picture up top here, lay that over to the left and I bet it would make one hell of a raft style, thats a style I really love that most people just do not attempt and this tree is just asking for that treatment IMO. I can not wait to see whatever you decide to do with it as it sure is full of potential, yet I still feel you should just send it to someone in OHIO, maybe a guy named ed.

ed

Interesting idea...raft style.

On bark, yes, I do peel off shimpaku bark, but in this case it was to get a look at the live veins vs. any dead portions that may be underneath. However, I'm also in the camp that prefers to show shimpakus with the live vein polished and clean, in stark contrast with the deadwood. Yet, I'll leave the thinnest flake of pine bark hanging on by a drop of old resin, with no urge to pick...go figure.

On Ohio...I'll just keep an eye your posts and be sure I'm fortified when you start talking about migrating south for winter, in case you decide to swing thru town ;-)

 

[stacy allen muse]

??????????????

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Thanks SAM, very nice...Think you'll like where I'm headed with this one.

 

[jkd2572]

I'm still trying to figure out where the live vein is on my ship. Any guidance?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I'm still trying to figure out where the live vein is on my ship. Any guidance?

Unless it has a dead spot on the trunk, it's all alive. As a response to damage (natural or man made), the tree redirects the water lines around dead portions...and those lines become the live veins.

It's easier to start with where the live vein isn't. Look at the first post, 3rd photo. See the darker triangle on the trunk, from the first right branch, down to the soil? That part is dead, living parts swell up around the dead areas.

 

[jkd2572]

How about starting the ovals all over to try delvelope where it goes. I believe you are doing that. Really could not understand how many ovals to cut or where?

 

[xray360]

Good point Vance. Since it arrived in mid-summer, and it had been in that 1-gal can for 10+ years, I didn't want to give it too much extra room. I shifted it into a pot and made a mesh basket around it, and added about 1/2" of space all the way around, then aerated the soil and added aggregate.

Off topic of the tree but where did you get the mesh. I been using gutter mesh for drain holes which is okay, but that looks perfect size.

Stay's virt of the tree looks promising.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Off topic of the tree but where did you get the mesh. I been using gutter mesh for drain holes which is okay, but that looks perfect size.

Stay's virt of the tree looks promising.

It's plastic canvas from Hobby Lobby or Michael's...kids use it with yarn for sewing or whatever it's called.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

How about starting the ovals all over to try delvelope where it goes. I believe you are doing that. Really could not understand how many ovals to cut or where?

If you want thickening at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions (ie, widening), then you'd cut ovals at the 12:00 and/or 6:00 positions. Start small and watch the results. If the thickening occurs where you want it, you can always extend the ovals a bit further. Kathy also likes to wait a year between extending the ovals, because every year, as wood builds up, you can add texture through exposing different depths. The initial oval becomes relatively deep as wood builds up around it.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

So I was looking for the best possible trunk line, and to me, it didn't matter how tall the tree ended up. I worked on it with Peter, and we negotiated some deadwood and Shari. This is what we came up with. Brent, if you're squeamish, you might look away for a few posts...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

After letting it grow all year to recover:

I started to see a different front, that showed better movement. But that first right branch was a problem, as it would be pointed right toward the viewer.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here is a shot of the front that shows the better trunk movement. I tried to move the first right branch by making a cut along the branch and moving the branch to the right.

it handled the work well, added some movement, but didn't solve the problem.