Juniper cascade wiring

[Dirty Nails]

Here is a juniper I have been growing out for about 5 years. First major wiring for cascade. I am self taught for wiring but comments and critiques are welcome.

 

[cascade]

Cascades

The cascading part needs to have back branches. Same concept for depth, dimension and spacing applies here as for the top of a tree, any tree.

Best,
Dorothy

 

[Dirty Nails]

When the pads develop won't they shade out any branching behind the cascade?

 

[cascade]

When the pads develop won't they shade out any branching behind the cascade?

Does an upright tree shade out its back-branches?

You have to look on a tree from the birds perspective and make sure the pads are not shading themselves. Same applies to an upright/ any other style. The branches are supposed to fan out when looked at the tree from above.
A cascade styled tree needs to be rotated towards the sun like any other tree.

Best,
Dorothy

 

[Dirty Nails]

Does an upright tree shade out its back-branches?

No, it doesn't but I thought a juniper growing from a cliff would have branches reaching out for the sun and nothing would thrive between the front pads and the cliff face.
Thanks for taking the time to help.

 

[Neli]

Actually a cascade is left right and top branch repeated...The first branch is a branch to the pack of the tree...You meed to give movement to the trunk left right up and down and some general curving/direction...and I see you have removed the foliage off the branches which is nearer to the trunk...not good!

 

[jk_lewis]

The wiring itself looks fine. However, the object of wiring is to help put movement into the branches and trunks. Yours shows little movement. It is more like a fish's backbone.

You should put up and down and sideways (3-D) curves in the trunk -- some of them should be quite abrupt. This will shorten the appearance of the very long cascade, too. The same for the branches. Sharp bends will help disguise the fact that you denuded the lower branches of all foliage and that they're too long. You can also shift every third (or so) branches back to provide some depth to the rather one-dimensional tree.

This is a start. Keep at it.

 

[fourteener]

Here's a progression of a pine sapling I've been working on for years.

1. Movement is everything. The eye gets bored fast.
2. As I twisted the trunk over time, the branches create layers but they are three dimensional...there is depth to it. One layer doesn't shadow another layer, they all have been placed in the light.

The trunk line in the first three photos is pretty dry and boring. Every year I put one or two rotations in the trunk. Over time the trunk has become twisted and gnarly(aka: interesting).

 

[lordy]

One more tidbit about movement in a branch--secondary and tertiary branches should come off an outside bend. That is to say a convex bend, not a concave bend. Branches should not come off an "inside corner", if that makes sense.

 

[Paradox]

I agree that you need to put more movement into that trunk.
Also removing all the foliage close to the trunk on those branches is bad. What you have with the foilage out at the ends looks like a ladder with pompoms sticking out on each side. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I have to be honest.

Fortunately nanas will backbud along those branches pretty readily and I think you can correct this in a year or two.

 

[Dirty Nails]

Thanks for all the help and advice. Thats what you get from being self taught. I was under the impression that you removed foliage along the branches to wire it and set the pads, then it would fill back in. I put more movement in the branches this morning and now I think it needs to rest for awhile.
In the future I will reach out for a consultation before such drastic designs. Thanks again!

 

[october]

Hi Mike, nice job on this tree. Don't be too hard on youself. This tree now has the foundations of a good overall initial structuring. As fas as removing the foliage so you can wire, that is true. However, tt is a good idea to leave maybe some young growth if you think you would like to create future branches from it. In this case, when you put more movement in the trunk and branches and with time. the pads will form and fill in nicely. Your structuring here has created a nice future tree and in no way had detered it from becoming a beautiful future bonsai.

I would let the whole thing grow freely for 1 year. Next spring, you can cut back. Also, the small pads will have grown out, so they might need some wiring within the pads themselves. This will create well structured and ramified pads.

Rob

 

[Neli]

Thanks for all the help and advice. Thats what you get from being self taught. I was under the impression that you removed foliage along the branches to wire it and set the pads, then it would fill back in. I put more movement in the branches this morning and now I think it needs to rest for awhile.
In the future I will reach out for a consultation before such drastic designs. Thanks again!

I did exactly the same with my first cascade...and I am sure we are not the only ones.
It is called school fees. This is the way to learn...from mistakes.