Juniper Procumbens Nana - Pruning Advice

[rollwithak]

To Whom Wishes to Advise:

I am going to do a little bit of trimming on this lil guy and was hoping someone could steer me in the right direction as far as what I should be looking for while I thin this guy out? I just want to take a little bit off as it’s gotten quite bushy this growing season. Want to make sure the interior is getting enough light. Per most of these species of juniper, this will be a cascade.

My main concern is not removing the incorrect branches that are acting as sacrifice branches and thickening my trunk.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom, humor and banter always welcome!

RK

 

[Japonicus]

My main concern is not removing the incorrect branches that are acting as sacrifice branches and thickening my trunk.

Well, procumbens in a pot will by most accounts, not gain much girth over many years.
It's easier in the ground but even then so often, procumbens just is a ground cover that remains thin.
One I've had in a pot, normally over potted, for over 20 years, has remained on the slim side.

But you do need the thin it out some yes. Start in the crotches and remove growth between good branches.
If there's growth next to a bad branch, remove the branch, leave the small shoot, you're going to get light to it...
Put the subject at eye level. I normally put mine on a deck railing next to stairs, and step up and down stairs
to get at the growth that is growing down. As you comb through you'll identify flaws to remove now while it is young.
I've learned that a beautiful pad, that is built on a flaw, is a flawed pad. This shows up when you're thinning down and styling later.
So remove flaws now, like upper growing foliage or branches. Caveat to that is, you may want to cut back to upward growing foliage
at some point, which is done when thinning and styling, then you remove upward growing foliage, not just dig in and wipe it all out 1st
then start cutting back. So cut back to it, or remove it if it's growing up. Mostly you want to deal with under growth at this stage though.
Upper growth is feeding the juniper.

Leave a few redundant branches to jin later and feed the plant till removal. Juniper is still very young.

When was this potted up??? Looks pretty fresh. Did you pot it?

 

[rollwithak]

Well, procumbens in a pot will by most accounts, not gain much girth over many years.
It's easier in the ground but even then so often, procumbens just is a ground cover that remains thin.
One I've had in a pot, normally over potted, for over 20 years, has remained on the slim side.

But you do need the thin it out some yes. Start in the crotches and remove growth between good branches.
If there's growth next to a bad branch, remove the branch, leave the small shoot, you're going to get light to it...
Put the subject at eye level. I normally put mine on a deck railing next to stairs, and step up and down stairs
to get at the growth that is growing down. As you comb through you'll identify flaws to remove now while it is young.
I've learned that a beautiful pad, that is built on a flaw, is a flawed pad. This shows up when you're thinning down and styling later.
So remove flaws now, like upper growing foliage or branches. Caveat to that is, you may want to cut back to upward growing foliage
at some point, which is done when thinning and styling, then you remove upward growing foliage, not just dig in and wipe it all out 1st
then start cutting back. So cut back to it, or remove it if it's growing up. Mostly you want to deal with under growth at this stage though.
Upper growth is feeding the juniper.

Leave a few redundant branches to jin later and feed the plant till removal. Juniper is still very young.

When was this potted up??? Looks pretty fresh. Did you pot it?

I did pot this up. It was purchased a year and a half ago and was my first bonsai. I’ve done a decent job at keeping it healthy and thriving and it quickly outgrew its 1st pot in the first year. This was my first repotting. I’m sure it’s littered with flaws!!!

I know it’s young I just want to try to do the right things that I should be doing now...

thank you for taking the time to reply...

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Mine had wire biting in within 6 months. But mine is in a big pot.
Reducing triplet branches to two's and creating an alternating branch pattern is a good trimming exercize.

These nana's can grow pretty fast if you leave the foliage on. Mine back buds pretty easily too, so I'm pretty confident on hacking back once I see new growth.

Other than that I don't have much input to give.

 

[bwaynef]

In general, juniper maintenance involves removing foliage growing down, crotch growth, and growth 1/8-1/4" from the crotch. (Maybe more on a large tree.) Then you'll have a better idea of what needs cut back.

 

[Japonicus]

I did pot this up...This was my first repotting.

What are your plans for those side roots?
I would have either removed them or planted deeper.
That is assessed when you dig down through the soil mass to look for nebari.

When repotting you'll have a vast array of recommendations from bare rooting with a jet of water
to slip potting with no root work, but,
I rake the roots out laterally, use a concave or knob cutter and remove thick central roots to rest flat
either with a flat root ball or a concave root ball, either planted on mounding bonsai soil.
They all vary from project to project. Of course use wire tie downs passed through the drainage holes to secure it.

If you're truly committed to cascading it, you need to commit to a cascade pot next time.
It looks like a candidate for a formal cascade involving 2 apexes one above, one below soil level
but this idea can be changed to about any other style this early on really. Cascade is not a given for the species...

Per most of these species of juniper, this will be a cascade.

It's not wrong, it's just not a given "per the species".
I have 4 procumbens cascades underway at present.

 

[rollwithak]

What are your plans for those side roots?
I would have either removed them or planted deeper.
That is assessed when you dig down through the soil mass to look for nebari.

When repotting you'll have a vast array of recommendations from bare rooting with a jet of water
to slip potting with no root work, but,
I rake the roots out laterally, use a concave or knob cutter and remove thick central roots to rest flat
either with a flat root ball or a concave root ball, either planted on mounding bonsai soil.
They all vary from project to project. Of course use wire tie downs passed through the drainage holes to secure it.

If you're truly committed to cascading it, you need to commit to a cascade pot next time.
It looks like a candidate for a formal cascade involving 2 apexes one above, one below soil level
but this idea can be changed to about any other style this early on really. Cascade is not a given for the species...

It's not wrong, it's just not a given "per the species".
I have 4 procumbens cascades underway at present.

I was looking at it yesterday and thinking of the ways to transition it to from a cascade into something more above soil. I definitely like your idea of possibly making it the double cascade above and below soil line.

I don’t have a very good collection of pots just yet which is the only reason I didn’t place it in a taller pot. If in fact it stays as a cascade, on the next repotting I will for sure buy a different pot.

Not too sure what I plan on doing with the roots to be honest. I didn’t mess with the roots too much during this repot because it was already getting hot, but it wasn’t taking up much water due to how pot bound it was so I plan on focusing on roots next time.

I didn’t do much but just cleaned it up a bit and allowed some light to get in.

You can see the amount of clippings I have to the right sitting on the wine-stained paper towel, because my silly ass spilled half a glass last night.

 

[Japonicus]

Looking better. Good that you kept a lot of interior growth on branches you're keeping but still a lot of defining left to have fun with.


Sorry I'm just not seeing cascade from this angle, but the trunk is quite malleable to bring into a twisted upright position.
Don't get me wrong, with wire your palate is wide open, and what I'm seeing is not in my hands either.
Nothing straight and this would entail sacrificing most of the said cascade, and wiring down one of those interior
uprights closer to the trunk to become the left bottom branch. This would also keep it repotted into this pot for years if you choose to.
I like the pot and soil mix looks ok.


I took this pic July 25th and have began thinning some. There are 4 procumbens I've got going in
a cascade direction. The one on the right will probably lose the cascade, maybe semi cascade IDK yet
but I like the immature jinned feature in the top of it. It sort of has the feel to me of the one you're working on
to cascade, but not quite sold on it yet ya know?