Juniperus Squamata pads

[neptune13]

I am attempting a Squamata bonsai and am wondering how to create the full pads similar to the type seen on the Chinese Juniper. What I am noticing, granted it's a young plant, is that all of the branchlets seem to grow mostly horizontally. This gives a more fan like foliage and not a pad type. Does the pad start at the tip of the branch and grow over time as new buds appear and grow upward? Is there something I am supposed to do to encourage buds to grow farther back on the branch to fill out the pad area?

Thanks

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Not long ago i posted a progression here http://www.bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/2007-2015-progression-juniperus-squamata-meyeri.19567/ , take a close look, you have a photo of every year i guess. Step 1: set main branches, Step 2: set secundary branches. step 3, keep cutting back the upward growing shoots to two visible growing buds 2 or 3 times over summer. Step 4, clean old needles since this promotes backbudding. No air or light is no buds. How high the pads must be is a matter of taste and ability...

 

[neptune13]

I did see this post last week. Your bonsai looks amazing! I actually printed out one of the pics to look at for mine. ok so it seems like backbudding is the key to filling out the pads from the tip of the branchlets back toward the main branch? How long did it take before you started seeing backbuds appear? How did you handle the buds that grow on the tips of the branches that grow outward horizontally?

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Initially you use the outward facing buds to grow the size of your pad. You do keep the backbuds and branches from the inside to fill out the pads. Backbuds will occur only if you have enough vigour and light and prune at the right time. They are not that easy... Don't expect to have lots of backbudding on the main branch. You fill in the holes by growing the secundary and tertiary branches. Eventually they will start turning upward since you stop the horizontal way of spreading. You only wire the primary branches and 1 or 2 times the secundary. Do it right and let them grow in a bit. After 3 years it's almost impossible to wire. Sometimes you need to cut back the larger pads or they become to big so then you have some natural grown upward facing branches someone in the other post referred to. Difficult to explain.

 

[neptune13]

This is exactly the information I have been looking for! Thank you my friend.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

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