New to bonsai and need advice on a Blue Star Juniper

[rjr9603]

I am new to bonsai and bought a Blue Star from the clearance section of my local nursery. It had a fair amount of broken branches and a split in the trunk. I cleared the truck and limbs to see what I have to work with. I wired the split back together.

Not sure what to do now or what direction to take it. Should I remove any of the remaining branches? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Paradox]

Welcome

You should put this tree in a sunny spot outside and do nothing but water it until next year. Mulch it in against the foundation of your house if you get winter temperatures below freezing

 

[Japonicus]

I wired the split back together.

Had the split occurred in your hands and you did this immediately, it might stand a chance of healing over but always a weak point thereafter.

Next time you get a nursery plant, which is great to do, remove foliage from the tree from the outside in, rather than from the inside out.
Blue star foliage is too heavy for the branches they have for me.

Impressed with the wiring for being new to the hobby. The wire however, is it annealed? Learning wiring with copper is commendable. Just know it's easier damage and kill branches with copper as you're learning the curve so to say. Your spiraling at greater than 45 degrees, priceless

 

[Japonicus]

Just saw that you're from WV too
Howdy

 

[ERClover]

My Blue Star took a fall the first year I had it and had a branch split halfway off from the trunk that successfully healed by binding with electrical tape, just depends how quickly you get to it.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for them as bonsai, probably for understandable reasons but I like mine a lot. I’ve got it in 100% Napa 8822 (search it on the forum to find out more if that’s a new term to you) and it seems to love it. It bushes out super vigorously every year. I give it quite the haircut in the spring. Once they’re healthy I think they are pretty forgiving so as another poster said focus on getting it to that point this year and if you decide to repot I would do so in the spring next year. That has worked well for mine.

 

[rjr9603]

Thank you all for the advice! Plan is to leave it alone untill next year.

@ERClover glad to see someone else is working with a Blue Star.

@Japonicus happy to see a fellow West Virginian on the forum!