San Jose Basics?

[milehigh_7]

I have 4 San Jose Junis that I got on the cheap. I have never worked with this species. Is there anything about them that is tricky? All tips appreciated.

 

[sorce]

Just be careful pruning them.

I have lots of friends in San Jose!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

They are tough as nails so husbandry should be a breeze for you. They tolerate aggressive pruning better then most junipers, too. They tend to want more needle/juvenile foliage then adult scale foliage, so I actually removed the scale foliage from mine early on in it's training- I heard of doing this from Colin Lewis- and I haven't had any scale foliage develop on the tree in years.

 

[M. Frary]

They are a close relatively to procumbens nana. I treat mine like it is one.
Vance calls them Peter Pan trees. They can't seem to grow up.

 

[bonhe]

I don't like its sharp needle, so I have been using it as a rootstock for shimpaku grafting.
Bonhe

 

[M. Frary]

I don't like its sharp needle, so I have been using it as a rootstock for shimpaku grafting.
Bonhe

Then you really don't want a blue spruce. I call them Michigan cactus. Nana procumbens is another prickly one.

 

[milehigh_7]

San Jose is this sharpest Juni I have had to this point. I can totally see why grafting shimp is a good plan.

 

[Tona]

Most of my junipers are San Jose or grafted San Jose. I like the rough bark and trunks of the San Jose juniper. My avatar is an old pic of one of my trees (it's nicer now). The foliage can be cut back hard and will flush out in late spring. They are a prickly type of juniper but the foliage can be made to compact easily. Roy Nagatoshi shears them and they come back with very tight foliage.

 

[milehigh_7]

Thanks everyone!

 

[bonhe]

I went to my teacher's home, Mr. Richard Ota, yesterday. Mr. Ota is one of 4 "iron men" in California!
He has got this giant SJ juniper since 1970. It is really nice one. He told me that he dug it from one of his friends' yard. At that time, it was already big. So, Milehigh_7, I think you have an option to put one of those to the ground because SJ juniper is growing fast
Got some pictures to share with you.

Behind the scene!

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Even though I don't like SJJ's sharp needle, but I still keep one for bonsai.

I did not pinch the new growth. I let it grow until September, then I use the scissor to cut the new growth back to induce the branching. You can wire it any time of the year (in the hot area). It starts to have new growth at this time.

To reduce the painful contact, I use water to spray on it leaves first and also wear surgical gloves!

And this is SJJ was grafted shimpaku on few years ago.


I hope you will have some choices to go.
Bonhe

 

[drew33998]

I had a san jose for some time before it turned the corner for the worse. I will tell you that working on it was a painful endeavor. Those needles are super sharp. But I still enjoy it even with the needle foliage

 

[Dav4]

Once they're more refined, they don't hurt as much

DSCF1240_1

• Dav4
• Dec 7, 2012

Not a recent picture...the foliage pads are getting tighter every year.