Soft wood

[brentwood]

This juniper has a bit of soft wood on its trunk, just curious if there's any product you've used to protect, harden the remaining wGood. I put lime sulfur on it, wonder about resin products. Thoughts?

B

 

[KikurageOtomo]

This juniper has a bit of soft wood on its trunk, just curious if there's any product you've used to protect, harden the remaining wGood. I put lime sulfur on it, wonder about resin products. Thoughts?

B

To my understanding, additional resin would be redundant and perhaps a detriment in some ways. Junipers already have a natural resin that preserves dead wood and your application of lime sulfur should change the area to inert material quite quickly. A little natural erosion over time is likely the only way to get deadwood that is remotely believable and possesses subtle depth variations. Perhaps a wood treatment would be appropriate after allowing the elements to work on it for some time?

 

[brentwood]

To my understanding, additional resin would be redundant and perhaps a detriment in some ways. Junipers already have a natural resin that preserves dead wood and your application of lime sulfur should change the area to inert material quite quickly. A little natural erosion over time is likely the only way to get deadwood that is remotely believable and possesses subtle depth variations. Perhaps a wood treatment would be appropriate after allowing the elements to work on it for some time?

I have tried to go slowly on taking action here, and I do like your take on letting nature do its thing - I am a little concerned that I should try and control it, but maybe that's not necessary? Maybe another summer in the sun, see what happens..

B

 

[HENDO]

Is it just the lower bit of wood that's in contact with the soil?

 

[brentwood]

Is it just the lower bit of wood that's in contact with the soil?

No, that deadwood on the trunk was all removed as soft, still seems to be an issue, a little spongy.

B

 

[Shibui]

I've seen posts where growers have used Earl's wood hardener and other similar products to harden rotted wood on bonsai. I believe these products are styrene or some sort of acrylic dissolved in acetone so it will penetrate into the wood. The acetone evaporates leaving the acrylic in the wood fibres.
As far as I know these wood hardeners have not been detrimental to the living parts of the trees.

Lime Sulphur slows decay but it doesn't harden up wood that's already soft from decay.

While natural resins in juniper wood do delay decay, even juniper wood rots away eventually. Where we water regularly conditions are much better for wood decaying organisms so even rot resistant woods decay remarkably fast on the bonsai bench.

 

[AshleyMammal]

Regular cyanacryolate (super/crazy glue) works extremely well on my deciduous stuff, it's important to get the deadwood to the colour you want (white) first, then apply the glue.

I've never personally had cause to use it on juniper but i would reckon it to work great, Harry Harrington uses it on a juniper in the video below.