Thinning juniper foliage

[drew33998]

View attachment 122438 Your problem is that you are dealing with mostly Procumbens Junipers and from what I have seen other Junipers my wife calls pickery Junipers. Those trees actually puncture the skin and create little wounds that indeed can become infected. Try to get hold of some Shimpaku Juniper, Kishus will not go juvenile like some of the others and they will not bite back. Included is one of my Shimpakus grown from a nursery tree.

Not trying to hijack, but Vance could you tell me a little bit about this one? How long it was in a grow pot or how long its been in a training pot? I have some that I am growing out. They are getting some good growth on them this year.

Great information on the thinning by the way!

 

[sorce]

I'm hoping to do them together

Wide Open....

Whoever spelled procumbens with an x was right!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

Wide Open....

Whoever spelled procumbens with an x was right!

Sorce

When I typed it I saw that. Oops!
What goes on in Vances backyard stays in Vances backyard I hope.

 

[Vance Wood]

Not trying to hijack, but Vance could you tell me a little bit about this one? How long it was in a grow pot or how long its been in a training pot? I have some that I am growing out. They are getting some good growth on them this year.

Great information on the thinning by the way!

This particular Juniper is a Shimpaku Juniper. I started working on the tree in the mid 80"s. It had a half way decent trunk when I obtained it from a nursery. That is the major difference between the Procumbens and the Shimpaku, the growth habit. Procumbens Junipers tend to grow along the ground as most of you that grow them well know. Because of that trait they do not need beefy trunks to support their weight, Shimpaku, on the other hand, tend to grow upward in large spikes. If you have ever had one that you let have its head for a number of years are probably aware of this. Because of this trait their trunks tend to be heavy and upright. They obtain their bazar shapes because the spiky growth tend to get broken and torn by nature and the tree's ability to adapt to adversity gives us the dead wood features.

My Shimpaku has not been in one of my training planters. I obtained the tree while I was still developing the planter system and Shimpakus were just becoming an item for me. This tree, along with a couple of others is a living record of my development as well as the development of a tree. I could probably provide a serious record of this tree if anyone is interested.

 

[herzausstahl]

This particular Juniper is a Shimpaku Juniper. I started working on the tree in the mid 80"s. It had a half way decent trunk when I obtained it from a nursery. That is the major difference between the Procumbens and the Shimpaku, the growth habit. Procumbens Junipers tend to grow along the ground as most of you that grow them well know. Because of that trait they do not need beefy trunks to support their weight, Shimpaku, on the other hand, tend to grow upward in large spikes. If you have ever had one that you let have its head for a number of years are probably aware of this. Because of this trait their trunks tend to be heavy and upright. They obtain their bazar shapes because the spiky growth tend to get broken and torn by nature and the tree's ability to adapt to adversity gives us the dead wood features.

My Shimpaku has not been in one of my training planters. I obtained the tree while I was still developing the planter system and Shimpakus were just becoming an item for me. This tree, along with a couple of others is a living record of my development as well as the development of a tree. I could probably provide a serious record of this tree if anyone is interested.

@Vance Wood I'm going through old threads as you know & would love to hear the story of this tree. I've seen you post it in a few threads & love it. would you grow out a shimpaku in the ground or a pond basket? There is a nursery that carries these all the time so if I find one with a great nebari I'd plant it to grow out, buy a few lesser plants to learn how to keep them alive on before working on the good one (assuming I found one).

 

[Paulpash]

Don't you guys have Blauuw's juniper over the pond? They are in most garden centres over here and are excellent - fine foliage, don't go juvenile easily and tough!

 

[Adair M]

@Vance Wood I'm going through old threads as you know & would love to hear the story of this tree. I've seen you post it in a few threads & love it. would you grow out a shimpaku in the ground or a pond basket? There is a nursery that carries these all the time so if I find one with a great nebari I'd plant it to grow out, buy a few lesser plants to learn how to keep them alive on before working on the good one (assuming I found one).

Pond baskets and colanders are not necessary for junipers. They naturally grow fibrous root systems.

Junipers are not known for nebari. It's the deadwood and movement of the trunk that is their forte. Of course, if it has nice nebari, even better!

 

[Vance Wood]

The Shimp I believe herzzula is talking about does have a decent nebari but Adair is right; traditionally Shimpaku Junipers are not grown for nebaril I have an entire sequence for this tree I could put together but I will have to dig through my files and it may take a little time.

Please guys, some of these pseudonyms you want to use are impossible to spell, remember and when I try to answer some of you I often get it wrong.

 

[M. Frary]

impossible to spell, remember and

Pronounce.

 

[herzausstahl]

The Shimp I believe herzzula is talking about does have a decent nebari but Adair is right; traditionally Shimpaku Junipers are not grown for nebaril I have an entire sequence for this tree I could put together but I will have to dig through my files and it may take a little time.

Please guys, some of these pseudonyms you want to use are impossible to spell, remember and when I try to answer some of you I often get it wrong.

Lol no worries Vance, you can just call me Nathan or shorten it to "herz", what most people in the garden pond forum I'm on do.

For anyone curious it's in reference to the American metal band Manowar song "Heart of Steel" that they also have performed in German

Herz Aus Stahl = Heart of Steel

In German

 

[Vance Wood]

Nathan: Here comes a series of photos concerning the development of this Shimpaku since 2003 and the changes it has gone through.



Here is the earliest version of the tree I can find at the moment: 2003.



2008 at the point the tree started to assume its current form with revmoval of branches ad refinement of foliage.





2012 as the top started to develop to a point where I felt comfortable with removing a large portion of bottom branches.View attachment 131466

 

[Vance Wood]

Two more of the same Shimpaku:

Right after the initial removal and conversion to jin of some of the major lower branches.




The resting period between two worlds where I let the tree get accustomed to its reduced architecture before developing the final shape shown at the beginning of the first post.

 

[herzausstahl]

Thanks Vance! I absolutely love this tree!

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks Vance! I absolutely love this tree!

Yes I am kind of attached to it as well. And Thankyou

 

[LeonardB]

I don't think your friend's brother-in-law would have wanted his bonsai to be a burden on it's next care taker.

I think you should do what Judy has done recently:
Sell these two, and replace them with something you really like! That way you can experience joy each time you see them, rather than the negative feelings you have now. Your friend should be understanding of your situation if you explain that you are allergic.

I would love to work on something as nice as the larger one. Maybe a trade, or outright sale?
Regards,
Leonard

 

[LeonardB]

The Shimp I believe herzzula is talking about does have a decent nebari but Adair is right; traditionally Shimpaku Junipers are not grown for nebaril I have an entire sequence for this tree I could put together but I will have to dig through my files and it may take a little time.

Please guys, some of these pseudonyms you want to use are impossible to spell, remember and when I try to answer some of you I often get it wrong.

Vance,
That sequence on your Shimpaku would be well received, and welcomed.
Leonard

 

[LeonardB]

View attachment 131470 Two more of the same Shimpaku:

Right after the initial removal and conversion to jin of some of the major lower branches.

View attachment 131467


The resting period between two worlds where I let the tree get accustomed to its reduced architecture before developing the final shape shown at the beginning of the first post. View attachment 131469

Vance,
Thought I would share what I plan to take to the Literati workshop at Kurt's. It was a really tall juniper that I initially was going to start drastic bends on. Instead I tried it against this piece of deadwood. I personally thought it was a marriage made in, etc... The blue lines show the proposed design direction.
Let me know what you all think.
Regards,
Leonard

 

[Vance Wood]

It has good possibilities for a tanuki graft. There are other ways to deal with this kind of tree.

 

[LeonardB]

It has good possibilities for a tanuki graft. There are other ways to deal with this kind of tree.

Have an example?
I have two or three similar and they seemed custom made for some of the deadwood I have been collecting and carving. Can't blame me for trying to use everything?

 

[Vance Wood]

If you go to Al Kepplar's web site (Smoke) you will find a method he has utilized for material like this one that works pretty well and gives some interesting results.