Was asked a question can you answer it

[Bonsai Nut]

Oh my... That is a bad representation Easy Greg, just joking but I think that shows it might not be a good idea for someone that has zero experience with them and the time to properly watch them and conditions.

I have 2 dozen mixed Nana, Sargent, Itoigawa, Kishu, and Shimpaku junipers growing in Alabama and they are doing great in a controlled manner. Again, possible but I still do not feel any are appropriate for a beginner plant - they take special care that takes a few years to master when potted. Quite unlike advertised by vendors most beginners kill them.

Any chance those are being grown for Pressler at Kimura for his work shops? They look very similar and robust(except for the two of course)! Reason I ask is if they are true Shimpaku I am interested this coming Spring.

Edit: Forgot to ask what the humidity is like there in the Summer?

LOL I was just showing those damaged shimpakus because I don't think many of my other junipers would have survived the experience - dried pumice in direct Southern California summer sun on a hot week with temps in the 90's. (I had moved a tree that blocked the sprinkler from watering them) You can see how half of those trees are dead... and yet the other half has recovered and is growing strongly. I'll wait until I repot and then clean out the dead foliage.

I think you may know this, but for the record Kishu and Itoigawa are subvarieties of Shimpaku, not freestanding varieties on their own. Juniperus chinensis "shimpaku kishu" for example. I think I may have misunderstood your original question. I have a mix of all three. The last cutting (in the round basket) is a kishu. The three cuttings in the "burnt" example are all standard shimpaku. I have itoigawa as well but I didn't take photos of them.

I don't produce enough shimpakus to supply workshops Every time I would trim my bigger trees, I would end up with a large number of branches that I would feel bad about tossing. So I decided to see if I could strike cuttings - and I have had good success without resorting to anything more complicated than 100% pumice, and saran wrap with holes over the container to keep the moisture in until the cuttings can get established.

As far as humidity goes... what's that? Orange County is a cool "semi-arid" steppes climate. We just got our first rain of the season last week, but prior to that I think our last rain was March, 2016. We can easily go 7-8 months in a row without a single drop. So humidity tends to be on the low side, but highly variable. If we have strong onshore flow from the ocean, it will be cool and somewhat moist in the morning, and sunny and dry in the afternoon. When the Santa Ana winds blow from the inland deserts, the temp soars and the humidity plummets. That is when I have to watch my trees - because tender trees (like Japanese maples) will dry up like a crisp after one or two days of hot desert winds. If you can shelter them from the wind, you can grow Japanese maples here in your landscaping, but you will rarely get any fall color.

 

[barrosinc]

9b here... No problems at all

 

[aml1014]

LOL I was just showing those damaged shimpakus because I don't think many of my other junipers would have survived the experience - dried pumice in direct Southern California summer sun on a hot week with temps in the 90's. (I had moved a tree that blocked the sprinkler from watering them) You can see how half of those trees are dead... and yet the other half has recovered and is growing strongly. I'll wait until I repot and then clean out the dead foliage.

I think you may know this, but for the record Kishu and Itoigawa are subvarieties of Shimpaku, not freestanding varieties on their own. Juniperus chinensis "shimpaku kishu" for example. I think I may have misunderstood your original question. I have a mix of all three. The last cutting (in the round basket) is a kishu. The three cuttings in the "burnt" example are all standard shimpaku. I have itoigawa as well but I didn't take photos of them.

I don't produce enough shimpakus to supply workshops Every time I would trim my bigger trees, I would end up with a large number of branches that I would feel bad about tossing. So I decided to see if I could strike cuttings - and I have had good success without resorting to anything more complicated than 100% pumice, and saran wrap with holes over the container to keep the moisture in until the cuttings can get established.

As far as humidity goes... what's that? Orange County is a cool "semi-arid" steppes climate. We just got our first rain of the season last week, but prior to that I think our last rain was March, 2016. We can easily go 7-8 months in a row without a single drop. So humidity tends to be on the low side, but highly variable. If we have strong onshore flow from the ocean, it will be cool and somewhat moist in the morning, and sunny and dry in the afternoon. When the Santa Ana winds blow from the inland deserts, the temp soars and the humidity plummets. That is when I have to watch my trees - because tender trees (like Japanese maples) will dry up like a crisp after one or two days of hot desert winds. If you can shelter them from the wind, you can grow Japanese maples here in your landscaping, but you will rarely get any fall color.

Your climate sounds just like mine! Just not as cold, or 5300' above sea level lol

Aaron

 

[LeonardB]

Shimpaku...are they hardy in zone 9-10? A friend and I were talking. And the question came up if they could do well in their zone. Honestly...I don't know.

Everything I have read about Shimpaku says in that zone it would have to be misted continuously throughout the day to keep it from drying out ( it loses that much moisture in the heat through the foliage ). I have seen it thriving in Georgia but it was a tree that had been acclimated there for years and adapted to the heat. The answer seems to be time and patience ( and TLC on your part ).

 

[ColinFraser]

I know nurseries and individuals in Southern California, zones 9-10, from amateur to expert having no trouble with shimpaku of various varieties. Mine are doing great.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Everything I have read about Shimpaku says in that zone it would have to be misted continuously throughout the day to keep it from drying out.

I can guarantee you mine take dry Southern Cal humidity and high summer temps without requiring any kind of misting. In the worst case, you might get some drying of the very tips of the foliage - but the same can be said for ANY of my junipers - and if the weather is that bad, my other trees are getting HAMMERED.

 

[drew33998]

8/9A Here and they grow like weeds. Even got some cuttings to root.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I would like to thank again everyone who shared...my friend picked up a sweet shimpaku because of this thread here...she was able to do so without being concerned.