THIS is why you shouldn't pinch junipers!

Adair M

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This is an imported itoigawa shimpaku root over rock. Imported by Brussel's about 8 years ago. It's been "maintained" since thin by pinching back. And from the looks of it, maybe even sheared!

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As you can see from the above picture, it's very full, but "something" is wrong. The color is way off. No pads. Just a helmet shape. Let's take a closer look:image.jpg

No thinning has ever been performed. (In probably the 8 years it was owned by the previous owner). Lots of hanging foliage. Let's look even closer:
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Ouch! Juvenile foliage, brown foliage... This is not a happy tree!

Let's look at the apex:

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Oh my! Nearly every tip has a brown tip! At first I thought it was overly aggressive pinching. But this was extreme! It HAD to be because it was sheared!
 

Adair M

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Two more pictures:

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A mix of scale and juvenile foliage. With a good bit of brown twigs. Wow, what a shame!

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A look inside. As you can see, no green foliage close to the trunk. Lots and lots of branches, though. At one time, this tree had great structure! But it has been totally mismanaged!
 

Adair M

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Ok, so you've seen the train wreck!

I think it has the potential of returning to greatness.

So, I decided to rescue it!

I spent about two hours going in and cutting out the old dead interior twigs. Just doing that has improved it immensely. I still have more to go.

Then I'll begin to wire it out. Usually, before wire, we remove the hanging twigs and most of the ones growing straight up, and trim "excess" branches so that the secondary branches alternate, left- right, left - right.

What has happened here due to the shearing is all the branches are bare, then suddenly explode into multiple tufts of very weak branches.

So, until I begin wiring it, I really can't tell which ones I'm going to want to keep, and which ones should be trimmed off.

And all of them are weak. This tree has never been allowed to produce "runners". Runners are the strong shoots. Yes, runners will destroy the silhouette of the tree, at least temporarily. Runners will stimulate strong root growth. They keep the tree healthy. Let 'em run, then remove them to maintain the overall shape.

So, the plan is wire, and thin as I go. It NEEDS thinning to allow light inside to back bud.

And the juvenile foliage? It will be gone in 3 years.
 

Adair M

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So, you are saying that Brussel's is incompetent?
No, the tree was imported by Brussel's, sold to a dealer, who sold it a collector. The collector (owner) kept it for 8 years. Is now retiring from bonsai, and sold it back to the dealer.

I just purchased it from the dealer, hoping to restore it to its former glory. I plan to resell it after I've fixed it, and taken it to a few shows. A
 

Djtommy

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thats should be a fun and interesting project, do you have a picture how it looked like 8 years ago?
 

zelk

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This can make a very interesting thread. Please keep us posted.
 
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Making trees in not optimal conditions happy again is a fun thing to do... hope to see updates... keping a tree happy is not easy, restoring it is even more difficult and for the good ones...
 

Adair M

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Mud men in the pot are not a good sign...just sayin'
LOL!!!

True! The previous owner had put him under part of the rock which had an overhang. The problem was, it's the back of the tree! He was trying to make the back be the front!

He's also put that coarse moss on the roots that clasp the stone. THAT's got to go, too.

While it is potted in good bonsai soil, it's potted too high in the pot. I'll let that go until next spring.

Oh well...

The previous owner is now out of bonsai. He sold his entire collection back to the dealer, including tools, pots, soil, even a stool! Really nice tools and stuff.

Oh, the fate of the mudman? I removed him. He had a nail glued on the bottom to keep him in place. I left him with the dealer.
 

Nybonsai12

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Very interested in seeing updates. Thanks for sharing Adair.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Yep, the top looks just like one that's been handled improperly...sheared. Seen it, done it, shouted it from the mountain tops. Looks like yours was sheared as recently as last month.
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/trimming-junipers-during-the-growing-season/. So it's a good thing you rescued it!

The interior, browning juvenile foliage is just from being shaded out. You'll learn that is common in dense itoigawas. They're highly variable, but you can expect to always have some juvenile foliage. Look forward to seeing what you do with it; definitely healthy and ready for some work.
 
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Adair M

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Thanks, Brian, for providing a link to your blog showing how to AND how not to prune junipers.

For those that don't know, itoigawa shimpaku is prized for its tight foliage, and small tips, and light green color. Kishu shimpaku is slightly larger and is a darker green.

Itoigawa is very sensitive to mismanagement, going "juvenile" easily. Kishu is a bit more tolerant.
 

leatherback

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Itoigawa is very sensitive to mismanagement, going "juvenile" easily.

Any generic advice on how to keep them well and happy? I do not pinch in the old sense of the word. Yet in almost 2 years since main styling I have not seen a reduction in the amount of needle foliage.. :(
 

Adair M

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Leatherback, do you let "runners" form and grow out a few inches?

Does it get full sun?

Is it in good soil? Any old soil still in the rootball?

Do you let the canopy form a full "helmet" like this one? Or are there pads of foliage?

Do you keep the "hanging" foliage trimmed off?

Do you turn it so that all sides get the sun?
 

leatherback

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Thx.
It is in full sun (~10am - ~sunset), with lava & pine bark mixture as substrate. Some old soil is still in the rootball, perhaps 1/2 inch around the trunk
It has several pads, creating a fairly open canopy, as the hanging & upwards growign branches are removed. I trim the runners when >1 inch long. So no, not very long. I flip the plant around every month or so to encourage sun all around (But it sits on a bench next to my greenhouse, so mid-day sun is reflected in the back.

The plant is fairly old, 2 inch trunk.
 

Adair M

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Leather,

How often are you able to water? The only reason to use pine bark is it retains water. Sometimes too much. (Often too much!).

Let the runners get to 2 or three inches. Unless you're prepping it for a show. Let it grow, then cut back.

A common problem is people try to keep their trees looking like they are spiffed up all the time. Trees need a little "down time" to grow out and rejuvenate.

Do you watch Bjorn's videos? Or get his Facebook posts? He gets these rather rough looking trees, spends a day or so working on them, and then PRESTO! something fabulous appears! Well, it's not just luck. Those trees had great bones, had been shown a couple years prior, then just allowed to grow out for a while.

Of course, when we see them photographed, we forget that the image is that one point in time, they don't look like that ALL the time.

Aside: I once rode in an elevator with Elle MacPherson. If I hadn't known it was her, I'd never have recognized her! Same with trees.

Now, don't get me wrong, you don't have to let it go to the point it's an embarrassment, just give them a chance to grow a bit. It stimulates the roots. Happy roots, happy tree!

Oh, I use Boon Mix. No organics. Equal parts akadama, pumice, lava. Then use organic fertilizer.
 
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