shimpaku foliage question

shohin kid

Shohin
Messages
271
Reaction score
1
Location
New Haven, CT
USDA Zone
7a
Here is a question for those of you that have been doing this for longer than I,

Is it ok to take shears to shimpaku foliage to create a nice clean, groomed foliage pad, OR is it better to just pinch?


Walter Pall I am intrested to hear you thoughts.
 
Last edited:

DaveV

Shohin
Messages
408
Reaction score
56
Location
Nebraska
USDA Zone
5a
Hi shohin, It seems like there are mixed answers to this question. From what I gathered over the years, people who grow shimpaku use both methods. Shears for heavy pruning and pinching for the green foliage and tips. You might want to check one of my posts where some of the responses addressed this topic. You can look under "Old Shimpaku".
 

greerhw

Omono
Messages
1,976
Reaction score
15
Shears and only cut the stem !

Harry
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,412
Reaction score
27,823
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
Don't trim the tips of the new foliage (by any means) or you will get brown tips. Trim the foliage by cutting with sharp scissors inside of the foliage ball - i.e. trimming the stem and NOT the tip. You will never see a spot of brown by doing it this way.
 
Messages
130
Reaction score
9
Location
florida
USDA Zone
9
Since you guys are talking about Shimpaku, I have a question too.

Are Shimpakus supposed to be kept in partial shade? Mine is losing its vibrant green hue to a more washed out (not yellow) color. It gets plenty of water and full sun in the afternoon. I water it with acidic (miracid) fert so I thought I was doing the right thing.

Thanks for any help,

Rob
 

shohin kid

Shohin
Messages
271
Reaction score
1
Location
New Haven, CT
USDA Zone
7a
My shimpakus are in full sun until around 1:00PM. Then they are in shade the rest of the day. They do really good and are really vibrant in color.

I have only heard of using miracid on azaleas, so that may be your problem.
 

TheSteve

Chumono
Messages
503
Reaction score
15
Location
Sw Washington
USDA Zone
8b
Junipers like to err on the acidic side as well so Miracid won't be the problem.
 

pauldogx

Mame
Messages
137
Reaction score
1
Location
Eastern PA USA
USDA Zone
6b
Since you guys are talking about Shimpaku, I have a question too.

Are Shimpakus supposed to be kept in partial shade? Mine is losing its vibrant green hue to a more washed out (not yellow) color. It gets plenty of water and full sun in the afternoon. I water it with acidic (miracid) fert so I thought I was doing the right thing.

Thanks for any help,

Rob

Try some chelated iron(Bonide makes it). Pauline Muth told me she does it once a month on her shimps.
I've just started using it and it does work!!
 

TheSteve

Chumono
Messages
503
Reaction score
15
Location
Sw Washington
USDA Zone
8b
Epsom salts will give a boost in magnesium which helps too.
 

october

Masterpiece
Messages
3,444
Reaction score
325
Location
Massachusetts
Hello shohin kid......I think in order to answer your question we need to talk about the actual interior of the pad...The main formation of a pad develops from the interior structure. A pad is pinched more often after the initial structure is set in place.

This is a virt of a branch from an over head view. So if you are looking straight down at the tree. Each branch should be somewhat structured like this.. Notice the branch is, initself, structured like a small tree. With the exception that there is no foliage underneath the branch. Basically, if the internal structure is well formed. When you are looking at the tree head on or from the front. It will appear that the foliage forms pads.

If you were to just pinch the outside of the pad, it would never develop properly and as the years progress, it will be out of balance and look terrible on the interior.

After your intitial structure is in place, you canlet it grow for a little while. Then, you can pinch the outsides to keep it looking well formed.

I hope this was helpful.

Rob
 

Attachments

  • virt.jpg
    virt.jpg
    38.9 KB · Views: 55

kytombonsai

Yamadori
Messages
83
Reaction score
4
Location
Northern Ky
USDA Zone
5-6
Rob, I noticed one of my shimpaku looking a little washed out in color last week and found spider mites. I grabbed a sheet of white paper and tapped a branch over it, didn't even have to rub my hand on the paper and look for the red streaks, I could see the little buggers moving all over the paper. I mixed up a good solution of Kelthane and sprayed all the shimpakus. Hopefully I will get home before dark tonight and can recheck.
Tom
 

october

Masterpiece
Messages
3,444
Reaction score
325
Location
Massachusetts
Hello kytombonsai.........Yup,,,spider mites and scale are the 2 curses for junipers. I have never had a problem with spider mites, but with scale I have. I hope the treatment you used works. I began using the home made 1-2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, 2 table spoons of cooking oil in a 1 gallon jug of water. Then, I add it to the spray bottle at which point, I add 1 capfull of rubbing alcohol. I have used it on junipers and it seems to work with eliminating the scale. Also, the trees suffer no ill effect. So, if after your treatments, you still have them, you could try the home made solution.

As always, maybe test a small area of the tree with the spray to see how it reacts. I personally leave the spray on for about 18-20 hours before I hose it off. Also, I keep it out of direct suunlight for a few days.
I hope this was helpful.

Rob
 

Walter Pall

Masterpiece
Messages
3,616
Reaction score
20,292
Location
south of Munich, Germany
USDA Zone
7b
Is it ok to take shears to shimpaku foliage to create a nice clean, groomed foliage pad, OR is it better to just pinch?


Walter Pall I am intrested to hear you thoughts.

Sheers and only cut the stem. Sometimes you have to cut back those spikes wiht sheeres or break them with your finges though. Don't let your foligae mass look like a pruned hedge. Make sure yo can see through the foliage mass into the crown. This means that the overwhelming majority of 'mature' junipers have way too much foliage.
 

shohin kid

Shohin
Messages
271
Reaction score
1
Location
New Haven, CT
USDA Zone
7a
Sheers and only cut the stem. Sometimes you have to cut back those spikes wiht sheeres or break them with your finges though. Don't let your foligae mass look like a pruned hedge. Make sure yo can see through the foliage mass into the crown. This means that the overwhelming majority of 'mature' junipers have way too much foliage.

Thanks Walter
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,412
Reaction score
27,823
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
Are Shimpakus supposed to be kept in partial shade?

I have a ton of shimpakus. They are in full sun in Southern Cal all year round - even through months of intense sun. They are a vibrant dark green. Only cutting and recently transplanted trees are kept in the shade.
 

Mark59

Sapling
Messages
47
Reaction score
1
Location
Baltimore
USDA Zone
7
I have a ton of shimpakus. They are in full sun in Southern Cal all year round - even through months of intense sun. They are a vibrant dark green. Only cutting and recently transplanted trees are kept in the shade.

Me too. In fact I keep all my junipers, seven in all of various species including two shimpaku and for that matter my pines as well in full sun.
 

Bill S

Masterpiece
Messages
2,494
Reaction score
28
Location
Western Massachusetts
USDA Zone
5a
selective pruning

My vote is spider mites or over watering as to the yellowing.

As to the shearing give me a emial and I will send you a word doc. with a compilation of a few threads here that say a lot towards getting the "pads" shaped up. It doesn't make pads that can be problematic, but give a good natural feel to the tree.

It's not to shear the green, but selectively pruning of the foliage on the stems themselves.
 
Messages
226
Reaction score
6
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
USDA Zone
8
My observations and research has indicated to me that many species of plants that do the best in full sun also show a little yellowing in full sun, or less green if you will. Boxwood, Juniper, Pine do this. They do best in this full sun but perhaps do not look best to the grower.

To answer the question of the origional post, I have limited experience in this but the best developed juniper pads I have seen have been trimmed like you would a deciduous tree. In the big tree trade we call it drop crotch pruning, or cutting back to a new leader inside the thicket. This also thins and lets more light in, promoting backbudding. With juniper it appears that you also need to do some stem elimination to further thin the "pad" to make room for more light and keep it from looking like a "pom pom". I prefer the non pom pom but some like the pom pom. If you shear it with scissors you will get pom poms.
 
Top Bottom