Nursery Stock, Solstice Styling (Chinesis)

Brad in GR

Chumono
Messages
650
Reaction score
1,044
Location
West Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
One of a few pieces of nursery stock, for education and styling practice - old Gold Juniper (Chinesis). Comprehensive haircut. I like the nebari potential and sacrifice to thicken down low for now. Tilted towards the viewer for eventual structure.

I am a novice when it comes to wiring but am happy with the two. Open to suggestions though.

Need help with regard to the branch that has cool natural movement (the middle one that is not wired) - ax it? Bye bye? Style it somewhere? My gut says to remove. There is another lower bud that is strong and heading to the left.

Additionally - this is a lot of trauma. Leave in existing pot for a year minimum? It’s not a pine... one insult per year apply? Into ground and work on roots in spring? Slip? I’m not sure where to go on this piece but would lean towards into ground and dig up in future for roots.

Any help, as always, appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • 82DB9BAF-8BB3-4DE7-ABD1-8D99CFC3BD43.jpeg
    82DB9BAF-8BB3-4DE7-ABD1-8D99CFC3BD43.jpeg
    256 KB · Views: 66
  • F9143202-FAD9-46F0-9B04-1579AE23A5A0.jpeg
    F9143202-FAD9-46F0-9B04-1579AE23A5A0.jpeg
    227.6 KB · Views: 67
  • 99058F64-2011-402F-8B56-7589E128B556.jpeg
    99058F64-2011-402F-8B56-7589E128B556.jpeg
    234.3 KB · Views: 64
  • 151C29F2-7B34-407C-BBA6-A76A66C15622.jpeg
    151C29F2-7B34-407C-BBA6-A76A66C15622.jpeg
    207.2 KB · Views: 61
  • 9168C350-4F61-4B24-841C-658C52AD14B0.jpeg
    9168C350-4F61-4B24-841C-658C52AD14B0.jpeg
    252.6 KB · Views: 61
  • 6AC505B6-0AF0-40E0-A088-A9F033C26B92.jpeg
    6AC505B6-0AF0-40E0-A088-A9F033C26B92.jpeg
    337.9 KB · Views: 62
  • 5C867455-DA86-47AE-9ADB-66426F67C86A.jpeg
    5C867455-DA86-47AE-9ADB-66426F67C86A.jpeg
    327.2 KB · Views: 53
Last edited:

coltranem

Chumono
Messages
746
Reaction score
973
Location
Massachusetts
USDA Zone
6a
It looks like to start your wire with a full 360 wrap. It looks like that could girdle the trunk on those locations. Ideally you wire two branches with one wire. You also seem to have flush cut all branches. Next time leave a stub to jin. If you don't like it you can always remove them later.
 

Brad in GR

Chumono
Messages
650
Reaction score
1,044
Location
West Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
It looks like to start your wire with a full 360 wrap. It looks like that could girdle the trunk on those locations. Ideally you wire two branches with one wire. You also seem to have flush cut all branches. Next time leave a stub to jin. If you don't like it you can always remove them later.
Will cut back wire until I lose leverage. Thank you. Anchor point for me is still difficult to conceptualize.

Couple mm’s of stub, but not enough clearly. Will adjust.
 

coltranem

Chumono
Messages
746
Reaction score
973
Location
Massachusetts
USDA Zone
6a
Will cut back wire until I lose leverage. Thank you. Anchor point for me is still difficult to conceptualize.

Couple mm’s of stub, but not enough clearly. Will adjust.
Have you watched the craftsy video on wiring?

You could l lay the wire in front of the trunk just above the lower branch. Wrap counterclockwise around the branch coming over the top. Continue wrapping up the trunk counterclockwise until you reach the next branch. Go over the top of this and wrap clockwise. The key is having each branch wrapped in a different direction.
 

augustine

Chumono
Messages
755
Reaction score
553
Location
Pasadena, MD
USDA Zone
7A
Go for it and keep wiring, that's the way to learn. This wiring job will not hurt anything. Keep an eye on the wire and make sure it doesn't cut in too much. Should be able to stay on 'til next spring.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,407
Reaction score
10,629
Location
Netherlands
Couple mm’s of stub, but not enough clearly. Will adjust.
It depends a whole lot on what you want to achieve later. If you want a healed cut, then junipers aren't usually good subjects and I found it's best to make those cuts in spring. I cut them flush with a knob cutter (a flat one) if that's my goal.
Otherwise, I leave a stub of a few centimeters, that I can jin or remove later.

Wiring itself looks good for a first try. Evenly spaced. But I don't like that rainbow shaped branch. It looks too man-made. In conifers I prefer drastic angle changes and this bend is exactly the opposite.
For now, let it rest. It's going to take a year or two to regain strength.
 

leatherback

The Treedeemer
Messages
13,934
Reaction score
26,857
Location
Northern Germany
USDA Zone
7
For next time.. Do not remove this much of the plant. You have a serious risk of loosing the whole plant after what looks like, removing 95% of the foliage
 

Brad in GR

Chumono
Messages
650
Reaction score
1,044
Location
West Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
It depends a whole lot on what you want to achieve later. If you want a healed cut, then junipers aren't usually good subjects and I found it's best to make those cuts in spring. I cut them flush with a knob cutter (a flat one) if that's my goal.
Otherwise, I leave a stub of a few centimeters, that I can jin or remove later.

Wiring itself looks good for a first try. Evenly spaced. But I don't like that rainbow shaped branch. It looks too man-made. In conifers I prefer drastic angle changes and this bend is exactly the opposite.
For now, let it rest. It's going to take a year or two to regain strength.
Thank you for the notes - rainbow branch thinking taking a bud to the right again long term. And suggestion on where to adjust?

Noted in pruning. I need to remember Jin as an important potential feature. Thanks all for reminding.
 

Paulpash

Masterpiece
Messages
2,008
Reaction score
6,018
Location
UK. Yorkshire
You'll be lucky if it survives. You could have always removed more in stages if it recovers. Strength in juniper = foliage mass. I would not touch this tree again til it has 10x the mass it has now.
 
Top Bottom