My very first Juniper procumbens nana pruned successfully (I hope)

Mashu

Sapling
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After several failed attempts at pruning Junipers and countless skin reactions to the needles they possess, I finally was able to go back to the nursery and pick out a nice one in which I could somewhat see a future for. After pruning back several over-grown branches, it immediately took the shape of which I was looking for. I am still unsure on how one goes about properly wiring a juniper to get what I like to call the "Broccoli Look." Does anyone have any tips for me? Pic related: it's the one I'm talking about. Sorry about my dog's butt. He likes to spend time with me while I work on trees outside.
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Hyn Patty

Shohin
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I just picked up one of these to work on myself. Haven't done anything to it yet except studying it and thinking about what I want to do. It definitely wants pruning - the growth is very thick. I'm afraid I don't have any advice for you - we are still getting some freezing weather here and I'd like to know if I can go ahead and wire now before new growth really starts to take off for the new season.
 

Gsquared

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My procumbrens are both cascades. I did have one that I unwisely killed, but what I notice about this species likes to cascade. I had one that I sold recently that I had originally tried in a slant style, but the growth pattern just kept pushing it toward a cascade. I ended up with a 26" cascade with lots of twisty turns. What I found was the top apex of the tree was the weakest part and I always had to prune the lower parts of the cascade hard to force growth upward. This species is hell on your hands too. Itchy and whelty when I didn't wear surgical gloves. My hands have toughened up some and I worked on one for the afternoon and no gloves!

I have found this species to be fairly forgiving. Watch out, the growth can sneak up on you and before you know it the foliage has doubled in volume. I trim at least 30-50% off a couple of times over the course of a year. Now these trees have been cultivated as bonsai for over 20 years, so they are used to it. The trunks don't thicken quickly from my experience. The are great at back budding in the crotch between branches, though. They can get leggy so regrowing smaller sub branches is easy if you need to. All in all a species I like, especially for a cascade.
 
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After several failed attempts at pruning Junipers and countless skin reactions to the needles they possess, I finally was able to go back to the nursery and pick out a nice one in which I could somewhat see a future for. After pruning back several over-grown branches, it immediately took the shape of which I was looking for. I am still unsure on how one goes about properly wiring a juniper to get what I like to call the "Broccoli Look." Does anyone have any tips for me? Pic related: it's the one I'm talking about. Sorry about my dog's butt. He likes to spend time with me while I work on trees outside.
View attachment 183209

looking good
 

sorce

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Especially since you're sensitive to the foliage, I wouldn't even wire it.

When these trees are in this state...just clipped to a outline, maybe a little pruning for separation...

I find them way more pleasing than when they are diced to tufts at the ends and dying!

For me, this IS the pleasing image for these...tiny clip, tiny grow.

I think people want to See wire and movement so much they don't stop to think about how one like this looks more like a real tree now than it ever will.

The only thing wrong with it right now is the canopy is a little heavy for the trunk...

So if you leave a lot of foliage, keep the top in check....and maybe leave one low sacrifice...you could probly safely flip that by next year or 2. As the canopy gets reduced and opened, and the trunk thickens....wala!

Sorce
 

Gsquared

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Procubrens really get dense and they die back a lot if they aren't opened up inside. It is nice that they pop from middle-aged wood fairly easily, but those buds do take a couple of seasons to develop. I think the tree would benefit from opening up the structure for light and air. Just looking at the pic again and I can almost guarantee that the left side of the tree is going to get strong and start growing in a downward sweep.
 

Mashu

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The foliage is very dense. So dense, in fact, that it's raining outside right now and the soil underneath has barely been touched by it! Would one open up the structure through pruning?
 

GrimLore

Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
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The foliage is very dense. So dense, in fact, that it's raining outside right now and the soil underneath has barely been touched by it! Would one open up the structure through pruning?

Look at it from the top and open it up allowing air, light, and water(like the rain) to pass through. I common oversight is if you want to develop a Juniper to have those "nice" pads extended off of branches you must keep the plant growing and thriving on them. Without air, light, and water it would never happen.

For example look "closely" at landscape Junipers that receive nothing but a shrub cut - 99.9 percent of the time the entire of the interior of the shrub has no foliage, no light, no air, no water :)

I actually think your first attempt is good by the way, in Bonsai one just must look at the long term :)

Grimmy
 

Gsquared

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The foliage is very dense. So dense, in fact, that it's raining outside right now and the soil underneath has barely been touched by it! Would one open up the structure through pruning?
If that is the case I would definitely go in and trim. If you are nervous, the safest thing to do would be to go in to each of the lower branchs and cut off anything growing down or straight up. You might not cut the upward growth on the very top, but thinning it would be good. It is always a safe bet to cut anything downward growing. And about 90% of the growth going straight up is probably okay to cut too. You won't be cutting anything you might want for further styling that way, because getting rid of downward growth always is a good idea, and the upward growth is usually not too desireable. That would give you some more air and light penetration.
 

Gsquared

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This gives an idea of opening the tree up. Here is one of my procumbrens. It was from a man named Sunjata, a Buddhist monk, who had passed and the SF club was selling his trees for his family. I’ve always been partial to it for sentimental reasons. It was much more upright when I got it. Over the years it got more and more recumbent and I'm liking the bunjin semi cascade form it has taken. I just did it’s first spring clean and prune. Probably at least two more this growing season. I took off about 30% of the foliage a few days ago.

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