Styling Advice

eolson

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Hi all,
I am new to bonsai, i just started about two weeks ago with a Juniper I picked up in Chinatown. When I got it it looked like this:
Screen shot 2012-04-21 at 3.42.52 PM.jpg

While trying to wire it I accidentally broke one of the branches and it took off a large strip of bark. This is what it currently looks like:

Screen shot 2012-04-21 at 3.44.57 PM.jpg

Screen shot 2012-04-21 at 3.45.40 PM.jpg

Do you guys have any styling/growing advice? Thanks in advance.
 

JudyB

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Wow, your first tree and right away you're making shari on it!!! Way to start off!:D

Welcome to the forum, I wish I could help you, but I don't really do any junipers. I can tell you that you should try to let it recover from the "styling" before you do anything else to it. You are keeping it outside right?
Good luck!
 

eolson

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Yes, It is on my balcony and gets about 4 hours of afternoon sun a day.
 

edprocoat

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Junipers are good and hardy plants too, the break and resulting shari should not hurt it. I would treat the wound area to seal and preserve it though. There are many things you can use, the old standby lime sulfur brushed on will preserve the wood and whiten it giving it a bleached aged look. I would not wait too long as the dead exposed wood will get stained by mildew and start to rot if left too long. Most junipers need more like full sun all day, 4 hours may keep it alive but it will be just hanging on. If all you have is that balcony then get a light for the time its in the shade to help its vigor. You will find that nearly all Bonsai need sun, they need the outdoors. naturally tropicals need to come in for the colder weather, but you still need to protect even the cold hardy Bonsai' species root systems during a hard freeze as they are in small pots.

ed
 

eolson

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I have a 60W grow light that i can put on it so I will start doing that. If I dont have lime sulfur what else can I use?
 

edprocoat

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I have a 60W grow light that i can put on it so I will start doing that. If I dont have lime sulfur what else can I use?

The tree woudl appreciate the grow light, there are many things to use to preserve the wood, Minwax natural stainis nice, it seals and preserves the wood the natural color leaves the wood natural. They have one called Pickled Oak that looks more like the color of deadwood you see in nature, its a sort of gray white colr, they also have a water based one called whitewash pickling I beleive, or maybe pickled whitewash, and it gives the whiter look like lime sulfur. The idea is to preserve the deadwood area from rot. As you water it the water will soak into the exposed wood, first it will get mildew stains, like grayish black areas, then it will start to rot away increasing the area of damage, the stains and wood preservatives do not hurt the tree as the wood beneath the bark is dead anyhow, the sap flow and nutrients travel through the bark and cadmium layers.

ed
 

october

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Hello and welcome eolson... This tree does not need the normal amount of sun it would needly need since it has been recently styled and pruned. After a tree is hard pruned like this one, it is actually recommended to protect it from strong, mid day sun. Right now, 4 hours of sun in mid Spring are fine for the tree to recover in. No grow light is needed. Junipers should not really be under grow lights since they are outdoor trees. Also, since you get some nice sun from the outside, a grow light should never be a necessity.

Also, water when needed only. That means letting the top layer of soil dry out a bit in between waterings. Since the tree has less foliage, it will probably not be taking up as much water. As far as preserving the deadwood. Lime sulfur should be used. Also, waiting a couple/few weeks or longer for the deadwood to dry out a bit is absolutely fine.

p.s. Lime sulfur is more of a bleaching agent than a preserve. It does have some preserving qualities though. If you do use something, use lime sulfur. Brush it on the deadwood with a small paintbrush. Also, put a cover over the soil so that none drips into the soil. Do not use any of the other wood hardening, staining or water proofing chemicals on this tree.

Good luck with your tree.

Rob
 
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eolson

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I just got back from two local bonsai nurseries and got some helpful advice. As far as lime sulphur goes neither nursery uses it. They both said that just leaving the wood alone will be fine. As far as soil they said that my current 50/50 mix was probably a little to water retentive and just to make it 33/33/33 organic/coarse sand/lava rock. They told me not to put the trees into a inorganic mix until i move them to bonsai pots. One of the nurseries was so good I actually picked up a larger shimpaku juniper:)
 
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