2 Year Procumbens Juniper Progression

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Originally, I bought this to participate in one of those "nursery stock" challenges. I can't remember if it was on this site or another.

As purchased in summer of 2016:


I whacked the shit out of this thing and was (and still am) embarresed by my work...



I never entered it into any contest...that's for sure.

So I let it grow, here it is in the summer of 2017...


Its here that I decided it needed to be a single a trunk, so I jin'd the lower branch and ended up with this...


It continued to grow well and I decided to cut the root ball in half this spring... before:

After:

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

My plan was to do nothing more and let it recover this year, but the tree has really grown well and I decided another styling was in order.

Before work this weekend...

After:



I'm pleased with the progress, but more work remains, including me getting better at design and wiring.

Looks better than the pom-poms from 2016, lol!

I can see why varieties like Shimpaku are valued over others, like the Procumbens. I find this Procumbens it harder to style than the Shimpakus. I also think this Procumbens looks better a little, "bushy", if you will.

Critiques welcome...

 

[AZbonsai]

Like the progression. Jin, wiring, root work, styling you have got a lot of mileage out of that tree. Great job. Your design, whats there not to be proud of?

 

[Soldano666]

Looks good from here

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Like the progression. Jin, wiring, root work, styling you have got a lot of mileage out of that tree. Great job. Your design, whats there not to be proud of?

Thanks!

2 issues I see...

First, I'm frustrated by how the silhouette doesn't feel refined, although it actually has pretty good branching. Here is a look from above...

I feel like it should look better, but I have issues with wiring the new growth. The wire doesn't stay on very well b/c it doesn't have any woody stem, if that makes sense. I can't tell if its an issue of my skill or an issue w/ Procumbens or an issue of not enough time.

Second, I'm wondering if the design should be going the opposite direction. I think, had I known then, what I know I now, that I would have designed the tree in this direction...I suppose I could still, but something feels "off" about it's current design. Maybe it's just me...

 

[AZbonsai]

Refinement a lot to ask after two years from nursery pot IMO. I think it is our nature to second guess.

 

[Shinjuku]

I agree with the evaluation of your initial pom-pom design . However, you’ve shown how, given time and practice, you can turn just about anything into a very nice bonsai. Thanks for sharing the steps of how you you did this great transformation! This is a great lesson for those newer to styling.

 

[W3rk]

My plan was to do nothing more and let it recover this year, but the tree has really grown well and I decided another styling was in order.

Before work this weekend...
View attachment 206657
After:
View attachment 206659
View attachment 206658

I'm pleased with the progress, but more work remains, including me getting better at design and wiring.

Looks better than the pom-poms from 2016, lol!

I can see why varieties like Shimpaku are valued over others, like the Procumbens. I find this Procumbens it harder to style than the Shimpakus. I also think this Procumbens looks better a little, "bushy", if you will.

Critiques welcome...

I'll be honest - I hated how this looked after you first worked it from stock. It seemed way too thinned out and I thought you had removed too much low growth.

But your progression is looking so much better. Nice work.

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Repotted this weekend...

I'm hoping it responds well and I can do a bit of styling later this year. This really needs to be compacted and the whole tree silhouette dropped down. Eager to work on the tree, but patience will be key

 

[Hyn Patty]

I don't know if this will help you with your refinement but here's a detail shot of the one I have been working on recently. Mind you I am still learning how to wire out the pads myself but so far I'm pretty happy with how it's going. Just use a thin wire and go on out into the green live tips as necessary to position them with a flat spread fan shape in mind, slightly curling up at the tips. Also have a look at this three part article here in the Resource section for finishing juniper pads as it's very helpful.

https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/how-to-trim-and-establish-pads-junipers-pt1.18/

 

[Mike Hennigan]

It seems maybe the particular variety of procumbens you have is not as compact a grower. Refinement of the roots in the bonsai pot should really help get that foliage more compact. Lookin good.

 

[bonsaidave]

Looks like you got a good start. Looking forward to seeing this tree again in 5 years.

 

[Japonicus]

...but something feels "off" about it's current design. Maybe it's just me...

Love the jins! At the 5 year mark your pride level will increase as well as it's gone so far indeed
There's some static, that you have gobs of time to sort out.
The centre of the tree still appears to be twin trunked.
I know it's a branch that jets up and back down, but perhaps it's the foliage causing the static here.
Cover a possible pruning point there and see if that helps define the right heavy branch as a branch rather than a trunk.
I think it's an inside curve branch on the main trunk causing this, but can't tell for certain.

I like your choice of the new earth tone pot. On an immediate note of gratification
the left branch can be wired down similar to the other three branches in its' vicinity.
Once it's recovered from the potting up soon and you're feeding it,
you'll want to clean the undersides of the branches.
What do you think?

 

[Japonicus]

It seems maybe the particular variety of procumbens you have is not as compact a grower. Refinement of the roots in the bonsai pot should really help get that foliage more compact. Lookin good.

You're right, it's not the nana variety.
Read through the thread and thought to myself, not nana, tag not nana, are you sure it's a nana? then I reread the title

 

[Hyn Patty]

Ah, good point. His isn't a nana - and mine is so there's a difference worth noting. My bad that I didn't catch it right off either.

 

[Japonicus]

You're gonna skin me for my poor software and use of it. My edit skills on such...cringe.
The red circles highlight bar branches for which I did not consider when scribbling about here.
Arrows point to direction to get the apex a little more centered over the nebari a bit more but may go entirely
against your goals, and lowers the right branch to create space with the branch that jets up and echo the other branches
downwards slope.

The 2 lower right branches still compete even with the edited image, and either create a huge letter C in the trunk
but more so on the lowest branch without the interest of the branch above it.
It would not be such a letter C should the apex become where the lowest bar branch is.
I could have removed more background foliage there to the left at that bar branch, but you get the idea...
Just thinking out loud. Like I said you have gobs of time to refine and keep foliage this year save for cleaning underneath the pads.
Just cleaning it up will let more light in to back bud.

 

[0soyoung]

It seems maybe the particular variety of procumbens you have is not as compact a grower. Refinement of the roots in the bonsai pot should really help get that foliage more compact. Lookin good.

I don't think there are many varieties of procumbens. Eventually the foliage will become dense of its own accord, but it can be helped along. In spring, when the tips become a lighter/brighter green (start growing), one 'mows' them all off - just take your scissors and cut them, shortening every green shoot by as much as half. In a while new shoots will be popping out from the bases of the thorny leaves, about doubling the foliage density.

I suggest not mowing or pinching any more in the growing season in order for it to grow roots. The growing tips are auxin sources. Auxin drives root growth.

My procumbens bonsai made from a years' old landscape plant that was in my landscape, offered simply as evidence that procumbens foliage can readily be made dense, even too dense.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I don't think there are many varieties of procumbens. Eventually the foliage will become dense of its own accord, but it can be helped along. In spring, when the tips become a lighter/brighter green (start growing), one 'mows' them all off - just take your scissors and cut them, shortening every green shoot by as much as half. In a while new shoots will be popping out from the bases of the thorny leaves, about doubling the foliage density.

I suggest not mowing or pinching any more in the growing season in order for it to grow roots. The growing tips are auxin sources. Auxin drives root growth.

My procumbens bonsai made from a years' old landscape plant that was in my landscape, offered simply as evidence that procumbens foliage can readily be made dense, even too dense.

Lol, I don’t think anyone’s doubting that procumbens will will form dense foliage. I just know that there is some degree of difference in foliage characteristics between a couple different varieties. Regardless, with bonsai cultivation he should have no problem getting dense pads. Also, nice tree man.