Any pro's looking to annihilate a newb? My first massacre..er...styling attempt.

Tommykeolle

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As the title openly states I am very new. I have decided to make the plunge and ruin/kill/try to manipulate and keep alive a nursery stock juniper.

A local nursery has dozens of potted junipers on sale, most pretty haggard without a single - single trunk. (At least in the 15-20 I looked through) This was originally planted with the main trunk at about a *15 from the potting mix. I did not re pot. I basically slip potted back into the original container after adding some very coarse soil at the bottom of the pot and aerating the roots just a little. (In Hopes of keeping it alive after my first attempts of styling) it looked like it was in a slightly smaller pot before it's current pot was filled with soil and it was just plopped in there.

I've left some smaller growth alone as I dont know if I could/should wire. I also left the two very small sprouts coming off of the main trunk (between the middle and bottom pads) alone of the same reason wondering if maybe with some age one of the two could be wired for a back branch or to bring some "weight" to the left. Or possibly return it to something closer to its original potting angle and pot with a rock of some type to balance it out.

Anyway! Have at it.

Beer for scale....as that seems to be a trend, that will be the only thing I'm certain i got right!
 

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sorce

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Sorry for the delay.

Welcome to Crazy!

I think you killed it....
But ....

There is something there.

Next!

Sorce
 

JudyB

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Hey at least you picked an interesting beer!
You should put your location in your profile so people can give you advice based on your particular climate. Welcome.
 

Tommykeolle

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Judyb, profile updated! I'm in tampa. I believe the interesting beer may have been the reason I jumped in face-first the way I did. I'd really like to find something a bit more suitable for starting material and keep it very simple.

I guess I was just anxious to try...well, something. It was nice to at least experiment. A lot of what I had read and watched makes so much more sense thinking about it while actually working with a tree.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I'd like to address the spread and shape of the foliage. I feel the branches are set straight in the horizontal sense, where in most bonsai I see kind of a wave pattern: high at the trunk, lowering down towards the center of a branch, whereas the tips grow upwards. This gives the tree a 'feel' of heavy branches. If they point straight out, that's fine too but it kind of makes it look unnatural.
Watch out doing that by the way, because the branches could snap at the point where they are connected to the trunk.
The foliage could be spread out some more to both create more room for new foliage as well as give the tree more body.

It would improve this tree with some minor percentages, but that's something that can be done now and with relative ease.

Welcome to the nuthouse and good luck on your quests!
 

Tommykeolle

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The "heavy" branches was something I was thinking about the whole time and yet I completely forgot to address it. Thanks for pointing that out! I will tweak it a little today and then leave it be. I know some have had luck with inducing a lot of stress on these guys and others have not...so we'll see which camp I'm in here in a few months.
 

leatherback

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Not half bad to be honest. I think you created an interesting shape. Somewhat windswept.

If this would ave been my tree, I would probably have looked at the bottom branch for my main trunkline. Do NOT do more bending now; Let the tree heal from the damages. But you could probably bring that branch in a somewhat upright position. And by rotation slightly as you bend, get the side-branches twirl around the trunk, creating the primary branches.

For now, leave alone and get it to grow strongly again.

Have fun and walcome to crazy.
 

Tommykeolle

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Leatherback, I wish I would have read your comment before I came back as I know I've seen your name quite a lot here along with sorce. At least in the juniper section I've been creeping in, so thank you for the reply! I say I wish I had seen your comment because....I did adjust it... well, I'll leave one picture for its final shape. I wont touch it again!

What would be best for the tree at this point not to induce any more shock? Leave in this pot, stop messing with it in every way, and ensure it gets its sun and water? ....or would putting it in the ground be a benefit? I know the basic re potting rules but are any of then exempt if it just goes in the ground without root pruning or training? Just to let it regain strength. I have a spot where I have a couple other junipers (nothing done to them) that are doing really well.
 

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leatherback

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What would be best for the tree at this point not to induce any more shock? Leave in this pot, stop messing with it in every way, and ensure it gets its sun and water?
That is what I would do.
But I am by no means an expert! Just posting frequently says nothing about skill. Or.. Some might say, the time spent on the forum is not spent in the garden..
 

Tommykeolle

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Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the input!
 
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Bananaman

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Leatherback, I wish I would have read your comment before I came back as I know I've seen your name quite a lot here along with sorce. At least in the juniper section I've been creeping in, so thank you for the reply! I say I wish I had seen your comment because....I did adjust it... well, I'll leave one picture for its final shape. I wont touch it again!

What would be best for the tree at this point not to induce any more shock? Leave in this pot, stop messing with it in every way, and ensure it gets its sun and water? ....or would putting it in the ground be a benefit? I know the basic re potting rules but are any of then exempt if it just goes in the ground without root pruning or training? Just to let it regain strength. I have a spot where I have a couple other junipers (nothing done to them) that are doing really well.

I find it odd to see foliage on the wrong side of the movement of the trunk? Why would the tree grow into the wind and develop branches on the other side moving away? Just keep in mind that when someone sees your tree for the first time they should walk away with absolutely no questions. I do like the execution of what you did though. I like short jins and you didn't fall into the trap of keeping long ones.
 

leatherback

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Leatherback, I wish I would have read your comment before I came back
So lesson to learn here. Be patient. Posting a question on a forum, and within 14 hours go into action might not be the best bet. Patience is a virtue, especially in bonsai!
 

Tommykeolle

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Oh I agree. I think my jump to action there was really because I had thought about the up and down movement and somehow forgot to address it. So that was a rush.

Bananaman, I dont think windswept was in my initial thought process. I agree with the short jin, that I definitely get.
 

Lionheart

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Bonsai is first about learning tree care. Secondarily about design considerations.
 

Hawke84

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I really like it. what type of Juniper is it? better than my first attempt that looked more like a poodle!
 

Paulpash

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Just one helpful tip: Cleaning anything hanging down will greatly improve the quality of the image. Leave it alone now then next summer prune the stuff hanging down.
 

Hawke84

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Bonsai is first about learning tree care. Secondarily about design considerations.
good point, one thing i found that has helped me is to draw the tree on paper. I did a tutorial from Colin Lewis where he first gives you tree trunks and gets you to draw the canopy and then a visa versa. really makes you think about what to shoot for!
 
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