Cascade/Semi-Cascade Juniper - Advice Required

[Mithrandir]

Hello everyone!

About a year ago, when I joined here, i'd purchased the Juniper in the below photos however didn't work on it last year as I was a little unsure what/how I wanted to style it. So i decided to just let it grow. A year later, my decision is no easier so I wanted to get some advice from the wonderful and helpful people here.

In terms of style -- I definitely want to go down the cascade/semi-cascade path with this tree. On the left side of the tree there are is plenty of growth however i'm struggling to decide/work-out my options on the right side to balance the design off. It has a great deal of growing to do however I want to start sorting out the frame before the main trunk becomes too thick to wire from where its current apex is down to just past the (2) and (3) branch.

I would appreciate some guidance before I do anything and specifically, what can I do to encourage growth on the right side. Some specific questions I have are

1. In terms of structure, is what i'm after achievable, is there any other recommendations?
2. Balancing the growth -- both sides of the tree are very healthy and throwing out a lot of new growth, however to encourage it more to the RHS, are there any particular strategies I can employ? I.e. cut off buds on the LHS, thin out some of the RHS growth to focus growth on remaining branchlets, etc.
3. Is there a strategy/outcome where branches 1,2,3 could each remain? If not, should they just be shortened a bit?

I can take some more photos on the weekend, if that would help however hoping that the attached is clear enough

Appreciate your help in advance

Mike

 

[Japonicus]

Hi Mike! So it is Springtime there now right?
Your Wintertime Zone 10, 10ºC or 50º F is not so friendly for the procumbens with 9 at the top of its' hardiness.
Just bringing that up 1st, so if it fails in the future, it may not be due to your styling or timing, though those things
become more critical. Still it needs a good dormant period, most every year to achieve lasting results to your efforts.

I would wait till the new growth this Spring becomes very moist, and extending new foliage before you pot this one up.
Feed it now, and weekly full strength Fert if not recently potted up.
Potting it, with growth in mind would be my 1st line of approach on this one. Remember, don't go removing much foliage
especially lengths of branches, sacrifice or not, once you've potted it up.
* That doesn't mean you can remove branches, then pot it up next month either.
On the other hand, I would go ahead and remove any dead growth and a little bit to give breath to the interior.
Remove inside corners of branches with suckers with clean, sharp shears. Some foliage growing underneath branches too.
This will help with your plan, and let light in to help with back budding. Grow this out so the shoots get too long, then cut back somewhat once
this year, past midsummer, if you do not pot it up this year. If you do, let it grow crazy, clean out as noted above as it grows.
(EDIT: You've got it pretty clean already, not a lot to do really other than pot it up into bonsai soil.)

I like your option #1 yes quite achievable The apex over the trunk, more a formal cascade.
I have only one cascade potted ATM page 3 in my media. I potted it up a tad early this Spring.
New growth was there, but not extending new branches so to say. I have not, pinched it hardly at all this year.
Highly unusual, and I think it's because the new growth had not pushed strong enough then.

As to which of the cascades to remove, it's hard to tell which without hands on, or more pictures from the left (cascading) side.
But you want strength into ONE cascade, or I should say BOTH apexes (upper and lower apexes). It's ok to let one apex
dominate a year, maybe 2, but you do not want to let the lower apex cause the top apex to wither because the lower one dominated too long.
Same with branches. If you have a top branch that's too big around, control it, let the lower ones grow crazy to catch up. They will.

 

[Japonicus]

Come to think of it, when ever you get around to selecting branches and removing them...
...wire up one of the cascades you plan to remove. Learn boundary limits with bending
so as to not push the keeper cascade beyond to the point of breaking it.
The further back cascade, would be nice to become a controlled horizontal branch early on then too.
Should your cascade break, then that horizontal branch can become a semi cascade, and build from there.
Nice to have these fail safes at your disposal.

 

[Mithrandir]

Thanks @Japonicus ... Appreciate your advice.

By potting, did you mean in a display pot? It's got a good amount of growth on it so if I do I will go for a larger pot that it can grow in to. Or I may give it another year of growth.

I'll try and get some better pictures on the weekend when I am home during daylight hours. You are correct, it is nearly spring here and our summers are very hot. I generally bring my trees under shade in summer although I will probably leave my black pines in full sun throughout summer if they can handle it.

So in terms of the RHS if I thin it out a bit any remaining growth will over time become branches and harden up?

As for the cascades the rear one I think I'll keep and the shorter front one I will keep for now, but control the growth. I imagine it will help with thickening up the upper part of the trunk.

I've got a full weekend ahead so it's unlikely I'll be able to do any thinning or trimming this week.

Also what fertiliser do you recommend. I typically use dynamic lifter or chicken manure with seaweed to water it in and find for non flowering it works great. Is there something better?

 

[M. Frary]

It's still young.
And pliable.
I would stake one of the long leaders up and lose the other.
In a couple years you could have a cool informal upright.

 

[Japonicus]

Thanks @Japonicus ... Appreciate your advice.

By potting, did you mean in a display pot? It's got a good amount of growth on it so if I do I will go for a larger pot that it can grow in to. Or I may give it another year of growth.

No your idea is correct, a grow pot, grow box, colander, basket, ground, anything to give ample room for good root/trunk growth.
Considering your shade idea though, (assuming you're gone most of the daylight hours based on your post, Pines, shade etc...
you may want to consider your soils water retention allowing more bark,
and maybe added DE https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFN8822
http://treeoflifebonsai.com/product/coarse-calcined-diatomaceous-earth/ so your juniper can get more vital Sunlight.
The smaller particles in the floor dry will hold moisture longer I believe, but does separate from larger sized particles somewhat.

So in terms of the RHS if I thin it out a bit any remaining growth will over time become branches and Harden up?

Allowed to extend, anything can become a branch, within reason (some spindly growth may not be worth the effort/years).

As for the cascades the rear one I think I'll keep and the shorter front one I will keep for now, but control the growth. I imagine it will help with thickening up the upper part of the trunk.

I like the forwards one for a cascade, I like the spacing of the shoots, but that's nothing that cannot be accomplished with the others.
As with branches you want to start on the RHS, it's all about where they connect to the trunk.

Also what fertiliser do you recommend. I typically use dynamic lifter or chicken manure with seaweed to water it in and find for non flowering it works great. Is there something better?

I rotate several types including 2 organic and 3 inorganic fertilizers.
Miracle Grow full strength
Neptunes Seaweed and Fish emulsion - organic
MirAcid or same as Miracle Grow for Azaleas and Rhododendron
Bonsai Pro 7-9-5 or any 10-10-10 is fine too.
Espoma Holly Tone or Plant Tone - organic

I think your menu would be fine with a higher analysis similar to Miracle Grow rotated in
though I am not familiar with dynamic lifter...if it is similar to Miracle Grow 28-8-16,
then see if you can find one of the Espoma foods which has a much lower analysis.
Since you're happy with your menu, don't delete any of it. Diversity covers more bases.
Food's are all about nutrients and micro nutrients, trace elements, which I am no expert on at all.
Some folks make their own organic foods, but on a budget, with less than 40 trees, what I use
does just fine. I was the same way feeding LPS coral in my reef tank, always mixing it up in a proper size range.
I try to feed on Sundays, but we have a rainy spell coming, so I'm going to start early now, with Espoma Holly Tone
which is a dry granular slow release bit, scratched into the top soil.

 

[Mithrandir]

No your idea is correct, a grow pot, grow box, colander, basket, ground, anything to give ample room for good root/trunk growth.
Considering your shade idea though, (assuming you're gone most of the daylight hours based on your post, Pines, shade etc...
you may want to consider your soils water retention allowing more bark,
and maybe added DE https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFN8822
http://treeoflifebonsai.com/product/coarse-calcined-diatomaceous-earth/ so your juniper can get more vital Sunlight.
The smaller particles in the floor dry will hold moisture longer I believe, but does separate from larger sized particles somewhat.


Allowed to extend, anything can become a branch, within reason (some spindly growth may not be worth the effort/years).


I like the forwards one for a cascade, I like the spacing of the shoots, but that's nothing that cannot be accomplished with the others.
As with branches you want to start on the RHS, it's all about where they connect to the trunk.


I rotate several types including 2 organic and 3 inorganic fertilizers.
Miracle Grow full strength
Neptunes Seaweed and Fish emulsion - organic
MirAcid or same as Miracle Grow for Azaleas and Rhododendron
Bonsai Pro 7-9-5 or any 10-10-10 is fine too.
Espoma Holly Tone or Plant Tone - organic

I think your menu would be fine with a higher analysis similar to Miracle Grow rotated in
though I am not familiar with dynamic lifter...if it is similar to Miracle Grow 28-8-16,
then see if you can find one of the Espoma foods which has a much lower analysis.
Since you're happy with your menu, don't delete any of it. Diversity covers more bases.
Food's are all about nutrients and micro nutrients, trace elements, which I am no expert on at all.
Some folks make their own organic foods, but on a budget, with less than 40 trees, what I use
does just fine. I was the same way feeding LPS coral in my reef tank, always mixing it up in a proper size range.
I try to feed on Sundays, but we have a rainy spell coming, so I'm going to start early now, with Espoma Holly Tone
which is a dry granular slow release bit, scratched into the top soil.

Thanks mate, appreciate your advice and the time you've taken. I'll be throwing it in a larger black pot for growing without much disturbance to the roots. I'll keep you posted with progress and how I go over the next few weeks.

Two last questions

- what did you mean by inside corners?
- When it comes to developing a branch, do junipers react like other plants where if you say cut it, it will grow 2 (or so) new shoots from that point?

 

[Japonicus]

Thanks mate, appreciate your advice and the time you've taken. I'll be throwing it in a larger black pot for growing without much disturbance to the roots. I'll keep you posted with progress and how I go over the next few weeks.

Two last questions

- what did you mean by inside corners?
- When it comes to developing a branch, do junipers react like other plants where if you say cut it, it will grow 2 (or so) new shoots from that point?

Corners that need cleaning out depicted by red arcs or semi-circles.
For branch division, this is the obvious, latent buds not so obvious, so best to divide where you know a division will grow
depicted by arrows above and technique or tool. So these are 3 obvious division points. On the shoot of foliage will be latent
buds that get excited as growth allows, however I'm not sure at what point they will become mature enough on a lot of the growth
in the above picture, to...> If you pinch and a latent bud is not mature enough, you will achieve a brown "tip" so to say down to the point that
growth is mature enough to support growth beyond and remain green. If you pinch where indicated no browning will occur on the adjacent green buds.

I personally prefer to go this route rather than chopping to get ramification, in the direction I want a branch (branchlettes),
but in training you just have to chop sometimes, to tighten things up and change gears in the current stage of development.
Where I indicated to use the concave cutter, could rather be given an immature jin, or continue to cut once again to a clean finished product + cut paste.


Here's a good example an inside corner. There's a slightly yellowed fan shaped piece of foliage under my thumb
with no new growth. It's located at the base of that branchlet I'm holding back.
This cuts off air flow, holds moisture and insects love such an environment. Multiply this by an entire nursery potted plant
and the debris builds super fast, allowing disease too, I'm sure you've experienced buying this as most nursery plants have this environment
and once in the homeowners care, the spraying may cease and allow pests and disease. That's when I like to glove up, and comb through the foliage with my hands and fingers
manually removing what debris I can while nite quite dry but almost, then hit it hard with the garden hose nozzle on jet, and clean up the soil.
Frequent jetting is a great 1st line of defense in removing spider mites too.
HTH

 

[M. Frary]

I personally prefer to go this route rather than chopping to get ramification

I think you're confusing "chopping' with pruning.
What do you "chop" you get ramification?
Also ,all the cuts you pointed out in the diagram can be done with scissors. Everything is tiny and really doesnt need any concave cuts.

 

[Japonicus]

I think you're confusing "chopping' with pruning.
What do you "chop" you get ramification?
Also ,all the cuts you pointed out in the diagram can be done with scissors. Everything is tiny and really doesnt need any concave cuts.

Sure you could use shears at any of these points but the smaller point is pinched safely.
The larger point chasing growth back slightly is thick enough 3/16” that shears would have to open
wide enough to get the target deep enough for leverage. The concave would be opened 1/4” shears 1.5”
and the handles considerably more.

I guess the confusing part of the ramification was just moving it back in tighter Mike. Sorry bout that.
It doesn’t cause ramification no, but moves points to be ramified closer into the trunk.