Conifer questions

[baldone]

I have a Juniper and a JBP that both have revers taper. Any suggestion on correcting the problems.

 

[Esolin]

The juniper you can easily air layer using the wire-girdle method.

The pine...is that a graft union? It looks unnatural, like a corkbark JBP was grafted onto rootstock. Not sure how to fix that. Someone more knowledgeable about pines might be able to offer suggestions.

 

[baldone]

It looks to me like someone split the truck.

 

[Shibui]

It is possible to get a trunk to swell locally by scarring it where you need extra thickness. The callus that develops to heal the wounds grows faster than normal growth rings but that's still a long process, usually years to make any difference.
Layering to get new roots at the thickest part is probably the fastest and surest option.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

It's hard to see on the picture but maybe you can airlayer the juniper just above the first branch.
Then you can keep the original the trunk and grow the first branch out to start a new tree with that.
The airlayer part can also become a new tree with better taper.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The pine...is that a graft union? It looks unnatural, like a corkbark JBP was grafted onto rootstock.

That's what I immediately thought the second I saw it.

The best way to get it to thicken up is to scarify the bark - either carving channels in it (trying to match the character of the bark above the graft union), or wrapping it with wire, removing the wire after it has deeply bit into the bark, and repeating - in random and non-repeating patterns. However you are in for an uphill battle because the graft union is relatively high, and it will likely always be a challenge to get the two different barks to match. Usually when you are trying a cork bark graft (for bonsai) you want that graft union to be right on top of the roots.